Today's Friday Focus is about self publishing and editing. Our thanks go to Wendy Scott, an award winning author from New Zealand, who has a lot of experience in this sphere. I know I'm going to read this post and see what tips I can pick up. Thanks Wendy.
Tips for Self-Publishing Authors - Get Your Book Professionally
Edited
My number one piece of advice for all indie-authors is - do not skimp
on the editing.
Do not add to the mountainous slush pile of poorly edited indie
books that litter the literary horizon, and sully the indie brand.
Please don’t insult your readers by offering a sub-standard read.
The excuse ‘I couldn’t afford an editor’ isn’t good enough. If you can’t afford
to get it edited, then don’t release it into the public arena.
Editing is more than a quick computer spellcheck or a quick
read-over by a friend. Friends and family members are unlikely to want to upset
you by pointing out oddities within your manuscript. Many authors aren’t open
to criticism, no matter how constructive, and become extremely defensive.
A structural edit by a skilled editor will add polish and
cohesiveness to your story. Their review should cover: consistency, logical
story flow, pacing, characterisation, POV (point of view), passive sections, dialogue,
repetition, and any genre-specific elements. The punctuation and spellchecking
comes last.
Here’s the process I follow for a full length novel.
1.
Outline - so I know how the story starts and ends (although any
ideas are fluid and can change as the story develops).
2.
First ‘crappy’ draft (I don’t censor myself at all – basically I
regurgitate words onto the page). Within the first draft I keep moving forward
and jot down notes for any gaps I need to fill in later.
3.
I may do 10-20 passes before I’m satisfied that I have a good
enough “first draft” to send to a structural editor. Sometimes I leave the
manuscript to sit for a while so that I can review it with a fresher
prospective.
4.
It’s important to connect with an editor who is familiar with the
genre you are writing in, and has a proven track record. Their job is to
enhance your author voice and coax the best story out of you – not rewrite it
in their voice.
5.
After a structural edit your once pristine manuscript is likely to
be covered in so much red ink it looks like a CSI lab prop. Entire sections may
require a significant rewrite. Don’t despair, but work your way through the
issues, and try to learn from them so you can make your next manuscript cleaner.
6.
Depending on how much rewriting is involved, there will be some
passes back and forth between you the editor. Make sure you are crystal clear
on the terms and conditions you’ve negotiated with the editor as you don’t want
editing costs to spiral out of control if you are paying by the hour (strongly
suggest you get a fixed quote based on word count).
7.
The last edit is for spelling and grammar. There’s no point doing
this earlier as entire sections may end up being culled from the story. My
skill set does not include being an ‘editor’ so I’m reliant on the editors I
choose. Luckily, I’ve connected with some awesomely talented editors. Note:
there are different schools of style, and editors may not agree with each
other. The key within your book is be consistent with whichever editing style
is applied.
8.
When my manuscript is at the stage where all the fiddling is
around where the commas go – it is time to move on.
9.
Beta readers are invaluable for finding oddities like missing
words, extra words, wrong words, typos (pesky little varmints!!!), inconsistencies,
stray speech marks, or how a character’s eye colour has changed between page
twenty and eighty. An author is too close to their work and can miss the
mistakes. It’s amazing how several different beta readers will pick up
different mistakes. They may pick up on some bigger issues which may require a
substantial rewrite and re-edit. Remember, be true to your unique author voice,
there may be some suggestions, which you make a conscious choice not to
include.
10. Format into a
novel (eBook and/or print).
11. Next step is
the proof-readers (I recommend) at least two before you publish. The more
scrutiny the better.
12. Seek reviews
(independent honest reviews). There are many genre-specific book blogging sites
(some are paid). Independent validations of your work is crucial to help convince
readers to take a chance on your book.
13. Readers’
Favorite offer a review service – if your book scores a 5* review, it’s awarded
a Readers’ Favorite digital seal for your website and a high resolution version
for your book cover.
Readers’ Favorite also runs an annual International Book Award
Contest.
14. The annual
Wishing Shelf Awards UK offers feedback from the readers (invaluable!!!).
The children’s books I’ve entered have been read and reviewed by
students from several UK schools and their teachers. They mark and judge on the
cover, plot, and editing, and if you take the option you can receive a summary
of their comments, plus the Wishing Shelf will post a review on Amazon and
Goodreads.
15. BooksGoSocial
offer a paid service for Quality Marks (Gold, Silver, Bronze) – dependent on
your books’ score, and are individually numbered. Your book is analysed by an
editing software programme and by a human assessor. You also receive an
in-depth report on the strengths and weaknesses within your manuscript.
A poorly edited book is unlikely to win awards or receive great
independent reviews or editorials that will encourage new readers to buy your
book. Take the time and fully edit so your finished book is a delight to read,
and of such high quality that readers will recommend it to others.
About the author
Wendy Scott
has a New Zealand Certificate in Science (Chemistry), which allows her to
dabble with fuming potions and strange substances, satisfying her inner witch.
Wendy writes
fantasy and children’s novels.
One of the
creeds she lives by is to always – Live a life less ordinary!
Gold Medal
Winner: The Wishing Shelf Book Awards UK 2015
Silver Medal
Winner: International Readers’ Favorite Book Awards 2016
Blue Treat
Award: RRBC KCT International Literary Book Awards 2017 & 2018
Finalist: The
Wishing Shelf Book Awards UK 2016 & 2017
Gold Quality
Marks: BooksGoSocial 2017
Finalist:
Book Excellence Awards 2018
Please visit www.wendyjscott.com
to learn more, read Wendy’s blog, sign up for her newsletter, or to leave her a
message. She loves hearing from readers.
Pen Names
Fantasy ~
Wendy Scott https://www.amazon.com/Wendy-Scott/e/B009B1N8NA/
Children’s ~
WJ Scott https://www.amazon.com/WJ-Scott/e/B00MGDXQ8C
Other
(Romance/Paranormal) ~ Wendy Jayne https://www.amazon.com/Wendy-Jayne/e/B07F3M3KF2
1 comment:
Hi Sue,
Thanks for inviting me onto your blog.
Happy Writing,
Wendy
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