The answer depends, of course, on the quality of the original work, which in turn may be related to the amount of time the author has been able to invest reviewing and revising the work before engaging editorial services.
If you have not produced work for publication before, take the time to consider the editorial path it will need.
A common editorial path
1. Author originates copyContent editing
2. Author review
3. Peer review
4. Management review
5. Publisher's review
Copy editing
6. Copy editor's review
At each step the author must accept or reject the reviewer's suggestions and produce a revised draft.
After the editing work a manuscript can be considered a final draft and enter its production stage. After the typsetting and design has created a product, it needs proof reading.
Proof reading
7. Proof reader (first pass)
8. Author's review
9. Proof reader (second pass)
10. Publisher's review and approval (pass for press).
Quite naturally, a long or complex work may require the services of professional readers to make numerous proof reading passes over it. A shorter work, however, may need just the one. As a rule, the more thourogh the editing, the less time needed proof reading.
