book editing
Book Writing and Editing: 6 Signs That Your Writing Isn't Finished Yet
November 29, 2007
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by GreenleafBookGroup
Forget all that business about checking a publisher's submission guidelines before you send your manuscript in. The most important consideration when you're preparing to take a project to the next level is whether your work itself is ready, fully conceptualized and mature. Who cares about typeface and font size if the content is half-baked? There's no setting for "masterpiece" on my egg timer, but these guidelines will help you know when to call it done.
1. First of all, how long is it? If your manuscript is ninety-seven pages double-spaced, you're not done yet. If it's a thousand pages single-spaced, you likewise have some work before you. Most trade books have between 160 and 400 pages, but the right number of page depends on the genre you're trying to enter and the purpose of your book. Do a little "market research" at the bookstore and figure out where you stand---you don't have to match the other guys, but they are your competition. If your book is too fat or too thin, it will suffer.
2. Have you covered everything relevant? Here's a test: When you tell people what you're writing about and explain the concept to them, do they ask questions you don't cover in the book? If so, you will probably want to add treatment of these common points before sending your manuscript out into the world. There's no excuse for neglecting aspects of your topic readers want to hear about.
3. Of course, asking what readers want to hear about raises another question: who are your readers? Who is the target audience for your book? If you don't know, you need to. Make sure that your focus isn't too narrow or too wide. For instance, for a business book, "everyone with a job" is too broad an audience; "CEOs of Fortune 500 companies" is too narrow. Once you know who your audience is, list out what they want---and read through the manuscript to make sure you're giving it to them.
4. Is your book really about something---something you can explain? This is the time to make sure you can describe in thirty seconds why your book is different from all the rest, practically helpful, and, of course, a must-read literary tour de force. Seriously, if you can't say what it's about and what it can do for the reader in thirty seconds or in the first page of the introduction, you probably need to refine your focus.
5. Have you gotten a second opinion? Don't ask your mother. Instead, make your most tactless friend read through it, then nag her incessantly until she tells you she quit reading on page 34. Go to page 32 and figure out how to keep her reading. Repeat this process until you have no friends or someone finishes the book and likes it. If you already have no friends, a real live member of your target audience would be even better. You don't have to take any advice you get, but you do have to listen and seriously consider it.
6. Is it neatly typed and formatted with minimal errors? I know I told you to forget the technicalities, but if you've made it this far, you're ready to send it in. Congratulations!
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Technicalities, Schmecnicalities: How to Edit and Polish Your Manuscript
July 25, 2007
by Lari Bishop
You’ve spent hours beautifying your manuscript, preparing it for submission to your publisher or agent—or getting it ready to wow potential publishers and agents. Then you get a note from your editor that everything you’ve done to make it interesting and attractive is killing the editorial and production process. Oops. You cry yourself to sleep on your inspired manuscript pages.
Manuscript preparation is a strange little detail in the publishing world. It’s the bane of authors, editors, and production artists alike. Today the majority of writers are working on computers, not typewriters. They’re working in sophisticated word processing programs, not simple-format software with few options. And as wonderful as these advances are, they’ve caused a bit of confusion and consternation, particularly for the editors and production artists who work with the manuscript down the line. So if you want your manuscript to be publisher-friendly or if you want your submission to be taken seriously, here are a few tips.
If you are already working with a particular publisher, go to that publisher’s website and check out the specific guidelines for final manuscript submission. This will help keep the process smooth right from the beginning and will make sure that all of the editors and designers you’ll be working with don’t resent you.
If you don’t have a publisher yet, use the following guidelines:
- When choosing a font, use 12-point Times or Times New Roman for all of the text, including excerpts, block quotes, etcetera. You may use another font, or a larger or stylized font for headings, but keep the rest of the text simple. It may be boring, but it’s a standard that most publishers use. It helps them convert the manuscript page length into an estimate for the length of the final book.
- Set your line spacing to double-space for the entire manuscript.
- Don't use extra space of blank lines between paragraphs.
- To mark the beginning of a new paragraph, just indent the first line. You can either use a tab or use the paragraph settings to maintain a first-line indentation. Do not use spaces instead of a tab.
- Use 1 inch margins on all sides of the page.
- Don't use double spaces between sentences. A single space is the industry standard.
- If you have titled chapters (not just Chapter 1, Chapter 2), include a table of contents at the beginning of the manuscript.
- Keep all other styling simple. Do not set the elements of the manuscript (headings, chapter openings, etc.) the way you think they should appear in the final book pages. Your book will be designed by a professional designer, and the design work you spent hours creating in the manuscript will be tossed by the wayside.
- When creating tables, use the table creation tool in the word processing program you're using.
- Insert comments in brackets ([ ]) between paragraphs regarding placement of images, graphs, tables, charts, and any other artwork.
For more detailed manuscript guidelines, you can always refer to the ever-enlightening Chicago Manual of Style.
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Shotgun Publication
January 9, 2007
by Clint Greenleaf
Rushing a book to market without understanding all the consequences of your decision is about as bright as marrying someone you meet in Las Vegas after a fifteen-hour drinking binge. Even if the reasons behind the rush seem legitimate, beware of the beer-goggle effect—your book won’t look nearly as attractive when it comes off the press as it does in your head when you’re deciding to skip vital steps in the publication process. There are three areas where rushing will come back to haunt you with particular vengeance:
Editing
Your content has to deliver the goods. Editing isn’t just about making sure your book is free of typos and grammatical errors—it’s the part of the process that focuses on sharpening the reading experience for your customers. If you don’t invest the time and money to have experienced book editors work with your book, success in this industry will be an uphill battle. Don’t try to justify your rush by duping yourself into believing that you can save time-consuming editorial work for the second edition or the next printing. Crappy books don’t go into multiple print runs or second editions. It’s like not showering before a first date and thinking that you can always wash up for the second date—unless you’re meeting the Vegas drunk from the scenario above, there’s no way you’re getting the second date, stinky. It’s worth the delay in your book launch to work with an editor who can help you develop a rock-solid title, unique hooks, a smart structure, and a compelling voice. If you rush the editorial process, you’ll compromise the integrity of your work for short-term gains. Is a goal like having books in time for one event really worth that?
Design and Printing
While powerful marketing, a strong author platform, and compelling content are essential for a book to succeed, production quality is equally important. And yet there are countless articles that downplay the importance of quality, often making the obtuse argument that anyone with Photoshop or InDesign can throw a book together in no time, or that the difference between top quality and bottom quality is negligible due to advances in technology. Both assertions are appalling fallacies. The quality of your design and printing determines what kind of first impression your book will make. Retail buyers, book reviewers, and consumer make gut decisions based on this first impression, so while good quality costs money and takes time, this is not an area in which it is okay to be either cheap or hasty.
Sales and Publicity
Sometimes, we’re at the mercy of others. Pitching your book to retail buyers and media outlets is one of those times. If you want to sell your books in bookstores or other trade outlets like Costco and Wal-Mart, know that it takes almost twelve months to get your books ready for distribution. This time is spent setting up the title in wholesale and retail systems, presenting to buyers, and preparing the logistics for an on-time launch. And there’s similar time sensitivity inherent in a proper publicity campaign. You only have one book launch, and if you don’t get advance review copies to reviewers at least four months prior to publication, your print campaign has virtually no shot at success.
Deciding to produce a book on an abbreviated timeframe may be possible from a purely logistical standpoint, but you shouldn’t rush your book launch unless you’re prepared to have a product that isn’t set up to reach its full potential. So take a breath and slow down. The book of your dreams will wait for you. If you follow the rules and wait too, the launch will be much more special. If you know what I mean.
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