From Draft to Copy Edit

One scene, four layers of edits

We’re doing something a little different today in our live edit series. This September, book coach and author Rebecca M. Zornow is preparing to launch her romantic fantasy novella, Landsome Roads. With her final copy edits in hand, she’s going to show you how her drafted opening scene transformed through developmental edits, line edits, beta readers, and copy editing.

She started the project in June of 2024, and the base sample below is from November 2024, right before she involved other editors and readers for feedback. The changes you see represent the impact of those edits up until March 2025 when she got the manuscript back from her copy editor.

Whew, buckle in!

Landsome Roads Opening

I tucked the book into my satchel, annoyed.

I didn’t take my first editions out of the house anymore. Too risky. I’d had more than one close call with white pages and a chai latte.

¶Then[,] at Christmas four years ago, my parents had gifted me the newest edition of Landsome Roads, the one with promotional art for the TV series plastered across the cover. The book had likely been on the front table at Barnes & Noble when my parents did their gift shopping—the studio had just released season one[easy for them to grab].

¶As much as I enjoyed—obsessed [over]—over early episodes and latest seasons of the show alike, I hated these editions. A still photo didn’t capture the grace of the storytelling, even one that showcased Ironclaw’s long, black hair and silver daggers. Worse, the edition made it seem as if I had just glommed on[ ]to the show[series] when it became popular.

I was, if nothing, a true fan.