Polishing Pages: Inside Our Editing Process

Dreambridge has a secret. We aren't like other publishing houses.

That may sound cliché, but it's true. Why? Because our goal isn't just to publish your amazing work - it's to help you grow as a writer.

Our mission is to guide emerging authors through the publishing process with transparency, professionalism, and an eye for growth. From developmental deep dives to final polish, we employ a thoughtful, collaborative methodology that respects the author’s voice while elevating the story.

We ensure that by the time you hold the book in your hands and see your words on the page, you're satisfied with where your story ended up - and, more importantly, have hands-on experience working as a published author.

Curious how we bring it all together? Let's pull back the curtain to show you exactly how we take a manuscript from rough draft to dazzling gem.

Suzy Hazelwood, Pexels

Round 1 - Developmental Edits

The winning stories of our anthology contests are already in pretty good shape. Even so, an outside perspective can pinpoint what is and isn't working. This is where our editors come in.

Editing might not be the flashiest part of publishing, but it’s the key to ensuring clarity and impact.

During Round 1, our editing team looks for any plot holes, character inconsistencies, and anything else that needs more (or less!) clarification in the text. This is the same process you'd encounter with a traditional publisher, but on a smaller scale. Our goal is to give you detailed notes to really "see" your story through the eyes of a reader.

Of course, our editors also take care to point out what "works" in your story - highlighting scenes they particularly enjoyed, or characters that left a lasting impact. If your story was chosen for publication, it's already got the goods. It's our job to help it strut!

Once the edits are complete, our authors are given the story notes and time to address any changes (suggestions given by the editor or otherwise). Critical feedback, and the ability to give and receive it with grace, is the most important skill we hone in both our authors and our editors; it's the "secret sauce" that makes this collaboration so special.

Round 2 - Refining

Much like Round 1, Round 2 is about smoothing out any remaining rough edges. Typically, we'll have a different editor read the revised story to give a fresh perspective, providing feedback on any final tweaks that need to be made to really give the story depth and impact. This round also ensures that any new scenes, characters, or plot points that are added are coherent with the rest of the story and with the anthology theme as a whole.

Round 3 - Copy Editing & Proofreading

At this point, your story is a gem. All that's left is to polish it!

In our copy editing phase, we identify any spelling or grammar mistakes lingering in the text. You'll get it back for a final pass to fix those pesky errors before we move on to the final editorial phase.

Once each story is clean, we enter the proofreading stage of our book. Together, our editors do one final pass to make certain each page is properly formatted and to catch any lingering errors (ex. missing page numbers, the odd hyphen, weird spacing, etc.). There's nothing more frustrating than spending a ton of time on a piece and then finding a proofreading error in the final print. This process makes sure this doesn't happen.

Our 2024 Anthology, Trouble in Paradise

Round 4 - Cover Art & Publication

As we put the final touches on the manuscript, we work with a talented artist to design the cover of our anthology with little nods to the stories within. For example, on the full cover of Trouble in Paradise, we included graphics that represent each story - an airplane ("The Jetway"), a bottle of happiness ("A Shot of Grace"), and a suitcase ("The Platinum Package") covered with stickers (representing a group of the anthology stories). Can you identify each one?

Voilà! After several months of combining the creative and talented minds of our authors and editors, your fabulous stories are in your hands.

Editing is the quiet engine behind every great book, and our system is designed to build up great stories AND great storytellers. Our authors get to look under the hood and see that our editing process is built on care, clarity, and collaboration—because every tale deserves to be its best self before it meets the world. As a small indie press, we value the trust authors place in us to help refine their stories without losing the integrity of their work. Whether you're a writer, reader, or fellow publisher, we hope this glimpse into our editing journey shows just how much love goes into every line.

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