types of editors and what they do

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Developmental editors look at the "big picture." They work with authors to develop their ideas and may even help with the writing. They look at the entire manuscript to identify problems with story lines, consistency, and structure.

While a developmental editor looks at an entire manuscript, a line editor (as the name implies) works at the sentence level. A line editor is concerned with style, word choice, and factual consistency. Line editing is best for when you need someone to identify awkward or wordy sentences and generally tighten things up to make your ideas clear.

Copyeditors dive into the nuts and bolts of a piece of writing, reviewing grammar, spelling, punctuation, and readability. A copyeditor will also make sure that a manuscript (or any piece of writing) follows accepted style manuals and conventions. You may need a copyeditor if your project has been reviewed already and just needs some cleaning up.