Working with Your Editor - A Guide to the Editing Process
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Of all the mistakes that can cause a book not to succeed, lack of professional editing is the most visible to publishers and readers. According to Bookbaby’s 2017 survey, 74% of authors who earned more than $5,000 in sales paid for professional editing. First-time authors, indie-published authors, and even multi-published authors can miss some essential steps of editing. Susan K. Stewart, a professional editor with more than fifteen years of experience and hires a professional editor for her books, will take you from self-editing to the final proofreading, and how to find an editor who is a perfect for you and your project.
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Working with Your Editor - A Guide to the Editing Process
- 1. Susan K. Stewart Practical Inspirations www.practicalinspirations.com susan@practicalinspirations.com Copyright 2018 Working with Your Editor Susan K. Stewart susan@practicalinspirations.com A book needs to be easy to read, enjoyable, understandable. The purpose of editing is to provide a good reader experience. Editing is more than finding typos and grammar. Self-editing is the first stop. Style guides Chicago Manual ofStyle Christian Writers Manual of Style Associated Press Style Guide Elk Lake Publishing style guide Common problem areas Passive voice Tell not show Favorite words, repeating words Long sentences Word count, word count, word count Empty adverbs (—ly) “You” instead of “we” Non-rules from high school Splitinfinitive Don’t start a sentence with a conjunction Don’t end a sentence with a preposition Paragraphs are three to five sentences No sentence fragments Two spaces atthe end of a sentence Who can discern his errors? Psalm 19:12
- 2. Susan K. Stewart Practical Inspirations www.practicalinspirations.com susan@practicalinspirations.com Copyright 2018 Ready for an editor – a professional editor Who is not an editor? Finding an editor Christian Editors Network Editorial Freelance Association Conferences Fivver Elance Friends, writing group Types of editing Critique Developmental Substantive Copyeditor Proofreader Specialties Fiction Nonfiction Academic Business Internet Magazine or newspaper Hiring an editor Fees Type of editing Contract or agreement Fees Payment Deadlines Delivery Method Communications Editing Process Important rules Word document Standard format Elk Lake Publishing style guide
- 3. Susan K. Stewart Practical Inspirations www.practicalinspirations.com susan@practicalinspirations.com Copyright 2018 Each editor has a process Respectyour editor’s time
- 4. Susan K. Stewart Practical Inspirations www.practicalinspirations.com susan@practicalinspirations.com Copyright 2018 Learn Track Changes Important menu items Track Changes off/on Markup Options Comments Insertions & Deletions Formatting Balloons Show Only Comments and Formatting in Balloons Accept Acceptand move to next Reject Rejectand move to next Helpful options Word Count Preferences (under Markup Options) Compare
- 5. Susan K. Stewart Practical Inspirations www.practicalinspirations.com susan@practicalinspirations.com Copyright 2018 Susan’s Peeves Exclamation points!!!! – These are reserved for strong emotions. We aren’tecstatic, frightened, or overwhelmed thatoften. Exclamation points aren’t meant to be used for emphasis. Use italics, bold,or underline instead. Repeating words – Using the same word in the same sentence, or even the same paragraph is boring. We are creative people.Find other words or even write the sentence and/or paragraph. Gender neutral – Avoid s/he, he/she, or alternating gender pronouns. “They” is nota singular pronoun. Wrong: The child wanted to play at the park. He/she asked his/her mother. Correct: The child asked permission to play atthe park. Exception to the rule: If writing to a specific audience,e.g. a men’s Bible study, use the appropriate pronouns. That vs. who – Both are pronouns. The mostcommon error is using “that” when referring to a person or a group ofhumans. “That” refers to things and animals. “Who” refers to people. Wrong: You are allowed to register yourself, your spouse, and your VAor team member, that will be attending with you. Correct: You are allowed to register yourself, your spouse, and VAor team member, who will be attending with you. That vs. which – “That” is restrictive; “which” is nonrestrictive. “That” further defines a category. “Which” offers additional information. Acomma is used before “which.” Wrong: My car, that is blue, is parked on the street. Correct: My car, which is blue, is parked on the street. Wrong: Cars, which are blue, should notbe parked on the street. Correct: Cars that are blue should not be parked on the street. More than vs. over – “More than” denotes a quantity; “over” is a preposition. Wrong: The number of students is over 3,000. Correct: The number ofstudents is more than 3,000. Since vs. because – “Since” denotes time. “Because” is a reason for or why. Wrong: I’m going to the airport since I’m flying to Europe. Correct: I’m going to the airport because I’m flying to Europe. i.e and e,g, i.e. indicate an explanation or paraphrase is aboutto follow. Some workers plan to put in a forty-hour week — i.e., to work eighthours a day. e.g. is an abbreviation meaning “for example.” Grammar rules can be confusing, e.g.,comma rules, semi-colon uses, and homonyms. “Google” and “friend” are not verbs. Wrong: You can google my name to find my website.
- 6. Susan K. Stewart Practical Inspirations www.practicalinspirations.com susan@practicalinspirations.com Copyright 2018 Correct: You can search with Google to fine my website. Wrong: I’ll friend you on Twitter. Correct: I’ll follow you on Twitter.
- 7. Susan K. Stewart Practical Inspirations www.practicalinspirations.com susan@practicalinspirations.com Copyright 2018 Resources Chicago Manualof Style (CMoS) http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org Associated Press Stylebook (AP) https://www.apstylebook.com/ Modern LanguageAssociation (MLA) https://www.mla.org/MLA-Style https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/11 Merriam-WebsterOnline Dictionary https://www.merriam-webster.com/ BOOKS AVAILABLE AT AMAZON, GOOGLE BOOKS, AND OTHER BOOKSTORES (*EVERY WRITER AND EDITOR SHOULD OWN) *Proofreading Secrets ofBest-SellingAuthors by Kathy Ide *Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by RenniBrowne and Dave King Christian Writers Manual ofStyle (CWMS) Yahoo Style Guide TheArtful Edit by Susan Bell Self-Editing on a Penny byAshlyn Forge Editing Tips for Writers by Tyler Wagnerand James Ranson The Flip Dictionary by BarbaraAnn Kipfer, Ph.D. ORGANIZATIONS Christian Editors Connection https://christianeditor.com/ Editorial FreelanceAssociation https://www.the-efa.org/ Self-Editing Checklist http://www.ravenscourtpress.com/quick-reference.html