Tag: book editing

Best-selling thriller writer Ian Rankin writes a book a year. At a certain point, usually at the end of the first month, he is struck by "the fear." He becomes convinced that all the work he's done so far has been a waste of time, that this new book won’t be any good. When he mentions this to his wife, she usually asks, "Are you on page 65?" He then realizes that he goes through this phase with every novel, always at the same point. Many writers experience this kind of doubt about their work. And, as writing is such a lonely profession, they don't all have someone with whom they can share their frustrations.

Self-editing can be harder than writing because we grow to love our creations, and we often have difficulty seeing them objectively. We have a hard time destroying the little superfluous bits that keep our manuscripts from greatness because it feels like we’re destroying pieces of ourselves.

There’s a blazing hot sun parked overhead and you can hear the kids splashing in the pool. Your backyard grill is fired up and ready to go, while the dog has settled down for a nap on one of the few patches of cool shade. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Or at least it should for self-published authors who want to take advantage of the holiday selling season to launch and sell their next books. And here’s why.

I’ve never met a writer who hasn’t wanted her reader to get completely lost in the words on the page. While there are many things that separate fact from fiction, there’s one thing that all writers ignore at their peril: a good, hard, honest self-edit. Let’s talk dialogue. Fiction writers learn quickly that there’s nothing as terrible as stiff, unrealistic dialogue to pull a reader out of the story. The first place to start is by cutting out as many dialogue tags as you can.

Novelists love stories and are often motivated to write by the effects a story can have on a reader. There's a real power in being able to touch the emotions of someone, a stranger, who lives far away or even far in the future. What better reason is there to write than to inspire others to follow their dreams? And yet, too many authors waste that opportunity. They confuse their reader with awkward phrasing, distract with careless typos, or turn off a potential buyer with a poor quality product.

You worked hard all through November, writing every day for National Novel Writing Month, and it's December 1st at last. Did you complete a 50,000-word novel?

Great! But then what?

Well, then it’s time to get your book edited, of course!

Every author needs an editor.

Don't believe me? Read this. But what KIND of editing does your book manuscript need? Well, there are at least five different types of book editing, and I'll list them below. Your manuscript may require a combination of these approaches. I recommend hiring a professional editor for any of the first three services on this list. The last two options are good for getting your manuscript as ready as possible before either sending on to a professional editor or going straight to publishing (in the event that you can't afford to hire an editor).

The five most common forms of book manuscript editing

1. Developmental editing A developmental editor assists the author (sometimes through multiple drafts) with elements of structure, concept, content, tone, and overall presentation. A developmental editor may also help with research, competitive market analyses, and chapter outlines. Their aim is to make the text clear, readable, engaging, and marketable. They're kind of like a coach, only without the whistle.