The Editor's Job on a Manuscript

I had this discussion with one of our authors yesterday. Some people mistake the editor's role on a book to be solely about finding the grammatical mistakes. On a fiction book, the editor's job is not just making sure all the grammar and usage is correct -- that is only one part of it. A story editor is looking at the entire picture. A good story editor does the following:

Character development -- are the characters consistently written. Do their voices stay the same throughout the book. Did the author build real, vivid individuals who can be easily identified in the story?

Story development -- does the story make sense. Is it being properly told with a beginning, middle and end? Are all the plots and subplots wrapped up? Does it all make sense?

Holes and consistency -- are there any unanswered questions? Are their holes in the story? Are their inconsistencies? Are all of the references the same throughout the book? Are the names correct and in the right place at the right time?

Here at 3L Publishing, we not only provide editorial services and proof reading, but we do book coaching and story editing. If you would like to talk us about our current SALES and SPECIALS, contact us at 916-300-8012 or send an email to info@3LPublishing.com.