The four major stages of book editing

Some authors write a manuscript, intending to self-publish it, but they have very little idea of the processes that a manuscript goes through in order to create a book. Many different editors will have differing names for each process according to the industry and country in which they live and work. However, the stages or phases remain the same.

Developmental editing phase:

Many editors incorporate this stage with content editing. However, a separate developmental phase allows an editor to assess the overall marketability of the manuscript before any other work is done. Will it appeal to its target audience? Are there similar books in the marketplace already? How can the book be tweaked according to the author's point of view?

Many writers feel that this phase is too intrusive, while some authors welcome this as this will guide them from day one as to how much money they can reasonably expect to make and how much money they should invest in the book. Editing is very labour intensive, and therefore to employ a decent editor, it can run into thousands of dollars. You want to be sure that the book will offer a good return on your investment. For other authors who intend to pitch to an agent or publisher, this phase can be extremely helpful.

By the end of this phase, you should end up with a blueprint for a successful book.

Structural editing phase:

Structural editing can sometimes become a part of the developmental editing phase if that is required, but structural editing can also be a standalone phase.

In fiction, the editor will look at the overall plot, the themes and characterisation, the dialogue, whether or not there is too much telling—not showing—and whether scenes need to be deleted, moved or rewritten in a different point of view.

In nonfiction, the process is more about allowing the book to unfold in a logical way so that the reader can easily understand its messages. Therefore, chapters may be moved around, mixed up, pulled apart and put back together again. The editor might also look at the language used and whether or not excessive use of jargon appears. When this stage is finished, the manuscript will be sent back to the author to approve the changes.

Copyediting:

After the author has approved the structural changes or rewritten the scenes and chapters necessary, the editor will then go through the manuscript again and correct grammar and sentence structure. Some of the things that the editor should look at follow:

• subject-predicate separation; subject-verb agreement
• correct verb form; correct tense of the verb
• case of pronouns; clear references to antecedents
• incorrect use of modifiers
• incorrect use of sentence fragments, run-on sentences and commas
• parallel construction of sentences

The editor will also make a decision in conjunction with you as to which style will be referenced and which dictionary will be used for spelling purposes.

Proofreading:

Proofreading occurs after the author has approved the copyediting changes and the manuscript has been placed into the book design template. After this has occurred, the book is typically sent to the editor as a print-ready PDF; however, with the use of Vellum and other online book creation tools, some self-publishing authors skip this step altogether as they feel it is unnecessary.

No matter how good the book design tool is, there will be instances of widows and orphans. There may also be instances where the actual letters in the book have been deleted or changed in the transition process, so it is always a good idea to do the proofreading stage to guard against this and to double check that no errors have been missed in the copyediting stage. I've seen many authors come unstuck because they chose not to do proofreading. If you are serious about your book, don't skip this stage. Once proofreading is done, you can be sure that you've produced an error-free book, worthy of marketing.

As in everything, nothing good comes quickly. If you've written your manuscript, but you're not sure what to do now, contact me with the details, and I'll be happy to provide guidance and a free quote.

Content-rich newsletters and online articles your customers will love.

If your customers are the lifeblood of your business, a newsletter and an online presence is essential. Both newsletters and websites need strong, current content, which build lasting relationships and increase sales.

Many newsletters and online articles have small typographical errors. Most readers will skip over these. However, in the context of business, customers mistrust those who send them poorly written information. These newsletters and articles, which are meant to increase sales, hurt your business.

This is an excerpt from a real newsletter I received recently:

In won't overload you, so just a few powerful tips, one new client tool and a brief training resource each month to keep you informed and inspired.

The typographical error creates a bad first impression; this sentence as a whole suffers from a contraction and a comma-fault (two or more sentences joined with a comma incorrectly); and it contains negative instead of positive terms as well as passive voice. A deeper look at this sentence reveals its overall intention. It tries to grab the reader's attention, but begs for that reader's attention with: 'In won't overload you'.

Tell the newsletter recipient what you will do; they don't want to know what you will not do. While using contractions is an informal way to address others, it might not be the best way to address your clients. Of course, this can depend on the situation. And when the passive voice is used, the customer loses interest in two seconds or less.

I know I can be picky, but this sentence can show the customer that they are in professional hands and you can be trusted.

When I edited out all of this unwanted noise and used a commanding and authoritative tone, I came up with this:

Each month, I will send out powerful tips, a valuable new client tool and a brief training resource designed to inform and inspire.

It says exactly the same thing, but it gives the reader an entirely different impression. You are building a relationship with your customers. As you send them more and more valuable content that creates this kind of impression, they will start to believe they NEED your product and/or service. It is that simple.

Fiddling with grammar is time-consuming and boring, but if you don't get it right, your business will suffer for it. If you don't have the time, please do something about it and use the contact form in the right-hand column. Start a discussion about your business needs today.