editing

Proofreading after an edit

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Proof

It’s such a funny word on its own… 😀

As I’ve documented in the past, I’m a large proponent of having your work professionally edited. The level of quality it can bring to your work is invaluable. That being said, it’s not as simple as handing off your work, getting it back, and then uploading to Kindle and clicking publish.

My revisions after receiving my second read back from my editor took over a week. My editor used track changes and I had to assess each and every one. Most were simple for me to accept. Some, I understood her change, but didn’t wholeheartedly agree (it’s ok to disagree with your editor… sometimes). Plus, she had called out instances that required changes to the story (nothing major on the second read, but still requiring some work).

When I was done, I sent the file off to be formatted. When the mobi file came back from the formatter, they requested I review it in the free Kindle reader app. This way I could see what it would look like on various Kindle readers. I read through it and found an error in Chapter 2. And error? After sending it to an editor? Inconcievable, you say? Nah. I edited for 12+ years. Everyone misses something. Everyone. And, taking a look at the error, it could very well have been due to me accepting one change and not another. I later found a place where two words had run together. Again, probably something that was introduced with Track Changes. Mistakes happen.

I guess the point of all this is that, even after an editor has gone through your book, it’s still up to you to input the corrections and make sure it’s clean before moving on. Whether you decide to proofread the book again yourself, pay to have someone do it, or trick a close friend into reading the finalized version in a short period of time and get back to you with any errors they find… it’s important to put eyes on it before it goes live. You’ll be happy you did.

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P.S. If you’re looking for a professional editor, I can highly recommend Kim Sheard over at Another View Editing. She does great work at a reasonable rate.

Self publishing? Get an editor.

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Editing

I’ve written about this in the past, but I’ll touch on it again, as I now have first-hand experience. I hired my first editor back in February. For me, part of getting to the point of hiring one was getting past a small ego trip. You see, I am an editor. Or, at least, I was for 12 years until a recent career move to copy writing. Anyway, a part of me was just too damn proud to hire one. The other part was too damn cheap. Together, it made for a convincing case against it. But, I witnessed firsthand what not getting an editor can expose you to. My suspense/thriller books have their share of errors and inconsistencies that an editor would have pointed out (before the readers did). So, when it came time to work on my newest pride and joy, I didn’t want to leave anything to chance. This was going to be a book I was proud of, through and through.

I reached out to an editor back in February. Right off the bat, she found several plot holes that needed filling in. In between those holes, she caught little inconsistencies and things that, as a writer, you pass over, but the reader would probably notice. For instance, how your characters magically shift rooms in the house mid conversation. Kitchen, dining room. Meh!

I’m now working through the second round of edits. We’re now to a point where the holes are well plugged and it’s just a matter of cleaning up the little stuff. I’m hoping to have ARCs available soon.

As self publishing gains momentum, we as authors have an amazing opportunity. But, we have to approach the production of our books in the same manner as a traditional publisher would. I believe this more and more as time goes on. Yes, there is a cost, but the flip side is that there is likely a cost for producing something that’s poorly finished.

I am very happy with my paid editorial results thus far. If you are in the market, I’m happy to recommend Kim from Another View Editing. She’s thorough and conscientious.

Have you hired an editor? Tell us about your experiences in the comments below.

Danny Dirks is Coming…

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… back from my editor… soon. It’s scheduled to be back to me next Monday. It’ll probably still be another month or so before I’m able to release it (unless it comes back spotless, but let’s be real), but I can’t help but get excited about the prospects. This is a bit of a favored child for me. I kept it on a shelf for so long because I wanted to make sure it got the best treatment possible. This year, I finally decided to pay for professional editing and reached out to a fairly well-known indie cover creator. I’m really looking forward to being able to release Danny Dirks and the Heir of Pendragon. It’s my first full-length YA novel and is book 1 in a proposed 3-book series. If you like The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, then you’ll hopefully like Danny Dirks, which takes a modern twist to the Arthurian Legend.

Stay tuned for more info on cover reveal and release date down the road. In the meantime, you can read a sample chapter right here.