Welcome to our guide on becoming a published author. So you ve made it through the actual writing process, and you have a completed first draft. Excellent! While this is, without a doubt, the hardest part, the next few stages can be very challenging too, especially for first-time authors. But don t worry we re here to coach you and provide you with the knowledge and momentum you need to get your book to the publishing stage. The steps we are going to walk you through involve the entire editing process, as well as choosing the design and formatting for your book. The objective here is to have all aspects settled before you move on to publication so that the process goes smoothly and you get your book into your hands and your readers hands in the shortest amount of time possible. These steps will be applicable and beneficial whether you ve written a novel or textbook, graphic novel or poetry collection, children s book or autobiography. The editing process gets your manuscript in shape for publication. Let s have a look at the main types of editing: PROOFREADING focuses on punctuation, grammar, spelling, and the use of tenses and prepositions. It requires a sharp eye and attention to detail and is nonconceptual. Because of this, proofreading usually takes place toward the end of the editing process, after any conceptual changes to the story have taken place. LINE EDITING involves a bit more finesse as it focuses on the word choice and sentence structure. A key part of line editing is examining the flow of sentences and the efficiency of the writing style. That is, line editing will be responsible for removing redundancies and repetitions. The objective of line editing is to make the book more readable. As with proofreading, it is nonconceptual. COPYEDITING is very similar to line editing and goes a step further in that it aims to make the writing sound or read better. This especially applies to changing words, moving paragraphs, and altering sentence structures throughout the text. SUBSTANTIVE (OR DEVELOPMENTAL) editing deals with concepts, themes, and other large elements of the story, such as characters and settings. This is very subjective, and for now, we will assume that you have decided on these aspects and are moving forward with the general content of your manuscript.
The Editing Process So we ve defined the types of editing. Here s how and when to apply them: PHASE I: Your first step in the editing process is to sit back and start reading your manuscript, ignoring punctuation and other grammatical aspects and paying attention to larger problems or inconsistencies. There may be a paragraph missing, a chapter that has not been finished, etc. This phase is often the most difficult because you may have to do some more writing! PHASE II: If you re working with a printed copy of your manuscript, here s where you sit with a red pen and look for errors (alternately, if you re editing on your computer, turn on the Track Changes function of your word processor.) This is the proofreading stage. While the Spell Check function has expanded to look for incomplete sentences and duplications of words, treat its suggestions as just that suggestions. There are innumerable instances of this function falling short, and the only way to accomplish a thorough edit is to read the text with human eyes. Some things to look for include the following: Quotation marks: these may have been forgotten or misplaced Commas used as periods or vice versa Sentences missing a word, especially a connecting word like as in such as Misspelling the characters names (Spell Check will not pick this up) or other proper nouns Misuse of contractions and possessives, particularly their/there/they re and its/it s PHASE III: Having made quite a few changes, your text is now (hopefully!) free from distracting technical errors, and you can focus on its readability. This is the line editing stage. Things to look for now are the following: Overuse of the same word (usually a verb or adjective) Sentence fragments: incomplete sentences might be part of your writing style, but make sure that sentences that are supposed to be complete actually are. Using the wrong character s name in a scene. Yes, it happens! PHASE IV: Now you get to sit back in a more leisurely fashion and read through your manuscript, which should be totally free from mechanical errors. This is the copyediting stage, and you can use your judgment and taste to decide what reads well and what doesn t. If you ve written a graphic novel, is there a good balance of art and text? In short, it s your chance to be picky, though be careful not to cross the line into perfectionism, or else you ll never publish your book! PHASE V: Finally, reread your manuscript as if you were a reader who has bought the book. Alternatively, ask for an objective opinion (as explained in the next section.) Is your book for children? Make sure some of your test readers are the age group of your targeted readers. They ll help you determine if the vocabulary and word count are appropriate.
Asking For an Objective Opinion When you feel comfortable with your manuscript, ask a friend to give it a read. You may want to make sure it is someone who will be objective with you and won t be afraid of hurting your feelings. Some important feedback to solicit include the following: Is the first page (and the first line) engaging? Is there at least one main character that is likeable or attracts the reader in some way? Is there a flow to the language? Are any scenes too long? Cover Design The old saying You can t judge a book by its cover sounds logical, doesn t it? Unfortunately, a book s cover is a major factor in the decision making of a potential buyer. Like it or not, your cover has to be eye-catching to those who might see it for less than a second as they scan a bookshelf. Here are six critical tips to keep in mind during cover design: First, look at other covers in your genre. Think about what will make yours stand out. Is your title big and easy to read? Avoid overly stylistic fonts that might make your book look amateurish or difficult to read. Look at your cover as a thumbnail-sized image. Remember, there s a good chance that potential readers will see your book online. When your cover isn t much bigger than a postage stamp, is it still readable? Is it still effective? Make sure your cover has a focus. Don t try to incorporate too many story elements into the cover. This can work for movie posters but seldom works for book covers. Ask friends and readers of your genre for their opinions. You will probably find that most people give you fairly direct feedback on this. Book covers tend to generate rather immediate responses. Finally, unless you re a professional graphic designer (with experience designing book covers in particular), strongly consider hiring one. As with a good editor, any money spent on a cover design will not be wasted.
Formatting The goal of formatting is to make the interior text as easy on your readers eyes as possible. How many times have you picked up a book in a bookstore and decided that the text was too small or that the page just looked like a swamp of words? FONTS: We suggest choosing a font that is very readable and not distracting. While your novel may have a Gothic theme, this does not mean it requires a Gothic font. Your font should allow your reader to comfortably browse through your book. SPATIAL FORMATTING: Review the amount of blank page (known as white space) compared to the amount of black text on the page. If your pages contain too much white space, readers may become disengaged. Similarly, if the page contains too much text, it will overwhelm readers. PARAGRAPH LENGTH: Naturally, this is a subjective area, but bear in mind that modern readers generally do not appreciate the lengthy paragraphs found in Gibbon or Dickens. A maximum of ten sentences per paragraph is advisable. The Final Step: Contact a Publisher! Speak with a publishing consultant today to discuss your book, your goals, and to ask any questions you might have. Don t let your manuscript sit in a drawer (or on a hard drive) gathering dust. It s time to share your story with the world!