SPA Girls Podcast – EP010 – Editing for Indies

Posted By SPA Girls on Nov 22, 2015 | 0 comments

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Thanks for joining us for episode number 10 of the SPA Girls Podcast! We made it to double digits!

This week we talk about a really important topic for self published authors – editing. What it is, why it’s important, the kind of mistakes that we’ve made along the way, and who you can get to help you through the process.

Congratulations

Remember, before you do anything else celebrate finishing your book! This is a massive achievement and should be acknowledged. So well done you!

Self editing

Some writers like to take time after finishing their book before beginning the editing process. A day or two, some take a week, but when you come back to it you’ll be ready to read it again.

Chances are when you first start out that you’ll be on a budget so if you can take care of some of the editing yourself then that’s a great start. Some writers print the book out at this stage, others put it onto their kindle for this first read through.

Most writers who’ve been writing for a while, understand their own weaknesses, and those are the things that can be worked on in the second draft. Here are a few things to look for-

Word Repetition – do a find on the words you use a lot, you’ll be surprised how many you find.

Comma usage – this can change the way a sentence should read. For example – Let’s eat grandpa, or Let’s eat, grandpa. Correct punctuation can save a person’s life.

Characters – are they all necessary or can two characters be amalgamated?

POV- is the scene written in the write characters point of view?

Flashbacks- are they necessary as sometimes they slow down pace?

Conflict- is it really clear and obvious why there is a problem?

Pacing- is the book filled with description and not much dialogue which slows the book down? Each scene should move the book forward. Watch out for a slow start.

Once you’ve addressed whatever issues you’ve found then think about running it through a spell check or a programme that suits you, there are plenty online to choose from.

Beta Readers

This can be from your mailing list, friends and family, critique group, facebook friends—whoever really. Just someone you trust to give you honest feedback on the book. Generally they’re not going to be experts, so they might be vague and unsure about what they actually liked or disliked. But it will give you a general sense of where to head. Just be aware that some people will tell you they loved it even if they didn’t for fear of hurting your feelings, so make sure they’re prepared to be honest!

What editing do you need to pay for?

We believe that at the very least you should pay for one edit, a final proofreader to make sure you don’t have any grammar and spelling mistakes. You will only get one shot at hooking a reader so they become a fan and will buy your next book. Don’t put out a product that is riddled with errors.

Definitions of different types of editors

Substantive/developmental editor (also sometimes called content edit)

This is where your manuscript is assessed as a whole, with problems to do with the overall plot or structure are analyzed, as well as coherence, logical consistency, and organization. Depending on the editor, it can involve suggested changes at the paragraph level, as well at the sentence level. Substantive and Developmental editors can also be separated out, with the developmental editor working with you from the early stages, before the writing even begins, helping you from the initial idea stage, right through to a finished manuscript. The substantive editor will generally start working with you once you’ve got a completed novel. But these roles can overlap significantly, which is why we’ve put them together. You won’t get a line by line edit, but you will get an overall sense of what you need to fix to make the story flow better and hold together as a book.

Copy editor (also sometimes called line editor)

This is the next level down, and usually involves correcting grammar, spelling, punctuation, style, repetition, word usage, and jargon. They read a manuscript when it’s at a nearly final or final stage.

Proofreader

This is the lightest form of editing, and is usually just a polish on the top of the manuscript to take out the last glaring errors. They will generally only correct errors of grammar and punctuation, capitalization and word usage.

Finding an Editor

Send a sample chapter, and see if you like what they have corrected in your work. Word of mouth is also a great way to find an editor. Kboards has a yellow pages, and there are self-publishing loops like the one Marie Force runs that have discussions on this topic. Use the resources available through RWNZ and RWA too.