The Ultimate Guide to Editing Your Book

29 Aug, 2018 Book Writing,Getting Published

Book editing is one of the most important steps of book writing.

 

It is a process that requires much concentration and focus because it involves the thorough analysis of the entire manuscript or the rough draft and turning it into a polished product. Here, you’re also going to be applying corrections wherever needed.

 

Editing is essential because it will weed out a lot of unnecessary portions which don’t really affect the storyline or add value. As a writer, we sometimes get too wrapped up in the word count of the book, even when it doesn’t need more content to be effective.

 

Although the process of book editing may sound simple, it’s not always black and white.

 

There are numerous aspects to keep in mind during the book editing process.

 

 

How to Edit Your Book Effectively

 

Check for punctuation errors, spelling mistakes and other grammatical errors.

It sounds obvious enough, but no detail should be overlooked. Even the tiniest of errors can kill your credibility with a reader.

 

 

Maintain the ‘continuity’ or the facts of the story.

For example, if your story has a timeline say from 2007-2009, keeping track of dates and making sure you list them in chronological order is of the utmost importance!

 

Most of the time authors make the mistake of changing the facts accidentally, or they might write certain parts out of order and lose track of their timeline.

 

By your contribution as an author to the book editing process (after all, you know the story that was in your head and now on paper), you’ll make the finished product much more appealing and interesting to the readers.

 

 

Hire a professional book editor.

If you aren’t up for the idea of editing the book yourself (which I don’t recommend), you can always choose the services of a professional book editor. A book editor is also supposed to check on the technical aspects of the book before sending it for printing.

 

For non-fiction books, it is the role of the book editor to compile an index so that the readers can find what they are looking for easily and conveniently.

 

 

Finalize your design, formatting, illustrations and images.

Page design, selection of font styles, and finalizing the position of the illustration or pictures (if any) in the book is the job of a formatter.

 

Book editing required a lot of the planning. If you had skipped those steps, the process of converting a brand new manuscript into a brand new book ready for its release in the market may not be as successful as was expected.

 

 

 

Although the process of book editing can be cumbersome, stressful, maybe even boring and lengthy, it is definitely worth it! It also gives you an opportunity to further explore your vision and put it together into a more refined piece.

 

In the end, all the gruesome efforts will pay off!

 

Best yet, you don’t have to go at it alone…

 

My 3-day live event, Book Bound By The Sea will give you everything you need to FINALLY become a published author and share your story with the world.

 

In this fantastic workshop you will learn…

  • Top 3 rules for writing and publishing a book
  • The 5 steps in the writing process
  • How the editing process works
  • Basic steps of self-publishing
  • How to organize book content including chapters and sub chapters
  • 20 different ways to market and promote yourself as THE expert
  • Ways to create income from your book BEFORE it’s even written
  • How to identify your target market
  • How to create multiple revenue streams with book content

 

I’m ready! SIGN ME UP for Book Bound By The Sea on January 25-27, 2019!

 

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Summary
Article Name
The Ultimate Guide to Editing Your Book
Description
You have written your story, but it’s not quite time to publish that book. Here we explore a very important part of the process, editing your book to make it a finished product.
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