I don’t care whether you’re Ernest Hemingway or some guy with a third grade education. You need an editor. You may not realize it, but those writers with eight books on best seller lists---they all had editors who, not only did corrections, but may have radically re-shaped that best seller before it hit the bookstore racks. None of us particularly jumps for joy when we’re corrected, but I, for one, genuinely appreciate an expert editor going through my manuscripts even if she comes up with a few hundred suggested edits. When my manuscript finally hits the public eye, I want it to be the very best, most skillfully-written piece of work possible. Isn’t that what you want?
You may be writing your life story, a how-to book, a novel, a children’s book, a business or motivational work, or perhaps something inspirational or religious. Maybe you have your own website or landing page on the internet. I see glaring errors on web pages every day. Never be embarrassed to seek out an editor, and preferably, it should not be your mother or your best friend. There’s a pretty good chance they will not only gloss over errors but may pronounce the book a masterpiece. Only a true editor will look at the work objectively and point out the ways it could be improved.
You may be a little threatened by the idea of finding an honest editor. After all, how much editing do you need and what is a fair price? Do you feel that you’re accomplished enough that you only need a one- or two-page critique, giving you the basic strengths and weaknesses of your work? Do you need a simple proofread for minor spelling and punctuation errors? Do you need a thorough copy edit in which grammar and sentence structure are added to the perusal? Or are you such a beginner that you need a rewrite or a ghostwriter to reshape the entire project? A good editor should be able to tell you what the manuscript needs. In regard to cost, there’s a significant variance among editors. Some editors charge by the hour and others charge per page. The best advice is to compare estimates from several different editors, paying attention to any recommendations or testimonials that may be available about each.
Try not to fall head over heels in love with your every golden word. I’ve found novelists seem to struggle the most with this. A very common tendency among novel writers is to overwrite. I’ve received manuscripts of well over 300 pages. Each incidental act, every little word of the characters was painstakingly recorded. When the protagonist entered a room, the room was meticulously described. It was not unheard of for me to suggest cutting close to 100 pages of extraneous blather. However, I found that some novelists were deeply grieved by these cuts, ignored my input, and had their books self-published at full length. Sad.
So, you may be thinking, “I’ve got this manuscript I’ve poured my life into. My dream is to get it published, but between editing and publishing I’d have to be super rich.” No, if you find the right editor and publisher, it’s very possible to see your book gloriously in print for somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,000. Surely you can save that much money to be a published author with a quality book.
Dr. Steve Fortosis has taught on the undergrad and graduate university levels. He is also a prolific writer with eight published books and numerous articles and other pieces. He is also a free lance editor and assists writers in self-publishing if they desire.
www.editingfactory.orgwww.seeyourselfinprint.com
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