Clean means it will have a minimum of spelling and grammatical errors. I will also try to make sure it is formatted in the manner my publisher likes it. Many small publishers operate on thin budgets and the less work I cause them, the quicker they will get my book ready to put in the lineup for release.
Editing is work for me, even more so than writing a first draft. I do best when I do this last read through with few interruptions. I will spend hours on it and every hour I'm away from it I'll be thinking about it.
I'm not an editing expert but there are lots of places to go where experts have shared their experience with the rest of us. Just goggle editing tips. Here's one I read over before starting a new edit.
Sometimes editing can be overwhelming so never hesitate to ask for advice. If you have critique partners and alpha or beta readers they are invaluable but when it comes to the end, you must take the responsibility for getting it all right.
On the other hand, I enjoy the editing experiences I've had with New Concepts Publishing and Crescent Moon Press. It will be a relief to hand it all over to the professionals.
Do you keep editing tips by your side when you're working on revision? Any favorites that you turn to again and again? Ever have a bad experience with an editor?
13 comments:
Good luck with the editing. I'm glad you're taking the time to make the life of your editor easier. I just edited 24 short stories and some of them were really, well, let's say hard work.
‹ Nico @ Leaf ♦ Pub ›
I do keep my Chicago Manual of Style nearby.
I don't think I've ever had a bad experience with an editor. But once I had an editor whose work ethic didn't mesh with mine.
I don't think she was very good at time management and that annoyed the heck out of me.
Susan, I admire you for taking on the editing stage yourself. I have an editor because I cannot do it myself. Fortunately, we work really well together.
Good luck to you!
I enjoy the editing stage! Yes, I'm odd that way.
I still haven't made it to this editing stage. It sounds like a good place to be despite the work involved. Good luck!
Lee
Tossing It Out
I haven't gotten there yet. However, it sounds like you are in The Zone. :)
I'm grateful for good editors. The process can be grueling but it's always worth it.
I sometimes refer back to the style guidelines of the publisher if I need to.
Good luck with your revisions!
I make several passes with very specific goals in mind on each pass. So yeah, I'm always reviewing my particular weaknesses (like using THAT when I should be using WHO).
My worst experience with an editor was when my publisher handed me off in August of 2012...and the editor never finished. The publisher is going out of business, and I never got his edits a year later.
I can't say I'm gifted at it, but I don't mind the editing process. Like you, when I write articles, I try to send it as closely to the specifications an editor wants as possible. I figure the less work I create for them, the better chances I have of publishing again with them.
One thing that works really well for me for my final edit is to send it to my kindle and read off of that. For some reason I pick up on all the mistakes on the kindle that I missed on my computer. I have my computer open alongside as I go, and fix what needs fixing.
i hope all your hard work pays off!!
Congrats on the final edit Susan. All the best with your new work!
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