How to Edit a Novel: A Full Guide for Writers

After you’ve written your first draft, you’re probably staring at a very long, very sprawling document that is your manuscript. It’s super exciting to finally finish that first draft, but afterwards comes the editing phase. Editing tends to be one of the more intimidating parts of the writing process and many writers dread having to edit their books. A lot of writers like to self-edit to start and then pass the manuscript to a professional editor, but a lot of people also like to self-edit everything. While I do believe that you should always try to get a few pairs of eyes that aren’t yours on your story to give you feedback, you can always practice some self-editing as well. Editing a book demands you to cut down, clarify, reshape, and refine your story. This can be tough, especially if you end up parting with some scenes that you really enjoyed writing. However, if you’re trying to query literary agents, you might realize that you have to cut that 160K word manuscript way down to just 100K or something around that. If you’re self-publishing, you still don’t want to overwhelm your readers with tons of pages and will have to cut as well. So, for today’s post, I’ll be talking about how you can edit your own novel by yourself and how you can do it effectively. 

As the author of The Fallen Age Saga, I’ve been writing for over 10 years now. I also worked as a writing assistant at my university, where I frequently dealt with professional-level works, essays, projects, etc… and I can tell you that editing is only tricky at first. However, as you learn proper editing techniques, it’ll easily click with you and it’ll feel much smoother than before. 

If you’re ready to get started on your novel writing journey and want to push yourself to complete a 30-day challenge, then check out Sprint to a Novel in 30 Days! It’s a great crash-course, agenda, and workbook all combined in one to help you set and stay on track with your goals. 

Why Editing Matters for Novel-Writing

The first draft of your book is sort of like you discovering your story and getting a feel for how you want it to go. The editing is basically the polish and final design that’ll make your story feel more whole. Without editing, even the most imaginative manuscript risks rejection or even possibly disinterest from the readers. Sometimes, many readers note that they can sort of tell when a book hasn’t been properly edited. 

There are certain things that are common mistakes that pop up because of a lack of editing. Characters may appear flat, with arcs that wander off without resolution. Plots can feel confusing or redundant, while pacing either drags so heavily it puts the reader to sleep or races ahead so quickly that the emotional beats vanish. Typos and grammatical errors pile up, and people do notice those. A few typos here and there might not break the bank for a reader, especially in the self-publishing space, but frequent issues are noticeable. Sometimes a theme emerges early in the draft only to fade halfway through. 

Editing isn’t just about fixing mistakes, but it’s also about shaping an experience readers will remember. A polished novel shows readers that the author respects their time and attention, and this is something that’s a big deal for the reader. 

How to Prepare for Self-Editing Your Novel

Before you just jump ahead and start editing, it’s important to prepare a couple of things. The first thing you should do is to take a step back from your manuscript. After completing a first draft, distance can help you stay more objective. Use this time to relax and sort of think about what goals you might have for your editing system. 

You don’t need to take months or anything like that away from the book, but even just a couple of days is fine. This break is meant more to get you motivated again because it’s easy to lose momentum if you’re diving into things super fast like that. 

You also need to sort of shift your mindset away from dreading the editing process. Editing is often joked about as being difficult, tedious, and boring. However, editing is an extension of the creative process. Editing is the refinement of your story after you spent time exploring through your draft. 

Being able to get to the editing stage itself is a huge achievement. There are many writers out there who start but don’t finish their novels. Being able to reach the editing stage means that you’ve successfully written an entire novel and now you just need to polish it to make it better. You should be proud of your achievements!

You also want to basically decide how you want to do your editing and where you’ll polish your story at. You can use a tool like Scrivener or Google Docs, or you can use a software like ProWritingAid. You also want to establish a sort of timeline and set some goals on when you want the editing to be done so that you can stay on-task and keep your momentum up. 

The Four Stages of the Editing Process

Step 1: Developmental Editing (The Big Picture)

The first stage is about examining the foundation of your story. Ask yourself whether the plot follows a clear structure, whether it’s three-act, hero’s journey, or another framework that suits your genre. 

There’s a couple of things that you want to highlight in this stage of the editing process:

• Consider whether subplots come to meaningful conclusions or fizzle out unresolved. 
• Reflect on your character arcs. Do they feel complete and believable? Does the pacing suit the genre, or does it undercut tension? 
• Is the theme clear, consistent, and developed throughout the book? 
• Does the opening hook the reader strongly enough to make them turn the page?

A helpful exercise here is to actually create something like a reverse outline. You’ll want to summarize each scene in a single sentence. If you cannot explain why a scene exists, that scene may need to be reworked or cut entirely. This sort of system can highlight weak spots and give you a clearer view of how your story’s arcs are like. 

Developmental editing is often the most time-intensive stage, but it is also where you will make the largest improvements to your story. A big tip I have here is to think of the big picture. You’ll get into the small details later on in the story. 

Step 2: Structural Editing (Scene and Chapter Level)

Once you’re confident about the larger structure, you’ll want to zoom in a bit closer. Read each chapter and ask whether it advances the plot, develops a character, or reinforces the theme. Remember this: Scenes should not exist in isolation. Each one should be tethered to the central story. 

You’ll also need to pay close attention to your use of transitions. Do they flow smoothly, or do they jar the reader? Does every chapter end in a way that compels the reader to continue? If there’s a chapter that you find yourself skimming over out of boredom, that might be one that you need to focus on improving. 

Dialogue is also something that needs to be fixed at this stage. Does it sound authentic? Is your point of view consistent throughout? Try to cut out filler scenes that stall momentum. Check out this post here to learn more about writing realistic dialogue. 

Be sure to consider pacing inside the chapters as well. Thrillers often demand short, snappy scenes. Epic fantasy might linger longer on worldbuilding, but even there, you cannot afford to lose the reader’s attention. 

This part of the editing process helps to tighten things in preparation for the more nitpicky stages of editing. 

Step 3: Line Editing (Sentence Level)

The most tedious of the stages in my opinion is the sentence level stage, or line editing. Line editing isn’t difficult per se, but it just requires you to read very carefully. It’s also really easy to miss certain errors in your spelling, so this is the part where you may need to read through sections multiple times in order to catch potential mistakes. 

In line editing, you’ll want to look for redundancies and trim filler words. On top of that, you’ll need to:

• Replace passive voice with active constructions where possible. 
• Smooth clunky phrasing that slows the rhythm. 
• Sharpen imagery with stronger verbs. 
• Ensure dialogue matches each character’s voice and fits the period or setting. 
• Maintain a consistent tone throughout the manuscript.

For example, instead of writing something like, “she was very tired,” try writing: “She slumped against the doorway, eyelids heavy.” This shows the reader that the character is tired rather than you just telling the reader that the main character is tired. If you want to learn more about show, don’t tell, then check out this post. 

Line editing is also where you’ll be honing in the voice of your story. Try to rework sentences that merely convey information into sentences that carry rhythm and emotion. 

This phase of the editing process can be tough, but you’ll just have to stick it out. Using a tool like ProWritingAid might speed this up, but if you’re writing things like epic fantasy, then you may need to pay more attention if you have made up words. 

Step 4: Copyediting and Proofreading

The final stage of the editing process is to work on your copyediting and the final proofreading. In this part, you’ll be doing more correcting of elements like grammar, spelling, and punctuation. You’ll also be fixing up tiny typos that you might’ve missed in Step 3. 

Proofreading and copyediting is a tedious process as well, but it’s the final stop in ensuring that the reader’s experience is a smooth one. 

One of the best tips I learned for this part is to actually read your story out loud. You can also do text-to-speech or something similar. This way, you’ll be able to hear what your written words sound like out loud, making it easier to spot mistakes and issues with flow and pacing. 

The proofread is basically the last thing you’ll be doing before you send your book off to be read by beta readers. If you’re also going to hire professional editors, then you’ll want to give them your story after you’ve proofread it. 

Beta Readers and Professional Editors

After several rounds of self-editing, you’ll want to bring in fresh eyes. Beta readers are sort of like your first real audience. They can highlight sections where the story drags, where characters confuse them, or where dialogue feels unnatural. 

Limit yourself to a few readers that express a solid interest in your genre and fit your target audience well. Too many voices can dilute your vision and create confusion. Ask guiding questions: did they ever feel tempted to put the book down? Were characters engaging? Did the climax deliver the emotional payoff?

If you’re interested in learning more about beta readers, be sure to check out this post here!

Most of the time, I recommend that you find yourself a professional, developmental editor. This person can take a look at the structure of your story and any issues that may have existed that you didn’t notice. A professional line editor can focus on the clarity and flow. You don’t need to hire so many different editors, especially if you’re working within a budget, but try to think of it like this: Where did you struggle the most in the editing process? That’s probably who you’ll want to hire. 

Advanced Editing Techniques

After writing for over 10 years and working in editing myself, I’ve found that there are some pretty neat tricks you can use as a writer to help you with the process beyond the basics. 

Reading your manuscript aloud is one of the best techniques in editing. It forces you to hear rhythm, tone, and dialogue as a reader would. 

Color coding chapters or characters can help visualize the pacing and create a sort of referential system for you. If you’re using a software like Scrivener, you might want to think about using linking features as well. 

Reverse outlining helps break your book into its essential skeleton, ensuring each scene connects logically. You also want to pay attention to sensory detail, as this can help ground readers in your world and make things more immersive. 

Another tip is to create a timeline of each major character’s growth to make sure arcs remain consistent. If you find that you’re struggling a bit with character arcs, then check out my Ultimate Guide to Character Creation, which’ll help you out with more structural components with your characters. 

Another advanced method I found works is to change format. Print your manuscript, load it onto an e-reader, or even change the font and size on your computer. These small shifts can help your brain process the text differently, revealing errors and awkward phrasing you may have glossed over before.

I used to print my manuscripts out when I was younger, but nowadays I just download it to my iPad and mark it up using something like the Goodnotes app. 

Common Issues With Editing

Even experienced writers will inevitably make mistakes and have issues while editing. Over-editing is one of the most common, with authors rewriting endlessly without progress. Sometimes, doing too much of something actually detracts from performance. 

Others ignore feedback because they are too attached to a scene, even when multiple readers raise the same issue. If you’re seeing a common pattern with feedback, chances are, it’s not random and you should pay attention to that. 

Another mistake is focusing on perfection too soon, polishing sentences before resolving story problems. The order matters: fix the big issues first, polish later. You’ll burn out too quickly if you’re focusing on the wrong thing at first. 

Another pitfall is comparing your draft to published books too early in the process. Remember that every novel you’ve ever enjoyed has gone through countless drafts, editors, and revisions. Your draft should not look like a finished book yet. Don’t compare your first draft to a published novel!

How to Know When You’re Done Editing

Editing is one of those things that can easily feel endless. At some point, however, you will realize that the changes you’re making no longer improve the manuscript, but simply alter it. This is when you must decide you’re finished. Ask yourself: am I satisfied with the story’s arc, characters, and pacing? Are the edits I’m making truly improvements, or just differences? Can I read the manuscript now and find only minor typos? 

You’ll never truly achieve perfection, and this is something you need to realize. Perfectionism will not help you release your book and it will just hold you back instead. Focus on the big picture and don’t get caught up in all the little things. 

How to Deal With Editing Costs as a Self-Published Author

One thing that I think is a common issue in the self-publishing space is the idea of budget. The thing is, many self-published writers are not going to be able to shell out thousands of dollars just to get one editor, and some can be very expensive. However, you want to think about it like this: What is your goal in self-publishing a book? 

Some people want self-publishing to turn into a business. Others are just doing it as a hobby. Some writers anticipate that they’ll sell a few copies but they don’t really mind or care to sell thousands or anything like that. 

Your goal ultimately will sway your approach. If you want to take self-publishing as a business venture and you’re planning on aiming to sell thousands of copies, it’s probably worth it for you to invest in editors. If you’re just doing this as a hobby, consider how much you’ll be willing to spend and adjust accordingly. 

Conclusion

Editing is often thought of as being a difficult, tedious, and annoying stage of the writing process. Other writers find editing to be intimidating or a destruction of their original work. However, editing isn’t a destruction of your story. Instead, you should look at editing as a sort of refinement of what it is you’re doing. Editing is the stage where you take your ideas and polish them in a way that becomes engaging for the reader to interact with. 

You want to take it step by step and take your time with it. Don’t rush through the editing process as it’s a very vital component of getting your book ready for publication. It can also make or break the performance of your book with your readers. 

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