The best way to read edited pages for the first time is to skim the whole thing once without accepting or rejecting anything, then go back through slowly, change by change, once the initial shock has worn off. A manuscript covered in tracked changes and comments can look alarming at first glance, even when the edit is exactly what the book needed.
This is part of the Complete Guide to Book Editing.
Depending on the type of editing, you might get tracked changes in the manuscript itself, showing exactly what was added, deleted, or moved; margin comments flagging questions, suggestions, or issues at specific points; or an editorial letter, a separate document summarizing the big-picture feedback, most common after developmental editing.
Line editing and copyediting usually come mostly as tracked changes and comments within the manuscript. Developmental editing usually comes with an editorial letter, sometimes alongside in-text notes too. See What to Expect From a Developmental Edit.
Your first look at a heavily marked-up manuscript can feel like a gut punch, even when the edit is good news. Close the document, or at least stop making decisions, until the initial sting fades. Most authors find the second read much calmer than the first.
Read through once without accepting or rejecting anything, so you understand the pattern of changes before you start responding to individual ones. Look for patterns, not just individual edits: if the same kind of change happens repeatedly, cutting a phrase you overuse, tightening long sentences, that's useful information about your habits as a writer, not just a one-off note. Read comments in context rather than as a standalone list, since a comment often makes more sense next to the specific sentence it's attached to. Accept the changes you agree with in batches, rather than deliberating over every single word-level edit, and save your energy for the ones that actually affect meaning or voice. And push back where it matters: you don't have to accept every suggestion, and if a change alters your meaning or voice in a way you don't want, you can reject it or ask the editor about their reasoning.
Read the whole letter once, start to finish, before reacting to any single point; editorial letters are often organized to build toward the most important issues, and reading out of order can distort the emphasis. As you reread, separate the "must address" issues from the "consider" ones, since a good editorial letter often distinguishes between problems that need fixing and suggestions that are more optional. Take notes as you go rather than trying to hold everything in your head, since a second pass with a notebook or document open helps you turn feedback into an actual revision plan. And look for the throughline: if several separate notes point back to the same underlying issue, a character's unclear motivation showing up in three different scenes, for instance, that's often more important than any single comment on its own.
Once you've absorbed the feedback, organize it before you start revising:
Working in this order means you're not polishing sentences in a scene you might end up cutting.
Disagreement is normal, and a good editor expects some pushback. If a suggestion doesn't sit right, ask why the editor made it before rejecting it outright; there's often a reasoning behind an edit that isn't obvious from the tracked change alone. If, after hearing the reasoning, you still disagree, you're allowed to keep your original choice. It's your book.
Don't try to process a full editorial letter or a heavily marked manuscript in one sitting. Read it, let it settle for a day or two, then come back to make your revision plan. Rushed reactions right after reading tend to be either too defensive or too eager to change everything.
Working Through an Edit Right Now?
If you have questions about feedback from an Entrada Publishing editor, reach out. We're happy to talk through the reasoning behind a suggestion.
Skim the whole document once without accepting or rejecting anything, then go back through slowly. Reading it once, all the way through, before reacting to any single change makes the volume feel less overwhelming.
No. You can reject changes that alter your meaning or voice in ways you don't want. A good editor expects some pushback and can explain their reasoning if you ask.
Structural issues first, then scene-level pacing and character issues, then line-level prose. Working top-down avoids polishing text that might get cut or rewritten.
Ask your editor to explain it. Most editors are glad to clarify their reasoning, and understanding the "why" behind a note often makes it easier to act on, or to explain why you're choosing not to.