Book & eBook Writing Book Editing & Proofreading

Question 1

What is the primary focus of a developmental editor?

Accepted Answer

Big-picture story structure, plot, pacing, and character development

Answer

Correcting spelling and grammatical errors

Answer

Formatting the manuscript for publication

Answer

Fact-checking statistics and citations in nonfiction

Question 2

What does a 'line editor' primarily do?

Accepted Answer

Refines sentence-level prose for clarity, flow, tone, and style

Answer

Checks every fact and statistic in a nonfiction manuscript

Answer

Designs the book's interior layout and typography

Answer

Verifies that all chapter headings match the table of contents

Question 3

What is the difference between a copyeditor and a proofreader?

Accepted Answer

A copyeditor corrects grammar, style, and consistency; a proofreader catches errors introduced during layout

Answer

A copyeditor works on fiction; a proofreader works on nonfiction

Answer

A copyeditor is a junior role and a proofreader is senior

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A copyeditor checks facts; a proofreader corrects style

Question 4

What is a 'style sheet' in the context of book editing?

Accepted Answer

A document tracking character names, spellings, capitalization decisions, and style choices specific to a manuscript

Answer

A CSS file used to format the eBook's interior design

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A publisher's general grammar guidelines sent to all authors

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A checklist of scenes that must appear in each chapter

Question 5

What does 'stet' mean when used in editing markup?

Accepted Answer

Let it stand — ignore the marked correction and keep the original text

Answer

Delete this word or passage immediately

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Move this text to a different location

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Add a comma or period at this position

Question 6

What is 'passive voice' and why do editors often flag it?

Accepted Answer

A sentence construction where the subject receives the action, which can reduce clarity and energy

Answer

A sentence where the verb tense is in the past perfect

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A writing style that avoids first-person pronouns entirely

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A dialogue tag that uses words other than 'said'