Lore & LilacWho should read your draft, and when
Different readers answer different questions, and each question has a right moment in the life of a draft.
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Related glossary terms
- Beta readerA reader who reads a complete or near-complete draft and reports their experience of it before you submit or publish.
- Critique partnerA fellow writer who regularly exchanges work with you, giving craft-focused feedback on your drafts in return for yours.
- Sensitivity readerA reader with lived experience or expertise in an identity, culture or subject who reviews a manuscript for inaccurate or harmful portrayals.
- Developmental editAn editor's big-picture assessment of a manuscript's story, structure, characters, pacing and theme, rather than its sentences.
- Line editEditing focused on the craft of sentences and paragraphs: clarity, rhythm, word choice, voice and flow.
- Copy editA detailed pass for grammar, spelling, punctuation, consistency and factual accuracy, usually guided by a style sheet.
- ProofreadingThe final check of laid-out pages or a near-final file for typos, missing words, formatting glitches and layout errors.
- Editorial letterA written report from an editor summarizing a manuscript's main strengths and problems, usually with directions for revision.