How to brief an editor
Briefing an editor
& editing terminology
Everyone benefits from an editor’s expertise, whether for big-picture structural improvements or final proofreading polish. A clear editing brief outlining your project’s purpose, stage, and specific needs—such as scope, timeline, and style requirements—ensures effective collaboration. Providing relevant details and resources helps your editor deliver tailored, high-quality results.
Who needs an editor?
We all do! Even the best writers benefit from an editor’s industry knowledge and expertise.
Editors provide fresh perspectives, spot gaps or inconsistencies and help elevate a writer’s work to its highest potential.
The type of editing you need will depend on a few factors:
Skill and experience: Aspiring authors will benefit from developmental editing, which focuses on structure and big-picture elements. More experienced writers may need structural editing or a ‘lighter touch’ edit, such as copyediting or proofreading.
Stage of the writing process: Early drafts often require substantive editing to refine ideas and structure, while final drafts may only need a proofread for grammar and typos.
Working with a skilled editor can make a world of difference.
How do I brief an editor?
Knowing when and how to brief an editor is an essential step in ensuring a good client/editor relationship. Setting out scope, timeline and budget, as well any essential style requirements and deliverables, will help you work effectively with your editor.
Knowing what to ask for can help but sometimes it’s not that simple. Read on to learn how to brief your editor and how to use the right editing terminology for what you need.
What to include in your editing brief
Describe your project – provide a detailed overview, including scope, nature, purpose, intended audience and any relevant background.
What stage are you at – specify what’s been done already, what still needs to be completed, whether it is under or over the correct word length, and what level of editing is required.
Provide a list of items to be edited and any additional resources – include your preferred format/document type, any style guide, any sample or model texts, and whether you require formatting.
Don’t forget the essentials – include deadline, ideal turnaround times, budget, contact details, confidentiality requirements, and any specific approvals which may be required.
Types of editing
Editing typically falls into four categories.
Developmental editing.
Editorial feedback and critique that helps the author strengthen and develop their manuscript and pitch, between the initial draft and when the manuscript is ready for copyediting, proofreading and publication.
Structural editing.
Focuses on the organisation and shape of the manuscript; improves structure, flow, cohesion and content. Clarifies meaning and enhances voice. Ensures language and content is compelling and appropriate to the audience.
Copyediting (also known as line editing).
Focuses on coherence, clarity and consistency of the text. Improves flow and expression (e.g. removes ambiguity, ensures readability, tightens sentences etc); corrects for grammar, spelling, punctuation, idiom, style and tone; ensures consistency in the use of language, numbers, symbols, shortened forms, capitalisation, italics and other mechanics of text.
Proofreading.
Elimination of language, grammatical and textual errors/inconsistencies prior to publication.