Editing, copyediting, and proofreading are distinct services that address different levels of manuscript preparation. Although they often get lumped together, each has its own function. Confusing the three can cause unnecessary work, redundant corrections, and errors to slip into proof copies.
Typically, editing starts at the macro level. The book will be organized into a sensible progression, the audience will be clearly understood, and any crucial content will have been explained at the appropriate place, or repeated, as necessary. An editor might suggest moving a chapter to a different part of the manuscript to provide context before an explanation. In a novel, the editor would ask: does the protagonist have a logical motivation for the choices they have made? In these cases it’s not unusual to do a substantial amount of rewriting because the work is centered on ideas, rather than style or sentence structures.
Once the structure is sound, a copyeditor will turn attention to sentence structures, consistent usage, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and word choice. A style sheet records decisions about capitalization, numbers, hyphenation, proper names, and technical terms. The manuscript might use “ebook” here, “e-book” there, and “electronic book” elsewhere in the manuscript, and copyediting puts these into a consistent system while maintaining the author’s tone.
Finally, the proofreader does the very last job, after the manuscript has been edited and copyedited and is set into its intended design. The proofreader isn’t looking for problems in the manuscript, rather in the proof copy. The goal is to find overlooked typographical mistakes, page number errors, inconsistent headings, poor breaks or widows/orphans, and missing words. The proofreader would also notice a discrepancy between the table of contents and the chapter heading. This is a chance for final changes before publication, not a reason to revise the whole manuscript.
One way to see these differences is by taking the same short passage and reviewing it in three different passes. In the first pass, review the passage as an editor; would the order make sense to the reader? What information is missing? In the second pass, mark any unclear phrases or words. Look for incorrect punctuation or spelling. In the third pass, view the edited and copyedited passage in page layout form. Are there problems with the headings, the page number, the space on the page, and line break? Have any new typos been created? It is essential to keep these three passes separate from one another to see exactly what kind of edits each one accomplishes.
Publishers new to production can find it challenging to resist revising in proof. Changes in proof may move illustrations and alter page numbers, which will in turn change the index and create new errors. Minor changes can be made in proof, but major changes will necessitate returning to a previous stage. Before accepting the proof copy, consider the type of change requested: Is it a structural one, or one of clarity? This distinction is important in deciding who will make it, and if further review is needed.
The manuscript will be ready to proceed when the concerns match each level. Editing will address whether the book is useful for the readers who need it. Copyediting will address whether the sentences are clear, correct, and consistent. Proofreading will address whether the page layout matches what has been approved for publication. The workflow will be easier to plan when editing, copyediting, and proofreading are kept distinct, and there will be less reason for the proof copy to reveal problems that should have been fixed in an earlier pass.