... is line editing. From an author's point of view that is. In my humble opinion. And I'm probably wrong. Line editing is a very necessary part of the process of getting a book from my head into a book store or ereader near you. Without it the book would be a lot worse. It has to happen. I just find it very, very frustrating for some reason.

What is a line edit? Let me take you through the process. I write a draft. It goes through several versions read by no one but me (I don't believe in showing stuff around for opinions from anyone who happens to have one). When I feel I can't add any more to it the thing goes to my agent who, if happy, passes it on to the publishers.

There then follows a top level editing process with my inhouse editor(s). They make general comments on any problems they see, any changes they think would improve things, anything that can be cut. I go back to the draft and do another revise on that basis.

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Normally when that goes back the book is done (though there might be a few extra revisions on occasion). After that the manuscript goes to a copy editor, usually someone working outside the publishing house. They go through it word by word with a fine toothcomb, looking for errors of language, logic and continuity. That manuscript comes back as the line edit. These people can save your skin on many occasions. Copy editing is a difficult and demanding task. Occasionally you get a bad one but mostly I've been blessed with some excellent copy editors over the years (and have one of the very best right now).

<a href="http://davidhewson.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/edit.jpg"><img class="alignright" src="http://davidhewson.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/edit-tm.jpg" alt="edit.jpg" width="250" height="187"></a>So why do I screech when this envelope comes through the door? Several reasons...

<strong>Timing.</strong> It always turns up when I'm busy writing a completely different book. I will have to put that to one side to go back to something I wrote the year before.

<strong>And timing.</strong> The book is in the production cycle now. You will usually have at most two weeks or so to get it back in one piece.

<strong>I don't remember writing this stuff.</strong> Or rather I do but it's not at the front of my head. As I've discussed before, the only book that matters to an author is the one he or she is working on right now. The one with the line edit is in the past. I <em>hate</em> having to fork the current work out of my head and try to go back to thinking about what was there when I wrote this one. It feels unnatural and wrong.

Here are a few observations about this process too that I've noticed over the years.

<strong>Copy editors vary.</strong> I've had mostly good ones. But occasionally a publisher will try someone new who isn't so hot. I've only ever had one real horror, who turned out to be someone who'd never edited fiction before. In the end I simply had to go back to the publisher and say... sorry but you need to find someone else to look at this. Don't do that rashly or come across as a pain in the butt who doesn't like being edited at all. We <em>all</em> need editing. But stick up for yourself if things look bad.

<strong>Copy editors get things wrong.</strong> Just because they've changed something doesn't mean they're in the right. I've had Italian words misspelled and dates inserted wrongly over the years. Not as many Italian words as I've misspelled or inaccurate dates as I put in myself, of course. But you have to check the people who are checking you too. They're not infallible, any more than you.

<strong>There are no shortcuts.</strong> Taking up the point above, you can't skip chunks of this process. This is your book. Your name will be on the cover. You have to read the thing from beginning to end, looking at everything that's been changed, and making sure you're happy with it.

<strong>Sometimes copy editors spot things even they haven't seen.</strong> If the editor is puzzled about some narrative process this may be more than a simple matter of a few words. Maybe you've made a structural mistake somewhere. The copy editor is your first real reader. If they're confused the paying public may be too. Fix it and fix it properly.

<strong>You don't need to tackle a copy edit sequentially.</strong> The way in which edits are delivered varies. Few are done electronically in my experience anyway. Usually I will get a full marked manuscript and some sheets listing queries. <em>You don't have to go through these one by one.</em> I always deal with the easiest ones first then keep narrowing down the remaining ones so the hardest are last. This isn't pure cowardice and laziness. It also means that by the time I get round to the most difficult ones my head is a little more back in the book.

<strong>If you want to change things big time do it now.</strong> After this we go to typesetting, and your publisher will screech and threaten you with production fees if you want to make major changes. Get them out of the way at the line edit.

<strong>It's never as bad as it looks. </strong>I always open that envelope with a sinking heart. So many pages! So much to check again! But really... it's not as bad as it seems. This one was out of the way in a couple of days. Despair not. Or rather save your despair for something that deserves it more. I'm sure there's a suitable candidate around.

This isn't the end of the production process for an author. I'll take you through more of that when we reach the next stage. But it is important and you can't skip it. When I was grumbling about this work someone on Twitter asked, 'Can't you employ someone to do this bit? It seems awful boring for someone creative.'

No, you can't. This is your book and it's your responsibility to see it's published properly.