With all of the options out there to publish, it's pretty tempting to just point
and click your way to a completed book. When print-on-demand first came on the
scene around 1999, we saw a glut of books being pushed through the system,
unedited, unvetted. When someone said "garbage in, garbage out," they were often
referring to self-publishing. Hence the stigma. If you're new to indie
publishing and you think that the stigma is the "us against them" idea, you're
only partially right. The history, albeit a somewhat negative one, started many
years ago when authors thought their book was "good enough" to publish.
Cycle forward to 2013: We now have some 300,000 books published a year, the
competition is fierce and the stakes are high. That number, by the way, comes
from Bowker, which produces these statistics and readily admits that this number
doesn't include eBooks or books that are published without an ISBN. You can
imagine how high that number really is.
People ask me all the time, "How can I be successful?" Well, aside from the
usual stuff, like show up and keep promoting, the one key to success is to
publish a book so good, your reader can't put it down. But to take it a step
beyond that, I would say publish something that has been edited often, and by
someone who knows how to edit a book and isn't afraid to tell you the things you
may not want to hear. It's amazing how, over the years, I've heard time and time
again that, "Well, my neighbor/mother/wife/husband edited my book." You should
never, ever have your book edited by someone who is a family member, friend,
etc. Why? Because if the book is really horrible, they may not feel they can
tell you. Also, are they really professionals? Do they have a business?
Let me say this, if you publish a book that's subpar, no matter how much
money you throw at it, it will never succeed. Some critics might say that the
Celestine Prophecy succeeded despite a poor editing job. Well, that may
be true, but can you think of another book that reached bestseller status where
people said, "Good story, but it needed an editor?" I didn't think so.
Let's look at this from another perspective: book reviews.
Marlene, who is a blogger at Book Lover and Procrastinator, http://bookloverandprocrastinator.blogspot.com/,
says: "I think the self-published author either doesn't have the finances to get
a good editor or is unaware of the need. It is very frustrating to read a book
that could be great - if the bad editing didn't take you out of the story. Not
all self-published books are poorly edited. I've read some great self-published
books. I get about 10-15 requests for review a month. I usually review 4 or 5
books a month. After I get a submission, I read the excerpt and a little of the
book. If the book doesn't strike my fancy, I don't review it. Bad editing and
author's voice go into this decision."
Your book is your resume. Ask yourself how many book reviews you might be
losing because of poor editing. I asked Lauren Hidden of The Hidden Helpers, http://www.thehiddenhelpers.com,
to weigh in with her views on editing.
Why is editing so important?
You had phenomenal ideas for your
book; many of them, in fact. Maybe it was a section of super-helpful information
in your business book or a fascinating, quirky character that popped up every
few chapters in your novel - you certainly have a personal investment in what
made the "final" cut from your head onto paper. You know your topic or your
story inside and out, but sometimes what you're thinking doesn't successfully
translate to paper. That's where an editor steps in - clarifying a confusing
scene, tightening up a repetitive or wordy section, correcting a word you
consistently misspell, or fixing a problem with shifting tenses. Readers can
tell if your book isn't edited. The idea is for readers to love your book and
tell all their friends about it. Don't give them a reason to put your book down
after the first five pages.
Who should get their book edited?
Everyone. Wise authors know
that they have to put their best foot forward. Period. This applies equally if
you are seeking a traditional publishing contract or if you are planning to
self-publish your book. Why would you let a reader or agent/publisher read
anything but your best work? Competition is fierce. A poorly edited book will
score bad reviews from readers or end up in the circular file in an acquisitions
editor's office. Too many authors say they can't "afford" to get their book
edited, but you shouldn't start writing a book without incorporating editing
into your budget. Think of the hundreds of hours you put into your book writing
and revising, and the money you earmarked for layout, cover design, and
promotion. If your book isn't polished, you've just thrown away all that time
and money - not to mention future revenues you were eagerly anticipating from
book sales. An investment in editing can pay off for years to come.
What mistakes do people make when choosing an editor?
The
biggest mistake people make is not finding the best fit for them and their
specific book. Ask for editor recommendations from other authors and industry
professionals. You should choose an editor who is experienced in working in your
genre. You should also be sure to ask how long the project will take them to
complete, as well as how they charge for their services. Also, make sure you and
the editor agree on the amount and type of the editing to be performed. Some
editors may perform more of a proofread looking for blatant errors and some may
try to rewrite your book. You likely don't want either of these extremes.
Another big mistake people make is looking for the cheapest possible editor. Do
your homework and make sure the editor's expertise and experience is a good fit
for you - as well as the fee. The last thing your wallet or timeline needs is to
have to hire a second editor because the first one didn't do your book justice.
What's the difference between copyediting and content editing and do
people often need both?
Simplified, copy editing is polishing the
words on the page. This can be correcting subject/verb agreement, eliminating
repetition, fixing spelling errors, cleaning up awkward phrasing, correcting
homonyms, and the like. Content editing is addressing the "bigger picture" of
the book. In fiction, this most often means addressing inconsistencies with
character and plot points, recommending the author eliminates or expands scenes,
and ensuring the book flows well. In nonfiction, content editing most often
addresses the clarity, completeness, consistency, and organization of the
information being presented. And yes, every author should have content and copy
editing performed. Sometimes authors don't think they need content editing, but
they're also not an impartial party. Of course, everything makes sense to the
author who wrote the manuscript, but will it make sense to the reader? Content
editing answers this question.
How many times should a book be edited? Is there such a thing as
over-editing?
A book should certainly be self-edited by the author
before a professional editor ever lays eyes on it. When it reaches an editor's
hands, the editor and the author will discuss the number of rounds the editor
typically performs. Then you may want an independent proofread for a second set
of eyes. But after that, and after the author's final review, the book should be
finished. I've seen some authors run into problems when they've self edited
their book, then hired a trusted, high-quality editor, and finally asked for
feedback from their friends who all suggested other changes to the book. At some
point you have to let your book go. Don't keep second guessing yourself. If you
passed your book around to 10 different industry friends, you'd get 10 different
opinions what to change. If you feel that you took all the necessary steps to
produce a great book, had it professionally edited, and are happy with how it
turned out, then it's time to release it to the world.
Finally, here are a few more things you should know about editing:
If you're just submitting a book proposal to agents and publishers or you are
submitting the entire manuscript, you should have the book fully edited. Why?
Publishers and agents often don't have the time to ferret through unedited or
rough manuscripts. You'll increase your chances of getting noticed if your book
and package are polished.
If your editor loves everything you write, there's something wrong. The truth
is that while you should like your editor, they should push you. One reason I
love working with my editor (Lauren) is that she pushes me very hard on my work
and won't let me slide or slack off on anything. While sometimes I really just
want to be done with it, in the end it makes for a much better
book.
Don't skimp on editing. Ever. I know Lauren addressed this above
but really, it's such an important part of your book and, as I mentioned early
on, the single biggest marketing tool. Consider this: you have spent years
writing this book, why would you pour marketing dollars and marketing effort
into something that wasn't your best work? The world won't love your book simply
because you wrote it, it must be the best work you could have produced and if
you're not ready to meet this criterion, then you may want to wait until you
are. There's a lot of time and money wasted on books that aren't great. In fact,
some years ago I worked with iUniverse.com, and the then CEO told me that only
1% of the books submitted to them are, in fact, readable. One percent. That's a
frightening number. Here's another scary stat. There are approximately a billion
eBook titles and three million print titles on Amazon.com. Staggering,
no?
It's hard enough to compete in publishing. Put in the effort and put
forth your best book. Does your book deserve anything less?
Reprinted from "The Book Marketing Expert newsletter," a free ezine offering
book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com
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