Editing Best Practices

This best practices post is a component of the PIP Program which is being developed with the intention of combating any mainstream stigma associated with self, or independent, publishing that exists in the market place.

We have created this post to gather input on criteria associated with this topic and its place within the PIP certification process.

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Tags: Best, Editing, Independent, PIP, Practices, Professional, Publishing, Self, help

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Permalink Reply by Bradley Flora on April 22, 2011 at 3:55pm

I remember reading a recent comment in the blogosphere, from an editor, that really stuck with me. He said, and I paraphrase, "Editing is a conversation between the Editor and the Author."

This really resonates with me because it sums up the idea that the editors job, beyond proofing for grammatical, narrative, and logical mistakes, is to help the Author bring a refined sense of clarity to the book.

The conversation that exists between the author and editor helps both the editor and the author better understand what it is that the author is trying to say on any given page (or throughout the whole book).

This process of clarification can only be achieved with input from a 3rd party - usually the editor, because they may have the unique ability of being removed from the work and having the perspective and talent to communicate discrepancies within the authors communicative process.

And in all these regards, I think that one of the best practices that an Author or Publisher can undertake is to find an editor who is a good match for that individual authors style of writing and communicating, and allow time within the book production process for that editorial conversation to take place.

Permalink Reply by Pavarti K. Tyler on June 27, 2011 at 7:37am

An editor is essential to the process of publishing. Isn't this part of the problem with self pubbing these days? People throwing up unedited first drafts? I would like to see all Publishers have an editing policy in place and some idea of who they might use. For example I have:

3 writing crit partners
professional industry editor
my dad (anal retentive prolific reader who will edit and send back emails - I kid you not)

This is the editing process for everything I will publish. The fact that all of that is free isn't of concern. Crit partners are friends, the editor is someone I working for in trade and my dad, well, one hopes he won't charge. The idea that money is necessary for editing is a falsehood. Money can make it faster, easier and sometimes more professional (note sometimes) but it is not essential. What is essential is that we take enough pride in our work to make sure the quality is so far above standard it doesn't matter who published it.

Permalink Reply by Brad Poulson on July 16, 2011 at 10:56am

This is an eloquent description of Index Editing that should be considered in the best practice of writing nonfiction: Index Editing

Permalink Reply by Karen Reddick on July 16, 2011 at 12:45pm

As a freelance book editor, whose authors have won book awards, my first response to anyone who doesn't think an editor is necessary is, "go talk to a few award-winning authors about their thoughts on hiring an editor." These authors will be the first to tell you how much their book improved with the help of their editor.

If you’re self-publishing, hiring an editor is a must. All kinds of stylistic, grammatical and narrative errors can be avoided with a few choice words from an editor. Unedited books stand out a mile and it’s rare that a reader will forgive it. A sensible pair of eyes is critical in helping to shape a manuscript from what it is right now into what it could be.

I recommend you get as much editing as you can afford. It’s not cheap – but that’s because a good editor needs to give your work proper attention. Do you need to pay someone? You don’t. But the chances of getting a good edit will increase if you do hire a professional. Sure, your Aunt Sue's best friend's cousin was an English major, but a professional editor is not only going to have more experience detecting issues with your work (whichever level of detail they’re working at), but they’ll be in a much better position to give you constructive ideas on how to improve the work.

For example, a friend might say, "I got bored in the middle," whereas an editor will say, "I got bored in the middle because the main character started rambling on about insignificant details that took the reader off track."

But, don't just look at the dollars going out of pocket. Think about the dollars coming in; if you have a book that is professionally edited, your book will sell and you'll get your return on investment.

So, the bottom line is this: Do you want a book that sells, or do you want a book that no one wants to read.

Permalink Reply by Brad Poulson on July 20, 2011 at 8:42pm

Karen makes a terrific argument about the importance of hiring an editor, its effect on quality, and consequently sales. However, I think that editing can also be seen as a basic marketing tool in another way:

If you invest in an experienced editor, they may be able to offer their opinion about the basic marketability of your book. Of course, you may want to expand your market research and evaluation, but if your editor sees obvious roadblocks to sales of your book, it is early in the process. You can evaluate any further investment to determine if you will be able to meet your publishing goals.

In most cases, if you have a profit goal, you’ll want to evaluate the market potential before you ever start to write a manuscript. In addition, before the writing process, if you need to brush up on your grammar, check out Karen’s educational book: Grammar Done Right.