Editing

Writing your manuscript is just the start. Next is the polishing and finessing, then the design work followed by the steps to get it out to the world. The sections below run through all the steps.

First is editing process - there are three types:

1. Structural edit

2. Copy edit

3. Proofread

It doesn’t matter how good an author you are, your manuscript is going to need multiple revisions. Before engaging a professional editor, take a step back, with fresh eyes, re-read your manuscript and think about your reader. Imagine it from their perspective. By this point you have read it through start to finish and not have any changes. Then get a friend or someone you know to beta-read it and give you feedback. All of this can reduce the number of structural edits you need.

STRUCTURAL EDIT

This is the first step in the editing and you might have multiple structural edits.

This edit takes a step back and looks at the big picture. It’s the first objective review of the story and involves making changes to the manuscripts structure and/or substance. It will identify parts of your story that need to be added. Parts that are not needed, the perhaps are slowing the story down. It will uncover where there is confusion, or the people in your story need to be expanded on, have you brought them to life. When it is your story, it is hard to know what is going to resonate with the reader and be of interest. You may have lost track of the ‘big picture’ - it’s hard to see the wood for the trees.

The editior will consider where your story starts and finishes. How you have structured your chapters - do they have a beginning, middle and end. Have the scenes been set. Are you telling or showing?

Structural editing looks at:

• tone and style

• language

• flow

• terminology

• chapter arrangement

• length of the manuscript

At the end you will get your manuscript back with tracked changes and generally a report.

Regardless of whether you are self-publishing or planning to approach publishing houses, it is recommended that you get a professional structural edit. Once you get your manuscript back from your editor work through all their comments and changes. Make the changes and consider their recommendations. Then do a full read again. Reading it out loud is a great way to do a thorough review.

COPY EDIT

The copy edit is about tidying up your manuscript, making sure it is easily understood and readable, while staying true to the author’s voice. It is a detailed review of things like grammar, style, punctuation, any jargon that includes checking:

• Grammar, spelling (including consistency), syntax, and punctuation

• Appropriate word choice, repitition

• Factual statements and ensuring references are included and correct

• Any potential legal issues

• Any inconsistencies and that all loose ends are tied

This is best performed by a professional - it is going to be hard, but not impossible, copy edit your own text.

PROOFREAD

The proofread is the final polishing to check spelling, hen the material is nearly a finished product, meaning it has been edited, laid out, and designed, the proofreader searches for typographical errors. The proofreader works with a facsimile of a finished product, or a proof (hence the term proofreading). Proofreaders don’t suggest major changes to the text; rather, they look for minor text and formatting errors and confirm the material is ready for publication.

In publishing, proofreading happens after the manuscript has been printed. A final copy of the manuscript, or proof, is then examined by a professional proofreader.

The proofreader’s job is to check for quality before the book goes into mass production. He or she takes the original edited copy and compares it to the proof, making sure that there are no omissions or missing pages. The proofreader corrects awkward word or page breaks.

While he or she may do light editing (such as correcting inconsistent spelling or hyphenations), the professional proofreader is not a copyeditor. If too many errors are cited, he or she may return the proof for further copyediting.

Professional proofreading is required by traditional publishers as a quality assurance measure before printing off a mass quantity of books. Many self-publishing authors who have had their manuscript professionally copyedited skip the proofread. If you're on a budget, you might try to proofread your own work, since there won't be as many errors to contend with at that stage.

TYPESETTING

According to the Cambridge University dictionary, typesetting is ‘the activity of arranging printed text and images on the page when preparing a book, newspaper, etc. for printing’.

Typesetting is about creating the best reading experience and makes reading effortless. Getting this wrong and it’s a clunky experience for the reader. Typesetting includes:

• margin size

• font type and size

• style for chapter starts

• trim size (book size)

• placement of illustrations

• then there are things like kerning, leading, tracking, justification, etc

The font choice, for example, will impact the readability of your book. A serif font is designed to help the eye keep words together with the addition of the small line on the edge of the letter. This leads the eye from one word to the next, helping the eye move across a line. A Sans Serif font, or one without Serif lines is tiring for the readers eye.

You can either hire a professional typesetter or do it yourself, but it requires specialist software - this is not a task for Microsoft Word.

If you can afford it, get the pros involved. If it’s not an option, then tools you can use include LaTex (free), Adobe InDesign or Vellum. Invest time learning the basics of professional design.

If you are hiring a professional, make sure you check out examples of their work and that they have worked in your genre. It’s going to be a big investment, so do your research.