Before Sending Your Book to an Editor
Make These Important Self-Edits
With one single word I failed my very first college English paper. The year was 1995, and my first English class was early in the morning at the start of my week. Having always loved school, especially the arts and English courses, I was ecstatic about researching and essay writing again. So when the instructor assigned the class our first paper, I worked diligently to not only finish the assignment by the deadline but to pen a captivating story that would capture her attention and demonstrate my creative writing skills.
I demonstrated them, all right.
My skin prickled as the instructor announced my name, my arm darting high into the air so she could pass the paper to me. Without a beat, as soon as I brought the document into focus my cheeks blanched and my stomach sank. Three red marks bled onto the page: a heavily circled F, an oval-shaped ring drawn around a single word, conversate, and a scribbled note.
Conversate is NOT a word.
To be clear, while conversate is not a standard word, it is considered slang or dialectal, and the word was actually entered into the dictionary in 2016. This wasn’t the case, however, in 1995, and First-Year Mandy hadn’t known the difference. I hadn’t realized I could use the word in a novel but not in a college paper. So often I’d heard the word batted around between my peers and in conversations back home that I thought it was, in fact, standard. Heck, even the Notorious B.I.G. used conversate in one of his most popular (my favorite) songs, Big Poppa. To avoid violating copyright laws, I will let you search for the lyrics. You’ll see the culprit.
Now, Biggie Smalls was not at fault for causing me to fail my first English paper, I was. Even back in 1995 there were spelling checkers in place, and before submitting my paper I clearly had not utilized the tool. And that’s the moral of this story: had I been more careful and thorough with my self-edits, I might have aced my paper and would have no purpose for sharing this memory with you today.
In Part 9 of my #NaNoWriMo* Support Series, I’m concluding my novel writing offerings with a resource designed to help you during the second draft phase. After the first draft, you’ll spend time molding and kneading your sentences and ideas into scenes that jump off the pages. Once you’re finished with your second draft, BEFORE self-publishing or querying literary agents, you’ll need to send your book to an editor.
First things first: invest in an editor
I wish nothing more than for every aspiring author to achieve their publishing dreams. Getting there, however, can feel like a weighted uphill climb. That’s why I’ve developed the resource I’m giving you today: to help make the editing process a little easier to navigate. After you’ve done your work, however, there will still be plenty of unseen adjustments, so I wholeheartedly recommend saving what you can, a little at a time when you can, and then hiring out an affordable, reputable professional.
Let another set of eyes have a look; they will see small things that have gone unnoticed by your eyes alone. It’s normal to miss extra words, spelling errors, and other oopsies—our eyes become comfortable, and our brains are wired to skip over and fill-in gaps.
Then why is self-editing important?
Self-editing is important because you’ll want to deliver to your editor the most polished version of your first draft manuscript possible. Otherwise, some editors charge per edit, which means the more work they have to do, the higher the cost. Similarly, some editors charge by the hour, so the cleaner your manuscript, the sooner you’ll have it back and ready for agent-pitching or self-publishing.
Now, for those of you who are thinking, “Yeah, but is hiring an editor really worth it? What if I’m really good and make all the corrections myself?” I hear you. And I have no doubt that you are an excellent writer and stay on top of your Ps and Qs. Nevertheless, prior to self-publishing, please allow someone you trust to provide feedback. I promise you won’t regret it! And I’m sure you don’t want to compromise your integrity by publishing a book that isn’t as refined as you’d expect.
Before you move forward
with your novel writing endeavors, I’d like to gift you with my Self-Edits Tool Kit: 11 Self-Edits to Make Before Sending Your Book to an Editor. You will find this tool kit packed with a myriad of considerations, but please also use a spelling and grammar checker, such as the one built into MS Word or Grammarly, a free (and ethical) AI writing assistance tool.
Download your Self-Edits Tool Kit by clicking/tapping the button or image below.
That’s a Wrap!
I hope you’ve found value in this #NaNoWriMo Support Series and the tools and resources I’ve shared with you come in handy when you need them. If you have any questions or closing comments, please tap/click the button below, and you can always email me at mandy@haintbluecreative.com.
I’ve also included the full #NaNoWriMo Support Series list below for easy navigation to the parts you might have missed or simply want to revisit.
Full #NaNoWriMo Support Series
Part 1 - Reclaiming NaNoWriMo: A Novel Writing Support Series
Part 2 – So, You Have a Novel Idea... But You Have NO IDEA What to Do With It
Part 3 – Size and Labels Matter... in Storytelling: Choosing a Type and Genre for Your Story Idea
Part 6 – What in the World-Building? Important Considerations While Designing Your Story
Part 7 – Outline Your Book with the Tarot and the Save the Cat! Storytelling Method
Part 8 – Write All Over the Place: A Nonlinear Method for Writing a Linear Storyline
Part 9 – You’re reading it now!
About Mandy
Amanda “Mandy” Hughes is an author and instructional designer who uses the tarot to inspire storytelling. Her book Mystic Storyteller: A Writer’s Guide to Using the Tarot for Creative Inspiration and companion tarot deck are coming soon! She also writes fiction under pen names A. Lee Hughes and Mandy Lee. Mandy lives in Georgia with her husband and four sons, two of whom are furrier than the others (but not by much). Visit her website at www.haintbluecreative.com and follow her on Instagram @HaintBlueCreative.