Based on some of your comments and conversations I’ve had with people lately, I want to write more posts about self-publishing. I know there are a lot of self-published writers who read this blog and I want to bring you more specific content.

So today, let’s talk about editing. This isn’t the first time I’ve touched on the topic, especially as I’m an editor myself, but I want to take you through a quick overview of what the entire editing process looks like from start to finish.

“Does my book need editing?”

Yes. No matter what excuse you come up with, you still must edit your work. It doesn’t matter if you write the cleanest rough drafts in the world—you still need to edit.

Good editing will make your book stand out, especially if you’re self-publishing. But it’s not just a “one and done” deal; there’s a lot that goes into editing, so let’s take a look at the 10 editing steps you need to take from rough draft to publication.

Step 1: The read-through

As the name suggests, this is where you read through your rough draft to get an idea of the work to be done. I like to take notes as I’m reading, but you can also do a read-through without notes first if you want to.

Step 2: The list

Now, you have an enormous list of editing chores. It may seem overwhelming, but that’s why it’s best to categorise the to-do list and break it down. Personally, I like to use Savannah Gilbo’s four levels of editing: story, scene, page, and sentence.

Step 3: Timeline

Now that you’ve got your work cut out for you, it’s time to make a timeline for your editing process from start to finish (so Step 1 to Step 10. It’s best to do it at this part of the process, but you’ll need to read the rest of the post to get a good picture of the steps ahead). Remember to use the SMART goals format!

Step 4: Self-edit

Time to actually edit! I’m majorly generalising here, but this is where you edit your book based on your to-do list. Make sure to stick to your timeline goals as best as you can! I’m not going into detail here because it’s an entire post of its own, but if people seem interested in this topic, I’ll cover actual editing in detail in another post!

Step 5: Beta readers

Before you declare your book finished, you need to get some feedback. Reach out to family, friends, bloggers (like me!), or anyone who will give you an honest opinion of your book.

Step 6: Revise based on feedback

Learning which feedback to reject and which to keep is a whole other post, but the important part of this step is doing some revising based on your beta readers’ feedback. And don’t forget to then edit what you revised!

Step 7: Get an editor

Look, I’ll be honest: good editors are not cheap. Many new and/or self-published writers don’t have the funds to afford one. But, that doesn’t mean all hope is lost! While you should absolutely get an editor for your book, even if you’re an expert at self-editing, there are some cheaper alternatives out there.

Grammar checkers are great assistants for self-editing. After that, ask people you know! You’d be surprised by how many people do some kind of editing as their job, or are at least grammar-minded (think a teacher or professor). Chances are, someone you know will be happy to edit your book for cheap or even free (but always, always offer to pay whatever you can!). For example, my aunt, who does academic copyediting, was kind enough to edit my first book for me.

Step 8: Proofread

Don’t skip this step! Whether you or your editor are the proofreader, this is a critical step to ensure your book is as error-free as possible.

Step 9: Final read-through

This is it! Time to do a final read-through after all the editing and proofreading is done. Make any final changes as needed.

Step 10: Add the details and publish

The editing process is done! Now, it’s time to focus more on marketing, formatting, book cover, and all the other lovely details of putting a book together before you publish.

So there you have it: the editing process in a nutshell. If you’re interested in knowing more about an individual step, let me know and I can do a more detailed post!

Happy writing!
-E.J.

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