Editing 101: Learning to Self-Edit Book Content

You will learn everything you need to know about editing a book. From how much of an edit you need to do, the things that need to be edited, and even the tools you should employ to make your edits successful. In addition, you will learn about what you should do before sending your manuscript away for review to raise the chances of successful publication. This information will better prepare you for your own editing as well as prepare you for the process mentally. Writing a bunch of content is easy, but putting it so it makes sense and will be enjoyable to others is the challenge.

Throughout the lessons, tips, and quotes from the immortals of literature, it will show you that editing, and even rejection, are all part of the journey when you are a successful writer. When you edit a book, you learn more about your characters, your plot, and how they all mesh together. While you edit you may think of a new plot device that will work better for the book, or you may discover that the book would be better suited in a different genre.

The information you will receive is:

1. What editing is and why you should do it
2. Basics of Editing
3. Light, Medium, and Heavy Edits
4. The Editing Process
5. Editors
6. Tools to Utilize in Word
7. 12 Common Writing Mistakes Which Editing Fixes
8. Stepping Back and Putting the Manuscript Away
9. The Finished Product and What Publishers Want

Get the book to start self-editing today… Click Here!

Excerpt:

Light, Medium, and Heavy Edits

Copyediting isn’t the big picture, but it doesn’t require a microscope. You can break it down into three types: heavy, medium, and light copyediting.

• Light copy editing takes the least time and usually involves minor changes to the text. Light copyediting means the writing has little need for improvement. Wordiness is corrected here or there, punctuation or a subject-verb agreement mistake is corrected, or a few sentences are broken up or joined for clarity. Sometimes, light copyediting is what the writer has requested of a freelance editor regardless of actual existing issues. Here, only the most glaring or problematic issues are corrected.
• Medium copyediting comes between light and heavy. Moderate (or average) copy editing takes more time and usually involves restructuring sentences and rephrasing.
• Heavy copy editing takes the most time and usually involves major restructuring and rephrasing at the sentence, paragraph, section, and manuscript levels. Heavy copyediting is the kind that blurs into substantive Editing (you will discover what this is specifically in the next few slides). It can mean almost a complete rewrite at the sentence level. But it could also mean working with a non-native, non-fluent English writer. The content might be fantastic from a developmental perspective, but sentences are cumbersome, paragraphs need better organization, and word choices aren’t the best. And that means heavy copyediting.

Types of Editing

Terms in Editing can be confusing to a new author, especially because the terms are often used interchangeably and may have different meanings within the industry. However, here are the most widely accepted terms and their meanings. When hiring an editor, always speak to him or her about what the Editing includes.

Copyediting

• Copyediting, commonly called line editing, is a light form of Editing that applies a professional polish to a book. The Editor reviews your work, fixing any mechanical errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Copyediting is the least-expensive version of Editing.
• Some professionals divide copyediting and line Editing into two separate edits, copyediting being the lighter, grammar-only edit, and line editing being a more intense look at each sentence’s meaning. Always clarify with your Editor what is included in his or her copyedit to be sure.

Examples:

Light Copy Editing

• Before: “Successful management of subordinates is influenced by accurate communication and initiation of structure. Companies should, therefore, invest more money into training their managers to be better communicators and leaders.”
• After: “Accurate communication and structure initiation influence successful management of subordinates. Therefore, companies should invest more in training managers to be better communicators and leaders.”

Moderate (Average) Copy Editing

• Before: “Leadership significantly changed between 1930 and 1939. It caused managers to revert back to scientific management methods, among others, that treats an underling in a bad way. These underlings either fell in line with the demands of the managers or faced being fired.”
• After: “Leadership changed significantly in the 1930s, causing managers to revert to scientific management methods that treated subordinates poorly. Subordinates either complied with management’s demands or faced dismissal.”

Heavy Copy Editing

• Before: “The data was collected, analyzed as well as interpreted using the exact same methods. This was done to make value from the data to the highest extent. The relations found in the data proved that the variable A has a relation to variable B in a significant way. The relation was negative.”
• After: “To obtain the most from the data, they were collected, analyzed, and interpreted using the same methods. Findings suggest that variable A correlates negatively with variable B.”

Line Editing

Line editing is more than a proofread. At this point in the Editing, you’re almost there! At this stage, you’ve had a beta read, some good feedback from other authors, maybe a developmental edit, and you’ve gone over your draft enough times and need to step away from those pages.

• Line editing is often used interchangeably with the term copyediting. However, when distinguished from copyediting, it refers to a unique edit that falls between copyediting and developmental Editing in intensity. Inline Editing, the Editor looks at your book line by line and analyzes each sentence. The Editor considers word choice and the power and meaning of a sentence. The Editor considers the syntax and whether a sentence needs to be trimmed or tightened. Line editing helps to make your prose sing.
• A line edit addresses the creative content, writing style, and language use at the sentence and paragraph level. But the purpose of a line edit is not to comb your manuscript for errors. Rather, a line edit focuses on the way you use language to communicate your story to the reader. Is your language clear, fluid, and pleasurable to read? Does it convey a sense of atmosphere, emotion, and tone? Do the words you’ve chosen convey a precise meaning, or are you using broad generalizations and clichés?

Examples:

#1

• Before: “She reluctantly handed over her purse, and nervously waited to have it placed back into her hands. She felt a rush of relief as the Security Guard finished his search after 30 seconds and handed it back to her.”
• After: “She was reluctant to hand over her purse, and felt a rush of relief as the Security Guard finished his search and placed it back in to her hands 30 seconds later.”

#2

• Before: “The rising light of the sun was quickly brightening. Dawn was turning into morning. Alex finished reading her copy of the “New York Times” and put the paper down on the table, and then grabbed her iPod and put on Beyoncé’s Crazy in Love and went out for her mourning run.”
• After: “The dawn light brightened, giving way to morning. Alex tossed the “New York Times” onto the table, grabbed her iPod, and then put on Beyoncé’s Crazy in Love as she headed out for her morning run.”

*Notice here, the line editor caught and fixed a couple of technical errors, like the typo on the second use of “morning”. But even more is fixed…

Mechanical Editing

This is not rigorous content or substantive editing, nor does it correct bad flow or composition within the document.  Mechanical Editing is removing embarrassing syntactical, grammatical, and other language errors that would detract from the professionalism of the manuscript.

• Mechanical Editing refers to applying a particular style, such as The Chicago Manual of Style, Associated Press (AP) Style, or The Modern Language Association of America (MLA). The Editor looks at punctuation, capitalization, spelling, abbreviations, and any other style rules. Mechanical Editing is sometimes included in copyediting.
• This Editing retains as much of the author’s content and message as possible to honor the creative messaging in the book.  It may recommend improvements to the content, reordering content to make it more readable, check the formatting of references cited, point out inconsistencies or contradictions within the text, etc. However, the final changes will be up to the author to retain as much of the author’s flow, content, and style as necessary.

Styles

Chicago Style*

• The Chicago Manual of Style—CMoS, or CMS, for short—is the standard in book publishing. It is also commonly used for history and the arts. One of the first American English style guides, it was originally published in 1906 by the University of Chicago Press and has since released updated editions every seven to ten years. CMoS is a comprehensive reference guide for grammar, citation, preparation, and everything between. It’s often called “the editor’s Bible.”

AP Style*

• Not to be confused with APA, The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law (a.k.a. the AP Stylebook, or AP) is published by the Associated Press. This style is used in journalism but is also widespread in marketing, PR, broadcasting, and corporate communications. It was first published in 1953, although the style has been around for about a century. AP is notable for its sparse style, including dropping the Oxford comma and using figures for all numbers above nine. The purpose behind the brevity of style is to save space in print and on the web.

MLA Style*

• The MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing is an academic style guide most commonly used in the liberal arts and humanities in academia, particularly in English studies and literature. The Modern Language Association of America has published this manual since 1985. MLA style is geared toward collegiate and graduate students and professionals. The Modern Language Association also publishes a companion style guide, the MLA Handbook, which is used primarily by secondary and post-secondary students.

Developmental Editing

A manuscript can change substantially; for inexperienced writers, accepting direct and honest feedback can be a difficult experience. Much of what you have spent many weeks, months, or even years writing can be cut, shaped, moved, or heavily criticized.

• The developmental Editor looks deeply at the organization and the strength of a book. Think big picture. The Editor considers everything from pacing to characters, viewpoint, tense, plot, subplots, and dialogue. Weak links are exposed and questioned. The Editor scrutinizes order, flow, and consistency. Developmental Editing considers all the aspects of a manuscript that make the book readable and enjoyable. Because of the extensive nature of this form of Editing, it is more time-intensive and costly. However, it is worth the investment if you are serious about succeeding as an author.
• Good developmental Editing will also remember your target audience and will judge your work concerning professional industry standards and expectations. Only once your manuscript has been cut, reshaped, revised, and developed will it be ready for a copy edit and proofread.
• The Editor asks questions such as:
  • Is this the right number of chapters?
  • Are the chapters and paragraphs in the right order?
  • Are there any places in the book where the pacing lags?
  • Is there a hole in the information or story presented?
  • Are the characters likable?

Heavy/Developmental Editing Sample

Description: This sample showcases the heavy revisions and structural adjustments typical of a developmental edit. A developmental edit differs from a line edit in that the text is heavily rewritten and “developed.” Developmental Editing is best suited for manuscripts in rough conditions. A developmental editor approaches the manuscript on both pragmatic and conceptual levels, revising the text for grammar, syntax, clarity, consistency, general formatting, and flow, and structure, pacing, style, voice, organization, character development, story arc, and audience.

*Note: Upon completion of the editing process, the client will receive two versions of the manuscript: a final “clean” document and a marked-up file (as shown below) that displays the changes and revisions made to the manuscript. 

Substantive Editing

Substantive Editing is almost entirely analysis-based, whether at the document level or at the paragraph, sentence, or word level. Decisions require judgment, not just the application of rules, and therefore should be negotiable with the writer.

• Substantive Editing considers a work’s organization and presentation. It involves tightening and clarifying at a chapter, scene, paragraph, and sentence level. Unlike developmental Editing, which covers the big-picture issues and deep-level restructuring, substantive Editing deals with the actual prose. Substantive Editing is sometimes called line editing and can also be confused with developmental Editing. Always check with your Editor and put in writing what his or her services cover, regardless of the term used.

Example

See how in the revised version, there is more clarity in what is being said. They have tightened up the paragraph to make it less wordy. It has a better flow, direction, and organization to it. Someone would prefer to read this than the original.