The document provides guidance to self-publishing authors on how to effectively edit their work based on reader feedback. It recommends starting with the intended reader in mind and listening to what readers say they like and don't like. It also advises following an order when editing, starting with big picture edits before sentence-level and word-level edits. The document provides examples of reader comments and suggests how authors can interpret the feedback and search online for resources to address issues raised.

1. Self-pubs: Your readers are trying to tell you something. Here s how to get
the most out of what they re saying.
 I know I need to edit my book, but I don t know where to begin.   
Indie Author
Step 1: Start with the Reader
We hear this comment frequently from self-publishing authors. Completing a book-length
work is exhausting, and the last thing you want to hear when you finish
your first draft is that you need to start again, this time with revisions.
You might not realize it, but the place to begin is right in front of you  
it s the reader you ve had in mind since you began your first draft. That
reader is talking to you, and if you can figure out exactly what he s saying,
he can act as your guide in the revision, or self-editing, process.
As Hugh Howey says,  Indie authors are maniacally focused on the reader …
Indie authors are doing well because they know it s all about the reader….
It s the reader, stupid. 
http://www.hughhowey.com/its-the-reader-stupid/
So start with the reader   the reader can direct you to the problem spots in
your work, if only you ll listen. Not only that, but careful attention to what
the reader is telling you can help you improve your writing.
Where do you find readers? Well, there are your beta readers <link to our beta
reader post>, and there are reviewers
<http://beyondpaperediting.blogspot.ca/2013/07/amazon-and-goodreads-guidelines-for.
html>. Both are giving you feedback about your work. If you re about to
publish a book, you ll have beta reader comments to work from. If you ve
published a book already, then you might also have reviews to scour for
information.
Finally, if you haven t previously published a book and you don t have beta
readers yet for your current work, don t despair. You can read others 
reviews … and learn from their mistakes!
The point is, the information is out there. But you need to learn how to use it.
Step 2: Do Things in the Right Order
The Editing Continuum
In her book, The Indie Author s Guide to Book Editing, http://amzn.to/1lMDGTA
Sarah Kolb-Williams points out that the order of things matters. A big-picture
edit, for example, needs to happen before a word-level edit. In other words,
when you re at the beginning of the editing process, typos should be the least
of your concerns.
We said something similar in our post last month: <link to 4 Levels of Editing
post> order matters, and as you begin the editing process, you ll save
yourself time and endless frustration if you keep this order in mind:
Big-picture  > Paragraph level  > Sentence level  > Word level
If it helps, try thinking of the editing continuum as something similar to the
order of operations in arithmetic. If you perform addition and subtraction
before addressing division and multiplication, you ll end up with a
meaningless jumble. Similarly, if you attend to spelling and punctuation or
dialogue and characterization before you ve resolved issues in the plot, your
results will be disappointing at best.
Recap:

2. 1) Focus on the reader and what he says he likes about a book   and pay
special attention to what he doesn t like.
2) Order matters (see above). Don t even think about correcting typos until
you ve got your big-picture and paragraph level ducks in a row.
Keeping these two items in mind will position you to use valuable reader
feedback to your best advantage.
Step 3: Use Reviews to Improve Your Writing
Interpreting Reviews
At last, you re ready to apply feedback to your manuscript. This is the hard
part. You know where to find feedback and you know the order of revisions. We
can hear you asking,  What now? 
When beta readers, readers, reviewers and editors editors are readers, too!
 offer constructive feedback, what are they actually telling you, and how can
you use that information to improve your writing?
It s possible to read what reviewers say and figure out what kind of attention
your manuscript needs. Situating your manuscript on the editing continuum will
also help you to determine the order in which to address things.
We searched through reviews on Amazon for examples of constructive feedback.
Readers won t necessarily tell you that you need to focus your attention on in
a big-picture edit, for example, but they may suggest it. The table below
interprets examples of reader feedback, so that you can see how you might
identify what you need to improve on.
Once you know what readers are telling you, you can do something about it. The
Google search engine is your friend, here. There is lots of great information
about the craft of writing fiction on the internet. In the right column of the
table, we ve suggested some search terms you can use to find information that
will help you.
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*Note: As we searched the Amazon reviews for examples of the four levels of
editing, we encountered surprisingly few references to typos and spelling
errors. This wasn t the case even a year ago, when comments about careless
proofreading were frequent. As we ve said before, the landscape is changing
  self-publishing authors are listening, and they re taking measures to
produce professional, polished books.
How to Use this Information
You ve received some great reader feedback, or you ve found reviews of
others  work that might also apply to yours. And, after identifying the
trouble spots in your writing, you ve found relevant resources to help you
sort things out in your manuscript.
You re on your way.
But making revisions is slow and difficult work   don t try to rush things.
Acknowledge that your book will take time to develop. Your attention to detail
now will pay off later. Keep in mind, too, that integrating all this information
is complex, and it may take more than one try to get it right.
Tackle items one item at a time in an order that makes sense   straighten out
the plot and fill in the holes, for example, then address pacing. Through
experience and practice you ll learn that you can t achieve the pace that
will keep a reader engaged unless you dismantle all the infodumps standing in

3. the way.
Yes, there s a lot to learn and it s hard work, but if you listen to what
readers are telling you, you ll become more aware of your writing strengths
and weaknesses, and ultimately, you ll also become a better writer.
Image by Found Animals Foundation http://bit.ly/1p9nzzi
Related Links
How to Improve Your Writing With Macros: Tips for Beginners
http://bit.ly/1AVSxn4
3 Ways to Pare Down Your Prose http://bit.ly/YXPLjq
5 Things Editors Know About Readers http://bit.ly/1tZjJ4i
How to Get Helpful Feedback from Beta Readers http://bit.ly/1tZjJ4i