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If you have decided to share your writing with the world in a self-published book available on Amazon.com and other Internet sites, you need to give some serious thought to editing. As a reviewer of books by unknown or little-known authors, I occasionally encounter the kinds of writing errors that make a former English teacher cringe: “he would lay next to me,” “she ate good,” and many others, appearing not just once but many times in a single short book. Since I sometimes find such errors in books with many good qualities, they present a dilemma for me: do I shatter an inexperienced writer’s confidence by writing a negative or lukewarm review, or no review at all, or can I help in some way? Since I’m not an influential big-media reviewer (my reviews usually appear in my blogs and on Amazon.com), I don’t worry about causing major psychological or financial harm. Still, I often find my dual roles as advocate of writing and book reviewer in conflict. This conflict has led me to think about editing and editors: self-editing and proofreading, copy editing, and content editing. Self-editing, to quote from my own book Seniorwriting, involves “making your ideas clearer, getting rid of as many writing errors as possible, and finally, proofreading more than once.” Obviously this is important for
Copy Editing: Once beyond the necessary self-editing and proofreading, you may need to consider copy editing. Infinity Publishing describes it this way in its free guide, Become a Published Author: “Utilizing the copyediting service will not change the style, flow, character usage, or story line of your book. Your unique approach and style will be preserved, as this service does not provide developmental or substantive editing.” Infinity charges a penny per word for this service. Some copy editors charge more, others less. I’ve come to believe that the author who makes mistakes like those mentioned in my first paragraph needs a copy editor, whether amateur or professional. Content Editing, on the other hand, may involve “style, flow, character usage, or story line,” among other things a copy editor does not deal with. Especially in fiction, it may involve adding a catchy beginning, rearranging paragraphs, even eliminating minor characters. This is the kind of editing that frightens some authors, especially non-fiction authors like me (although I’ve had no personal experience with it). On the other hand, some fiction writers credit a good editor with their success. At the very least, you need to consider how much change you’re willing to accept and to ask how much, if any, control you have over the final outcome, especially if you sign a publishing contract. Here, as elsewhere, it’s always important to read the fine print. Content editing may ultimately be good for your pocketbook, if not for your ego. Here is my advice for inexperienced writers, especially writers of non-fictional life stories: 1. Follow my previous advice: just write naturally, without fear of errors. Let your thoughts flow. Tell your stories. 2. Be sure to do your best at self-editing and proofreading. Consult a dictionary and a grammar book. Use computer spelling and grammar checkers even if you think you don’t need them, but don’t accept automatic corrections you don’t understand. 3. Get an informed opinion on your writing from another writer or a competent English teacher who has published some writing herself/himself. It’s seldom safe to trust the judgment of friends and relatives who love you and put encouragement above all, or who may not recognize writing errors themselves. Don’t let a reviewer be the first to tell you that your work needs editing. The need for copy editing does not mean that your work has no value. 4. Remember that the main rewards of writing are usually in the writing itself and the appreciation of family and friends rather than in the marketplace. Thanks to computers, you can self-publish and distribute your work through the various methods I have discussed in previous columns without worrying about sales or public acceptance. 5. On the other hand, if you have enough faith and confidence in your book to believe that it will be of interest to the world at large, or if money is no problem, find or hire a copy editor and/or a content editor. Never be afraid to write, but be sure that you book does not fail on the basis of poor, incorrect writing. Helpful Additional Article: |
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