Let AI handle the mechanical pass
Ask for continuity flags, pacing notes, and summary comparisons against your outline. Keep a change log so you know what you accepted.
Do not accept wholesale rewrites that flatten idiom, dialect, or humor that is core to the book.
Bring humans in for stakes
Developmental editors and trusted readers catch emotional dead zones AI still misses. Schedule that pass when structure is stable.
Copyediting and proofreading remain essential before print. Fresh human eyes on the final PDF prevent the typos that haunt forever.