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What Kind of Editing Does Your Manuscript Need?

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You finished writing your book, begged an avid reader to give you some input, and made revisions. Are you ready to submit it to a publisher or publish it yourself? Maybe, but probably not. Even if your friend is an avid reader and/or writer, you may want to hire a professional editor before you take either step. 

Although publishing houses have their own editors who will edit your book after you’ve signed a publishing contract, the competition in the publishing world is so extreme that you want to be sure you put your very best product in front of them. You rarely get a second chance. If you plan to self-publish, you definitely want input from someone who can spot not only errors but also weaknesses. 

You first need to determine what your manuscript needs. 

  • Developmental editing means looking at the story as a whole—the characters, the plot, and the way in which the story is told. 
  • Line editing examines each sentence to ensure the use of active (versus passive) verbs, proper sentence construction, and punctuation. However, a line edit also evaluates your use of words. Does your writing draw readers in? Do you maintain tension and interest? Or are your words too passive and overly descriptive? Do you wander off on tangents to the point you lose the reader? 
  • Copyediting catches minor errors, such as punctuation and verb tense errors. 
  • Proofreading is the final pass, looking for typos. Proofreading is critically important if 100,000 copies of your book are being printed and shipped to bookstores. However, many books are now done in small batches of “print on demand,” so minor errors can be fixed before the next batch of printing. 

Edits are done in the order listed above. Developmental is looking at the overall work. After fixing the big issues in plot, intrigue, believability, and characters, you are ready to look at the actual writing, which is line editing. Once the writing is up to par, a copyeditor reads through to smooth out grammatical errors and punctuation. The proofreader reviews the final draft before it goes to print, looking strictly for typos.

Plot and characterization are the two biggest issues in any story, which is why you want the developmental edit first. An excellent plot is obviously necessary. However, a good editor also critically evaluates if the characters are well-developed. Will a reader feel they know your characters? Do they have any unique attributes that separate them from other characters? Are any of them memorable? (Sometimes a really great character can push an average story to stardom.)

Even in nonfiction, the arrangement of information can be critically important.  

I have been on both ends of the game—I am an award-winning author with seven novels published, as well as numerous articles and a decade-long weekly humor column, but I have also spent decades teaching writing workshops and working as a freelance editor. Although many editors concentrate on one type of editing, I do a combination of developmental and line editing. I provide editing comments throughout the manuscript explaining errors and suggesting what needs to be done. Some editors specialize in one genre, while an editor with broad experience may edit a range of different genres.

Proofreading is a special skill.

A proofreader must have an eagle eye, looking at every single word and period. 

The temptation is always to just get your dear Aunt Sally to give it a look-see. However, if she reads romances and you ask her opinion on your dystopian, you likely aren’t going to get the critical feedback you need. Likewise, don’t take advice willy-nilly from random writers. Read their work and discuss your story before you hack away at your prose based on their opinion. Random writing groups can destroy good manuscripts.

Style Guides

Most American book publishers use Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) as their directive on punctuation, but there are a few American publishers that use Associated Press style guidelines (AP). The differences are minor but distinct. Most websites, newspapers, and magazines use AP.

Michelle Buckman is a freelance editor of both fiction and nonfiction and the award-winning author of seven novels. She is also an international conference speaker renowned for her dynamic discussions on writing and faith. She has been a featured author at numerous conferences and events, including the Catholic Marketing Network trade show, International Christian Retail Show, Southeastern Independent Booksellers Association, and the South Carolina Book Festival.  Connect with Michelle Buckman

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Mastering Middle Grade

Real talk: When to submit your manuscript

Writing a book is the literary exercise equivalent of taking a cross-country road trip. No matter how beautiful the scenery, after a few miles even the most energetic drivers grow road-weary, and the “are we there yet” questions start flying from the back seat.

That’s when we start thinking about shortcuts. How much easier would it be to go ahead and take the tollway instead of the scenic route?

Of course what I’m referring to here is knowing when it’s time to stop editing and send your manuscript to an agent or editor. How do we know we’re ready? That’s a question I’ve both asked and heard at conferences or workshops.

The answers I’ve heard have varied, but I’ve collected the responses that resonated the most with me and put together a little checklist. This is what I’m using to determine whether my most recent works-in-progress are ready to go. 

Have you read your work out loud?

One agent suggested that unless you’ve listened to your own work out loud – whether you read and record then play it back, or have a trusted friend read it to you – your work may not be polished enough to send. 

Imagine you’re reading your middle grade novel to a classroom full of fourth or fifth graders and really listen as you read. Is the dialogue easy to follow? Do the jokes make sense? Are there scenes that lack tension or is the pace awkward? When you hear it, you can fix it.  

What does my critique group think?

There’s truly no substitute or shortcut for good writing. If you don’t have a trusted critique group or reading partner, you need to find one or create one. The best groups will read thoughtfully and give sincere feedback on what’s working and what’s not. If your critique group thinks it’s ready, that’s a good sign.

Is this your fifth (at least) draft?

I’ve heard a number of authors say that their agent never sees the first five drafts of any project. Sometimes they don’t even submit draft number six. They revise, polish, pause, revise again… you get the picture.

It’s hard, but you must resist the temptation to submit your second or even your third draft. Make sure you’re putting your shiniest, best work in a prospective agent’s or editor’s hands.

If you’ve done all three of these things – read it out loud, received the “go ahead” from your critique group, and you’ve revised the whole thing a few times, good news! You are probably ready to submit. Now you’ll want to research agencies and editors to check their submission guidelines, but that’s a post for another day.

I am still on this road trip to being published, and these are the biggest, most painful things I’ve learned along the way.  Please know I’m writing this not to discourage anyone from submitting. Far from it. I am cheering for you and I want you to succeed.

I’m writing this because I have made the mistake of submitting manuscripts too soon simply because I was excited about a story.

 I mean, I loved my story, my husband and son loved it, so why didn’t the rest of the world? I’ll tell you why. My husband and son read past the unpolished words and saw what was in my heart. They love me.

Loving me is not an editor or agent’s job. Their job is to fall in love with what’s actually written on the page. My job – your job – as a middle grade author is to make sure the words on the page are worth falling in love with.

Kell McKinney earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and an M.S. in documentary studies from the University of North Texas. She’s a part-time copywriter, double-time mom and wife, and spends every free minute writing and/or hunting for her car keys. Connect with her on Twitter @Kell_McK or kellmckinney.com.

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The Picky Pen

How to Edit Your Character

We’re heading into a New Year. Perhaps you’ve finished a novel during Nanowrimo. Maybe you’re plotting a new story to begin writing in January. New Year, new goals, new story, right? I’d like to touch a little on how to edit your character. This might be something you tuck away and pull out after you’ve finished your discovery draft, or something you’re ready to use if you’ve completed your draft during the November writing frenzy.

I’d like to share a blurb from a well-loved classic to delve into the art of editing your character so that their inner/outer journey, actions, and dialogue is specific to the special person you’ve created. These elements will apply to both fiction and non-fiction.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is a leading example of the depth of story through the power of its characters and how each character is important to the plot. We see all of the main elements in Jane’s character that really endear her to us: background, personality, appearance, and journey.

Background

Jane in Jane Eyre came from a horrible background. She thinks she will be nothing more than a servant because that’s what she’s been told as a young girl. However, she desires to be more, and applies at Thornfield Hall as the new governess. And throughout this new experience, we see Jane struggle with feelings of being good enough for her new position, but how she chooses to react to those past situations in light of her interactions with Mr. Rochester eventually allows her to influence Mr. Rochester’s life.

What about your characters? Whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction, you have many different characters who all play a part in your story. Your main character drives the story, and the other characters enhance what your main character does. What brought your characters to the beginning of your story?

Personality

When Jane first meets Mr. Rochester, she thinks he’s an angry person, but he does not scare her. What does that tell you of her personality? Her background of being treated unkindly and unfairly is characterized in her personality. She is not afraid of Mr. Rochester because she has learned how to respond to less-than-desirable actions from others. Jane’s gentle, firm, and idealistic personality is consistent throughout the novel, which creates a compelling character in Jane, and one that readers admire and love.

What about your story? What motivates your character to do the things they do, say what they say, or react and respond to different events within the story? In a non-fiction manuscript, your character’s personality will enhance the illustrations for each point you’re trying to

make and the content will really come alive for your readers. Developing these elements will ensure your character has a depth of personality that will affect your readers.

Appearance

Jane thinks she is plain, but in the end Mr. Rochester thinks she is the most beautiful person he’s ever seen, even though he has lost his sight due to the fire. Why is this? Jane’s inner character shines through to her outward appearance in her tone, mannerisms, and attitude.

What about your characters? Your readers will gauge your characters’ general appearance (hair color, eye color, skin tone, height), but it’s the inner appearance we create that will give readers a deeper understanding and appreciation for your characters. For example, a reader may find a character’s smile to be endearing, while the character themselves may think that their smile makes them look awkward because they have a crooked smile. When we describe the characters in our manuscript, we may be compelled to give a list of all of our character’s features. However, this type of character description bogs down the story. The trick is to describe characters in a way that is natural, and that is through your character’s actions in each scene.

Character’s journey

There are two kinds of journeys for your character. The inner journey and the outer journey. Each journey motivates the character throughout the story and engages the reader in your character’s life. What is the inner journey and the outer journey supposed to look like? The outer journey is what the character wants, and the inner journey is the inner struggle of that desire.

Jane wants to be treated not as a servant but as an equal. She wants independence, but she also wants someone to love her. The story shows how she displays that independence by standing up to Mr. Rochester’s indifferent attitude toward her. But with her inner journey, her struggle, she fears that she is not his equal because of their class differences, and she also fears that she might lose her independence, even though she desires to marry Mr. Rochester.

What about your characters? What does your character want? What is your character struggling with? What are they afraid of? What do they have to lose? Your characters will go through a series of emotional arcs. Michael Hague describes a character arc as a journey from living in fear to living courageously. Whether fiction or nonfiction, you decide what your character or reader wants. Then you structure the different events that your character goes through with the inner journey of how they are internalizing the events around them based on their outer journey, what they want.

Wrap-Up

The key here is to create a trail of breadcrumbs that leads your readers from Point A to Point B, keeps them guessing at how the character is going to get what they want, and what might get in their way and prevent them from getting what they want. And these four elements of your character’s background, personality, appearance, and journey set the stage for an engaging reading experience that whisks your readers away to a world of characters—and story—your readers will never forget.

Please take a minute and join in the discussion! I’d love to hear from you!

What’s your favorite character from a novel you’ve read, and what makes that character special to you? How can you enhance your own characters by the characters you read about in other books?

Tisha Martin writes historical fiction and nonfiction but also edits and proofreads for beginning and best-selling writers, professional editing agencies, and publishing houses. She has a BA in Professional Writing, an MS in English Education, and an editing certificate from the PEN Institute, affordable continuing education for editors. Active in American Christian Fiction Writers and The PEN, she appreciates the writing and editing communities. As Assistant Director of PENCON, a conference for editors, she enjoys travel marketing and updating PENCON’s Facebook Page. Connect with Tisha on her website www.tishamartin.com and engage in the conversation.

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Publishing Perspectives

How Many Pairs of Eyes Are on Your Book?

I recently finished making wording changes on a self-published book that had already been typeset and printed — or perhaps I should say I thought I had finished the changes. A large batch of new changes just came in from another person who had looked through the book. (I sure am glad I was the typesetter/page designer, and not the editor of that book!)

Thankfully, with print on demand, such changes can be incorporated for a relatively low cost, but my client was concerned about how “unprofessional” the process seemed to be. Surely such last-minute changes never happen in traditional publishing! Oh, if that were only more true. Traditional publishing arguably has fewer of these unfortunate last-minute wording changes than self-publishers do, but it still happens once in a while.

When it comes to avoiding last-minute wording changes, traditional publishers have a distinct  advantage over self-publishers, and it all comes down to who is paying the bill. Even if a self-publishing author pays a professional editor to go through the manuscript, the author pays the bill and has the final say.

If the editor finds wordiness, the overuse of a phrase, or a myriad of cliches, will the author have the humility to allow the editor to remove them? (I can’t count the number of times I’ve been told by an author, “That’s just my style,” in response to my discovery of such problems.)

But there is yet another advantage that traditional publishers have over self-publishers: the manuscript gets seen by multiple pairs of eyes. A manuscript at a traditional publisher may go through two or three levels of editing (each by a diffferent person), and more than one proofreader, and “in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” Every person who looks at the manuscript brings a different perspecitive to the writing. It’s crazy, but sometimes a proofreader will notice a problem with a sentence — a sentence that has already been read by four or five people!

Sometimes all it takes is a missing “not” to change a godly author’s words into heresy. Think of this sentence: “Jesus is not indifferent to our sufferings.” If that “not” gets lost, several people may read it and unconsciously insert the word, and thereby miss the typo.

Sometimes a sentence goes past several pairs of eyes before someone notices that it can have two meanings. (My favorite is the old joke about the guy who got fired for laziness. When asked for a recommendation, his former employer wrote: “You’ll be lucky if you can get this guy to work for you.”)

Self-publishing authors cannot typically afford to pay for multiple sets of eyes on a manuscript, but they can still manage to get this advantage in an economical way. They can use beta readers. A beta reader is a friend or fellow author who is willing to read your book and point out any snags or confusing passages. (Or even, sometimes, a major flaw in the logic of your nonfiction, or a hole in the plot of your fiction.) With print on demand, it is now economically practical to hand out printed review copies of your book to your beta readers — but I would strongly suggest having your manuscript professionally edited and proofread before you produce review copies.

When you use beta readers, you need to practice both humility and discernment — humility to accept that your book may have errors, and discernment to realize that nonprofessional advice is not always worth taking. With those two virtues in mind, the more eyes on your book, the merrier!

David Fesseden has degrees in journalism and theology, and over 30 years of experience in writing and editing. He has served in editorial management positions for Christian book publishers and was regional editor for the largest Protestant weekly newspaper in the country.

Dave has published seven books, written hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles, and edited numerous books. He is a frequent speaker at writers’ conferences. Two of his books, Writing the Christian Nonfiction Book: Concept to Contract and A Christian Writer’s Guide to the Book Proposal, are based on his experience in Christian publishing. The Case of the Exploding Speakeasy, Dave’s first novel, reflects his love for history and for the Sherlock Holmes stories of Arthur Conan-Doyle.

Dave and his wife, Jacque, live in south-central Pennsylvania and have two adult sons.

Websites/Blogs:
www.fromconcepttocontract.com
www.davefessenden.com
www.thebookstore.info

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The Picky Pen

Editing Is Psychological

Yes. That’s right. Psychological. I promise not to go too deep. Please keep reading. In editing our own manuscripts, we usually know what’s going on, who each character is, and how the story’s going to unfold. What we don’t expect is the sneaky errors that crop up. When we least expect it. When we’re about to hit send or publish, or worse yet, after we’ve sent our manuscript off to the publisher!

And what we don’t expect is that our eyes skip over what’s actually missing because our brains automatically interpret what’s there. Hence the psychological aspect of editing.

How do we fix this, or at least make it more manageable? Ah, well, let’s take a closer look at three common mistakes we all make in editing our writing.

Three Common Psychological Editing Mistakes

  1. Extra spaces.

Extra spaces are a pain, but professional editors loathe them. When editing your manuscript, double check that you don’t have two extra spaces between words or sentences. According to Chicago Manual of Style and nearly every publishing house, one space should appear between sentences. Not the long-standing two spaces. That’s old school. One space and done.

  1. Multiple characters on the first page.

Have you ever entered a room where everyone is talking at once? The noise just engulfs you, making it impossible to focus on any one conversation, much less hear yourself think. If you’re in that family of introverted writers, an experience like this is crippling sometimes.

Just like entering a room full of talking heads, if the first page of your manuscript has too many characters, your readers will want to throw the book at something, anything. Readers want to know who, what, and why when they read the first page.

Rule of thumb: To keep a reader, introduce at least two characters—the protagonist and an important secondary character—on the first page to get the story off on the right foot with your readers. You can add more characters as needed on the second and preceding pages, but please stick to simple on the first page. Your readers will thank you.

  1. Redundant phrases or repetitive words.

In the writing stage, you write whatever comes to your mind just to put words down on paper. And in the reading stage, you skip over these most common phrases you use in everyday speech. But in the editing stage, you don’t even notice these redundant phrases because you’re focused on characterization, plot, dialogue, or whatever you know you need to work on the most. With redundant phrases, you can usually delete one of the words and your sentence will breathe easier.

Hey, I’m preaching at myself here! The other day I was editing my own WIP and noticed with great horror that (take notice of the strikethrough, it isn’t necessary here!) I used “even” four times within four preceding paragraphs! I was so mortified that the words choked me, and I scrambled to revise my sentences.

Here are a few redundant phrases to watch out for:

  • Final outcome (outcome)
  • False pretense (pretense)
  • Absolutely certain (certain)
  • Completely finished (finished)
  • Sat down (sat)

Now, that wasn’t too hard, psychologically speaking, was it? It’s so easy to gloss over the obvious mistakes in our manuscripts. Therefore, taking that extra special effort (see what I did there?) to shore up the little issues that really make a difference in the long run—for you, your characters, your agent, your editor, your publisher, and for your readers. Not to mention your manuscript because it’s now a squeaky-clean product!

Join in the discussion!

Take a few minutes and ruminate. What are some editorial issues you fail to notice in your manuscript on first or second or final read-through?

About Tisha Martin

Tisha Martin writes historical fiction and nonfiction but also edits and proofreads for beginning and best-selling writers, professional editing agencies, and publishing houses. She has a BA in Professional Writing, an MS in English Education, and an editing certificate from the PEN Institute, affordable continuing education for editors. Active in American Christian Fiction Writers and The PEN, she appreciates the writing and editing communities. As Assistant Director of PENCON, a conference for editors, she enjoys travel marketing and updating PENCON’s Facebook Page. Connect with Tisha on her website www.tishamartin.com and engage in the conversation.

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A Little Red Ink

What is a Proofread?

What is a proofread?

I’m sure you know by now the importance of wisdom as you choose a freelance editor. If you’ve missed the other posts defining the levels of editing, you can use the links below to catch up.

Macro (or substantive) edit

Line edit

Copy edit

Today, let’s talk about what a proofread entails.

The proofread is the final step…

before going to print (or uploading to online retailers).

Your book should’ve already had both a macro and copy edit, and—ideally—it will have even been formatted before this. The proofreader’s job is to catch remaining typos and word repetition, spot inconsistencies in formatting, make note of spacing issues, and basically get your book into perfect condition for print.

If you’re working with a publishing house, they will have certain in-house standards. You may or may not be involved in this step of the process.

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Ways to proofread.

Some proofreaders prefer to print out the manuscript and do this by hand. Believe me, it makes a difference. Even you would spot different things if you did this step on your own. Our eyes just see things differently in print than they do on a computer screen.

[bctt tweet=”#ProofreadingTip: Print a formatted copy or PDF of your manuscript. Our eyes just see things differently in print than they do on a computer screen. #amwriting #amediting”]

NOTE: If you hire a proofreader to do this, they will likely include a printing fee. There may be a standard fee, or they may charge by the page. Don’t be afraid to ask 1) whether they use clean paper or print on the back of scrap paper (It could save you money); 2) whether you can print a copy and send it to them.

Some—in order to make certain they miss nothing—will proofread backwards. Then, rather than getting caught up in the story, they see each sentence as an individual sentence. This is what I do when I proofread (if I must) for my macro and copy editing clients.

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Find someone new.

I don’t proofread for my editing clients if possible. It’s not wise to have the same editor do the macro edit, copy edit, and proofread. If possible, get someone else. Hey, ask your current editor for a recommendation. Many of us have people we’d trust with our own work.

editor sisters

My sister and I (both editing under the A Little Red Ink banner) routinely do proofreading for one another’s clients. That makes it super easy when questions come up.

“Is this word supposed to be capitalized in this story world?”

“I see this odd paragraphing—is that intentional?”

Erynn and I send our clients’ style sheets to each other, and we remain available to answer questions.

The key is making sure the editor hasn’t already been staring at the manuscript for the last 30 or 40 hours. They’ll miss things. A fresh set of eyes is crucial. If you are going to have the same editor proofread, give them time in between rounds. That requires planning on your part, sticking to deadlines. But it’s worthwhile if you’re determined to stick with one person.

[bctt tweet=”A fresh set of eyes is crucial. If you must have the same editor proofread, give them time in between rounds. #editvsproofread #alittleredink”]

Wrap-up

If you write in Traditional Publishing Land, this step isn’t your responsibility. However, if you’re braving the Indie Ocean, it’s a must. I know every penny counts. This one’s worth your investment.

Still, it’s possible to avoid a fee if you’ve got some killer beta readers who are willing to read through a formatted copy and let you know if they spot any typos. It’s a great trade. Scratch another author’s back with this deal, and then ask them to scratch yours. You’ll both be better off.

Question

Have you ever read a book and spotted typos? Were you quick to pick up other books by the same author?