Next to a great writer is a fantastic editor! If you’re like me and can’t professionally self edit your own book (some people can but it’s always key to have an extra set of eyes on it even after you do it by a professional).
This could also serve as step # 4 depending on how many edits you really need. A lot of the best writers need a lot of editing. Some have the story in them and write the book but don’t know how or have the skill-set in regards to grammar or spelling…some writers who know that they need a lot of help in this regard may even take a community college course on writing, or an English class to help them strengthen this part or go through organizations that offer these classes.
If this is the case for you then you may want to get your book professionally edited first at least the first round before you get beta readers.
You don’t want your beta readers hung up on grammatical errors and misspelling. You want them to be able to sit and read the book as if it’s shelf ready or very close to it.
I have a great editor out of Arlington Texas and when I say she’s great, she edits your book and your voice is not lost after she does her edits. It is very important to find an editor that will match your voice.
This is going to be a very important relationship and partnership with your book so choose your editor wisely. It’s also an investment so please read their bio, talk to them. Find out their rates (editors charge per page), how many other books they have successfully edited, get references to talk to those authors, even review those authors books.
Get a sample of edits. Some of the best editors I have met have offered to edit a few pages of my book for free or show me edited pieces so I could determine if they would be best for what I needed.
Charging per page is how they make their money. Some editors will offer two rounds of edits some will offer 3 and if you need morethan that then they must charge you more. This will all be in your written contract that you both agree to and sign. Also, in that contract they will have payment methods as well.
After that first round of edits, your editor will send the book back to you and now it’s your turn to take their edits and either do more character development, move things around and then you send it back for round two and sometimes there will be a round three. It’s okay to cry or weep when you see the amount of edits that have been made. (It’s okay)…go through edits page by page and take your time. Don’t freak out!
After your book is completely edited then read through it yourself to see if there are any lingering glitches then you can either give it to your Beta Readers if you haven’t already or take it to the next step of turning your manuscript into a book!
Stay tuned for the next step as we will discuss typesetting, book cover design and more.
Remember...you will be self published. It takes time but in the end you will birth your book! Cheers and thanks for stopping by!
