Getting Started in Fiction Editing

CIEP guides provide a short, basic introduction to the various skills and knowledge needed to work as an editorial professional. They are intended for copyeditors and proofreaders, both practising and potential, and will also prove useful to others involved in publishing content, including businesses, organisations, agencies, students and authors.

Fiction editing is an increasingly popular field, but one that can be daunting to a new editor or even an experienced editor who has only ever worked on nonfiction. This guide is aimed at copyeditors, whatever their experience, who want to know more about the nuts and bolts of fiction editing. It will also be useful to those who proofread fiction, to help understand what the editor should have considered.

Getting Started in Fiction Editing explains how to work with both publishers and independent authors and examines how their needs might differ. It also explores the various types of editing that a fiction manuscript might need, as well as what editors need to be aware of, such as continuity, the importance of style sheets and the risks of over-correction. The guide concludes with a list of resources for further reading and a glossary of fiction terms.