Introduction

First things first: well done on completing your book! It’s a fantastic achievement to have a completed manuscript in your hand. And the fact you’re reading this suggests you are interested in making your book as professional as possible. As a fiction editor who works with a lot of first-time authors, I spend a not inconsiderable amount of time explaining parts of the process and how not just editing but self-publishing in general works. It can be overwhelming trying to navigate your way through all the various twists and turns and service providers promising you a bestselling novel, so I’ve put together this short e-book to help shed some light on the process. This guide is structured fairly chronologically through the editing process, but don’t feel you have to complete every step or do everything in a precise order; this is simply a framework that will help you find your own path. One small word of warning before we start. Self-publishing is not a get-rich quick scheme. For every Mark Dawson, there are a thousand writers you’ve never heard of who sell a handful of books and then disappear into the depths of Amazon. Self-publishing allows you to become master of your own destiny, but that involves a huge amount of work and a not insignificant dollop of luck. It’s not enough to write a great book and upload it to Amazon – you have to market yourself relentlessly and make sure that everything about your book is spot on – editing, cover design, formatting, etc. If you want to compete with traditionally published books, then your book needs to be of a rival quality.

Types of editing

As a fiction editor, when I’m approached by a client seeking ‘an editor’, I spend quite a lot of time trying to tease out exactly what it is the client is looking for. There really isn’t such a thing as just ‘editing’; there are many different types of editing, and it’s important that when you approach an editor, you are clear about what you’re seeking to get out of the collaboration. In this section, I’ll run down the various types of editing there are and what these entail to help you pinpoint what your manuscript needs.

Developmental edit A developmental editor looks specifically at the big-picture issues of your manuscript. This includes, but is not limited to, plot, pace, point of view, conflict, characterisation, writing style, and structure. A developmental editor is not concerned with spelling and grammar or sentence-level problems like wording. They look at the overall shape of your manuscript and point out problems and give suggestions of how to fix things. They usually tend to work on the manuscript itself and you’ll receive a manuscript with annotations and edited sections as well as an editorial letter that brings together the main things you should work on in your revisions. While they might note any widespread problems with spelling and grammar, their focus won’t be on these (and indeed, it shouldn’t, as they should be using their brain power to focus on actual developmental concerns). A developmental edit is a great option for writers who aren’t sure their story is quite ‘there’ and require quite a high level of support to make those changes. Of course, this level of intervention doesn’t come cheap, and your budget might not be able to afford such a comprehensive edit. Luckily, there are other options.

Manuscript critique/appraisal A critique or appraisal is similar to a developmental edit in scope. It focuses on the same concerns as a developmental edit, but crucially, the manuscript itself is not edited. Instead, the author receives a report on what’s working in their manuscript and what isn’t. There may be limited examples drawn from the text and some suggestions of how to fix things, but it won’t be as comprehensive as a developmental edit. It’s a good option for authors on a budget who are able to work on feedback and apply it to their novel themselves. Beta reading Beta reading tends not to be done by editors, but by passionate readers. As a result, beta reading can be a very cost-effective (or even free) way to get some feedback about your novel. It’s important to bear in mind that most beta readers don’t have any editorial training, so they may not be able to offer as much in the way of feedback about how to change things, but they are very valuable for getting an idea of what works and what doesn’t. If you send your book to six beta readers and five of them don’t like the ending, then there’s clearly a problem there and you can focus your efforts on that. You can find beta readers on websites like Goodreads.

Line editing Line editing is used in some countries more than others. In the UK, it’s not an overly common term, but it is in the US. Generally speaking, line editing is looking at things on a sentence and paragraph-level and addressing stylistic concerns. It’s about making the writing better and focusing on the craft of writing. There’s also an element of correcting mistakes, but it’s not quite as focused on correctness and consistency as a copy-edit. In reality, it’s unlikely you’ll have the budget for separate line and copy-edits. And, in fact, many editors who work with independent authors either include line editing in their definition of copy-editing, or combine both (as I do).

Copy-editing This is focusing on the nitty gritty of words. Copy-editing concentrates on the ‘five Cs’: correctness, clarity, conciseness, comprehensiveness, and consistency. Copy-editing makes sure your work is free of mistakes and ambiguity and that words and sentences can’t be misunderstood. It also makes sure your work is consistent, and for fiction that might include things like keeping note of character traits, etc. to ensure they don’t change during the course of the novel.

Proofreading This is an important step which shouldn’t be bundled in with copy-editing. Traditionally published books go through at least one proofread after a copy-edit. Because the scope of copy-editing, particularly when working in fiction, is so large, it’s inevitable mistakes will linger. Even traditionally published books have the odd typo. I’d always recommend getting a proofreader after an edit, but if you can’t afford it, then enlist as many friends and family members to help as possible to hunt down those pesky typos. Don’t skip this step. And don’t conflate proofreading and copy-editing; a proofreader’s scope should be fairly limited and be focusing on quality control, not on making a bunch of changes. If a proofreader has to make thousands of changes to a manuscript, then it wasn’t ready for proofreading.

Finding an editor

So, now you’re clear on what type of editor you’re looking for, it’s time to begin your search. With the rise of self-publishing, there has been a bit of a boom in freelance editors offering their services. While there are many reputable and experienced editors out there, there are, inevitably, some editors who don’t have the requisite training or knowledge to be selling their services. This section should help you weed out those kind of editors and find the right editor for you.

Where to look Personal recommendations are always a good start. If you know any other authors who use editors, or have read a book and enjoyed it, then consider asking for names or checking the front of a book to find out who it was edited by. Professional organisations are another good way to find editors who are interested in professional development and part of an organisation with professional standards. In the UK, the Society of Editors and Proofreaders (http://www.sfep.org.uk/) is the go-to organisation to find a reputable editor or proofreader. There is a searchable directory of members, so you can find one who specialises in your field. Elsewhere, in the USA, the Editorial Freelancers Association (http://www.the-efa.org/) has a similar directory, and in Canada, the Editors’ Association of Canada (http://www.editors.ca/) has a directory and a jobs board. It’s worth doing a search for professional organisations in your country. Social media can be a good place to find an editor. You can tell a lot about someone from their interaction with others online, and also the types of information they post about and share. It’s also a good way to find personal recommendations from other writers, who might Tweet or post on Facebook about their experiences.

How to evaluate an editor Once you’ve found an editor (or several) you think might be right for your book, you’ll want to get in touch with them and explain precisely what you’re looking for. Provide as much information as possible: your book’s length, genre, your background as a writer, what service you’re looking for, your timescale, etc. The more information in your initial email, the better. When trying to decide on an editor, there are several things you might want to bear in mind. Tone of communication Is the editor formal or informal and are they professional and prompt in their responses? Are their replies helpful and offering you information, or are they merely perfunctory? Can you see them as someone you would trust with your manuscript and would like to deal with?

Experience What experience does your editor have? How long have they been editing for and what training have they done? Is their training up-to-date?

Portfolio What other books have they worked on?

Availability Do they have a slot right now or do you have to wait? Good editors are often booked up in advance (perhaps as much as six months). Just because someone can start right away doesn’t mean they aren’t good (freelancers often have ups and downs like this) but it’s important to find out when they can fit your book in.

Warning signs Beware any editor who doesn’t want to answer your questions about training or experience. Beware editors who provide very low quotes (especially without even seeing your book). Beware editors who take a long time to reply to enquiries. And beware any editor who has no online presence or a poor website riddled with mistakes. Professional editors should be professionally presented.

Sample edits Many editors offer free sample edits to prospective clients. This is useful for the editor as well as the client, as it lets them know the scope of work and how long they think it will take them to complete. But how do you evaluate a sample edit? First of all, most editors use track changes in Microsoft Word to make changes. This is industry standard. If an editor hasn’t tracked changes so you can easily see them, that should be a warning sign. Does the editor explain changes? While it’s not feasible in a novel-length manuscript to explain every added or deleted comma, in a sample edit, the editor should take the time to explain the changes they have made in a way you can understand. What is the scope of their changes? This is a subjective issue and it can depend on what you want from your editor. You might be happy for an editor to make changes to improve wording, etc. or you might only want an editor to correct mistakes and not make any stylistic changes. Did they catch mistakes? Or did they create mistakes? This can be difficult to evaluate sometimes, but if you’re getting a few sample edits, you can cross reference them to see where things were missed or where editors had different approaches. Do bear in mind, though, that it’s considered bad form to get lots of sample edits on different parts of your book. Editors talk a lot between ourselves and if you go around asking thirty editors each to edit a different part of your book, we’ll tend to assume you’re trying to get your booked edited for free. Stick to the same passage for sample edits so you can compare like with like, and only ask for a sample edit if you are genuinely interested in pursuing a collaboration with that particular editor.

A word on budgets Editing isn’t cheap. While there are cheap editors, I’d recommend being wary of any who are offering very low rates (say £4 or $4 per 1,000 words). Copy-editing an 80,000-word novel might take upwards of 30 hours, and editors working for such low rates are either doing it as a hobby (not necessarily a bad thing, but they may not be doing the professional development they should) or aren’t spending the time required on it. You might find newer editors willing to work with low rates, but it’s important you know that these might mean their work isn’t quite as good as an established editor. You wouldn’t work for sub-minimum- wage jobs, so don’t expect an editor to. Be realistic in your expectations. Most editors are reasonable human beings and understand that budgets can be tight. Some might offer payment plans (or even offer to edit the first 50 pages or so, so you can apply their feedback to the rest of your book).

How to handle an edited file

When you get back your edit, you will probably open it and then have a panic about the sea of red in front of you. Track changes can look quite frightening and overwhelming and as some manuscripts can have in excess of 6,000 changes, it might seem like a laborious task to go through and accept or reject every one. Here are some tips for how to make the process a bit easier. Firstly, think about changing the colours of your track changes to make them less harsh on the eye. I like a pretty purple for insertions and a light grey for deletions. You can change these options in the Track Changes settings (if you are unfamiliar with how to use Track Changes, check out my video tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEEz53toH1w). Fiddle about with your mark-up viewing options to find something you’re comfortable with. I’d suggest putting all revisions in balloons so you can read the text more easily without having to deal with strikethrough text, etc. Don’t spend your time accepting changes – instead, just reject any you don’t want and at the end of the manuscript, you can bulk accept all remaining changes. This is a huge time- saver. Do be careful when rejecting changes. Sometimes changing one element of a sentence (such as moving comma) involves two or more changes, so if you reject only one, the second half of the change will be left and could lead to an error. As you go through, look out for your editor’s comments as some of them may ask questions or flag up problems that require your input. One you’ve accepted all changes, read through the clean document again thoroughly. If you plan to make any changes for your editor to check, make sure Track Changes is enabled.

Next steps

Once you have a clean manuscript that has been proofread and checked thoroughly by you (and as many others as you can rope in!) then you can think about the final steps before publishing. You should have a marketing plan in place by now and be busily building your social media presence and making preparations for launch day.

Formatting Your raw Word file needs to be properly formatted for both e-book and print before it can be published. If you’re reasonably techy-savvy (or not afraid to learn) then you can do this yourself. You’ll need various versions as Amazon uses mobi files and certain other e- readers use epub files. It’s relatively inexpensive to get formatting done by a professional, and you can sometimes get a bit fancier interiors if you pay for formatting. Print formatting is more complex than e-book formatting, and you’ll want to do your research into things like trim-size and paper colour.

Cover design I’d always recommend a professionally designed cover. Unless you’re a graphic designer, changes are your book cover will end up looking amateur and that would be a shame after putting money into editing, etc. You’ll need slightly different e-book and print covers, as the print cover needs to have a back for the blurb and also a spine, as well as space for the ISBN.

Final bits I hope this has been useful and helped to clarify the process. I’m always happy to help clients with certain aspects of the process, so do get in touch if you have any questions.

Editorial checklist

Macro editing (beta reading, critiquing, etc.)

Marketing plan drawn up

Line/copy-editing

Proofreading

Author website set up

Social media pages

Accounts created on Kindle Direct Publishing, Createspace, iBooks, Kobo, Smashwords

Blurb written

Synopsis/query letter (if planning to approach agents)

ISBN options investigated

Research into genres and keywords for Amazon

Research into print copy (what size of trim, colour of paper, fonts, etc)

Cover design (both e-book and print, if required)

Formatting