Why it is Important to Have Your Manuscript Professionally Proofed and Edited
Your manuscript is finished and you have chosen the perfect title. Now, you’re ready to send it off to the publisher … right? Not so fast. You’ve written a great book and you’ve read your manuscript over and over so many times, you practically have it memorized. You’ve poured your heart and soul into those pages and checked every page for mistakes many times, so the manuscript has to be free of errors … right? Wrong.
It’s time to have a second set of trusted, professional eyes read your book. The best writers hire not only proofreaders to check for grammatical errors and typos, but they also hire an editor who looks for ways that the text can be improved and researches terms and style rules to ensure the writer has been consistent and accurate throughout the manuscript.
Who Should I Hire to Proofread My Manuscript?
While writing both of my books, I emailed each initial essay draft to a former co-worker who is highly skilled in catching errors I never see. She would make her corrections via the tracking function in Word, email me back the essay, and I would implement the changes. When the book was completed in its entirety, I printed out a hard copy and delivered it to her. On this copy, she marked her changes in red and returned it to me. As someone who proofreads other writers’ work on occasion, I find that proofreading on screen works fine, but proofreading a printed copy will often catch even more errors. If you do not have a friend like I did who is truly capable of finding mistakes, then call your local college, find an English major who is interested in tackling the project, and pay them either per page or by the hour.
How Do I Find a Reputable Editor?
After your book has been proofread and all obvious typos and grammatical errors corrected, then it’s time to find a reputable editor who will ensure your manuscript is of the highest quality before you send it off to a publisher. I do not recommend using a friend or family member who has no professional training or editing experience to take on this important task for you. Always use a professional, reputable editor who is respected within the publishing community.
It is important to note that there are different types of editors for different types of books. A non-fiction editor is trained in editing books such as self-help, how-to, or humor. A fiction editor is skilled in fine-tuning romance, mystery, and sci-fi novels.
I met my editor through a writer’s group that meets monthly in my city. She and I became professional acquaintances long before my second book was completed and I knew of her excellent reputation. She was upfront with me in telling me that she edited non-fiction books only. It was important for me to also know her on a personal level since my book was comprised of humorous essays and I felt it was vital that she had the opportunity to get to know and understand my personality and sense of humor before she edited my book. Before she began editing, she told me, “You own this book. I will be making suggestions only – what you do with them is up to you.” As a result, we got along fabulously and I ended up making 99% of her recommendations. In the end, when I sent my book to the publisher, I felt that I had a high-quality manuscript that was free of errors.
If you are unsure where to find an editor, ask another writer, pose a question on an on-line discussion board for writers, or reference Writer’s Market at your local library. Once you connect with an editor you like, ask the editor to do a sample edit of 3-5 pages of your manuscript. This will give you a chance to see the editor’s work and determine if you two will work well together.
Final Thoughts
If you think about all the time and effort you have put into your book up to this point and how mortifying it would be to publish a book that is not up to the same standards as all the other books on the shelf next to yours, then the time and effort you put forth to ensure that your manuscript is of the highest quality will be worth it.
Read more about Vicky at http://www.wackywomanhood.com/.
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1 comment:
HiVicky,
I find most of your comments and recommedations very worhtly. My concern is as a first time author am I writing gibber or am I playing at writing. The subject matter of the book in progress is a ture story of my granddaughter being made an orphan at the age of 3 her grandparents on her fathers side "robbing" the grave and starting an unhole war to keep the child. And in keeping the child they are systematically ostracizing the child in an attempt to cover up the theft of a lot of money. The grandfather for example is a socopath the wife a sycophant and their surviving son a today.The case at hand is still going through the courts (that's over two and a half years of expensive lawyers that never seem to be in a hurry.I've recorded it form day one so to speck as has one on my son-inlaws who is fighting this nutter in court for parental wright.I as the other grandparent(s) are going to court to fight for our wright to see the child. My big question to you is there a book there or due to legal reasons it might not hit the market? If you feel that there is a book there could you reccommend someone to assist me?
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