You have an idea. You write a book. You publish a book. Hooray!

But. . . there’s a step missing. A step that will ensure your book is professional. A step that will keep, rather than turn away, readers.

Editing.

Maybe you think I’m crazy for suggesting that someone would skip this step. If so, I’m very glad that you would never do this, because the reality is all too many authors are blind to their own errors. They think they can churn out a perfect book first try. Or, they might just be so new to publishing and/or so eager to get their book into the world that they don’t think about editing. As an editor and book reviewer, I see books that are almost incomprehensible much more often than you’d think!

Your book will need different levels of editing depending on your skill/knowledge, genre, and the execution of your draft. But before you even think about hiring an editor, there’s an important step you must take first: self-editing.

Why Self-Edit?

I get it. What’s the point in editing your own work when a pro is going to edit it, anyway? Here are a few reasons I always suggest that potential clients do a round of self-editing before handing their work over to me:

• Cheaper editing costs. The cleaner the manuscript, the cheaper the cost. If an editor looks over your book and notices that it’s fairly clean, needing just a few tweaks here and there, they’ll charge you much less than if they open up page one and see it’s riddled with errors.
• Give the editor direction. When you do the first round of editing, it gives you an idea of which parts of the book need the most help. Then, when you hand the manuscript over to the editor, you can tell them specific scenes or elements that you’d like to be bolstered and/or looked over.
• Become a better writer. When you practise self-editing, you learn how to more effectively use words and structure sentences. You also learn what your bad writing habits are. In short, you learn a lot! Knowing how to edit your own work can only help you write better as you move forward.

How to Self-Edit

Just like the writing process, the editing process will vary from person to person. However, most people find it beneficial to do editing in stages. Instead of fixing all errors at once, focus on one type at a time to catch more mistakes and feel less overwhelmed.

Developmental Editing

It’s best if your story is solidified before the self-editing phase, but nobody’s perfect! Before you dive into editing, make sure you do any essential rewrites or tweaks to the story first.

Clarity, Coherence, and Consistency

In this step, you’re focusing on paragraphs and sentences. Do they flow? Are sentences varied? Do they make sense? Are paragraphs grouped correctly? Does the writing style remain the same throughout?

Trimming

Once your sentences and paragraphs are in order, hone in on your sentences. What can you cut? It’s best to be as concise as possible to convey your points well. See how you can trim unnecessary words, sentences, paragraphs, or even scenes from your book.

Proofreading

Now that you have your writing mostly set, it’s time to check for details. This includes spelling, punctuation, and grammar. A grammar checker like Grammarly or ProWritingAid (which is on sale this week!) can help with this, but don’t rely on it too much.

Don’t forget that even after these steps, it’s essential to hire a pro editor. I’ve seen too many error-riddled manuscripts go to print, and the author is soon humiliated by bad reviews. I don’t want this to be you. Remember, if you learn how to self-edit well, you’ll pay an editor even less!

Edit Your Heart Out

Although self-editing can be time-consuming, it helps maintain story quality, improve writing skills, and manage self-publishing costs. Don’t go on without it!

Need more guidance on self-editing? Looking to partner with an editor who has 100% client satisfaction? Look no further than my services!

Happy writing!
—E.J.

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Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash