I gleaned this information from one of my favorite and informative newsletters, Funds For Writers put out by C. Hope Clark It’s something to take into consideration when you are weighing the options of seeking publication. Whether you persevere until you achieve traditional publishing, use the services of a print-on-demand company or decide to self-publish, these editing tasks are all part of the process.

ACQUISITIONS EDITOR - Finds, acquires, negotiates the project. Of course, this task is peculiar to traditional publishing but on the other hand, if you use POD or self-publish, you have the responsibility of doing the research to find the just-right publishing environment for your book.

LINE EDITOR - Performs the actual content edit (also call the "line" or "substantive" edit). With POD and self-publishing, this may or may not be a service included in the package you purchase. Most times, if it is offered, it is an added expense.

CONTENT EDITOR - Reads for accuracy, balance and fairness, cogency of argument, adequate treatment of the subject matters, and conformity to the original book proposal.

COPY EDITOR - Scours the manuscript for accuracy in grammar, citations, and factual content.

PROOF READER - Fine tunes punctuation and other nit-picky details.

If you choose to use either POD or self-publishing, you, the author, will have to complete the tasks of Content Editor, Copy Editor, and Proof Reader. Or you may choose to incur the additional costs of seeking a professional editor.