Choose the editorial stage by the problem
A manuscript can need changes to its structure, its sentences, its consistency or its final pages. Describe what is troubling you before requesting an edit. Repeated chapters, an unclear argument and a slow middle point toward different work from punctuation errors in a finished layout.
Developmental editing addresses the book's organization and content. Line editing works on language and flow. Copyediting checks usage and consistency. Proofreading reviews the near-final publication text. The Editorial Freelancers Association's definitions are useful terminology; your proposal should describe the actual intervention rather than rely on a label.
Make the editorial deliverables concrete
Discuss a representative sample and ask what you will receive: an assessment, editorial letter, tracked manuscript, style sheet, author queries or marked publication proof. Identify included passes, review rounds, language conventions and the files used to record changes.
Preserving voice means making deliberate decisions. A conversational memoir, technical explanation and children's story should not receive the same sentence treatment. Record intentional dialect, specialist terms, names, capitalization and spelling preferences so later passes follow the same choices.
Separate routine editorial queries from comprehensive fact-checking, citation checking, permissions management or specialist review. A grammatical sentence can still contain an unsupported claim. Agree who resolves those questions and which additional work is included.
Resolve big changes before typesetting
Make structural and substantial language changes before final page design. Layout affects page numbers, headings, contents entries, image placement and the cover spine. Adding a chapter after typesetting can require checks well beyond the inserted text.
Proofreading the final layout should review the actual publication files. Confirm that approved corrections appear in the next proof, that tables and captions agree with the text, and that navigation works in the ebook. Editing a word-processing file and approving a print PDF are separate decisions.
Keep the author review manageable
Use an agreed manuscript version and collect responses in one place. Accept, reject or answer proposed changes with enough context for the editor to resolve them. Keep unresolved facts visible until the author or designated reviewer decides how to handle them.
Before final approval, identify the reviewed filename, remaining queries and the person responsible for applying and checking corrections. Retain the approved manuscript and style sheet with the production files. They help keep future editions and audio scripts consistent.
Request the right scope for your draft
Share the genre, word count, sample, current draft stage and intended formats. Citations, tables, complex terminology, images, manuscript condition and review arrangements influence the work required.
Basic, Standard and Premium list professional editing and multi-pass proofreading. The written proposal should explain how those inclusions apply to your book; package wording alone does not identify every editorial stage. Contact for pricing once the manuscript and deliverables have been discussed.