Editing: More Important Now Than Ever
Editing—What Does It Mean to Writers
Connie Anderson
Yesterday I talked an author who told me proudly, “Everyone LOVES the book—and it is ‘ready’ to go. I asked if she’d like me to just put an editor’s eye to a few of her poems for free. WELL, it isn’t ready to go. Word overuse, punctuation, as well as other issues perhaps only an editor notices—but isn’t that WHY an editor is hired?
Also in the past few weeks, twice I’ve been hired to edit a manuscript—and am the THIRD editor that author has hired/paid.
Pat Morris, freelance editor and president of Midwest Independent Publishers Association, and I did a workshop in March at the Bloomington (Minnesota) Writers’ Festival and Book Fair. It was called: “Editing—Now More Important Than Ever.”
In it we gave a list of questions every author should ask an editor. We want authors not to feel intimated, to advocate for their best book which means having the right editor for them. We are tired of seeing authors taken advantage of by people who say they are editors, by vanity and POD publishers who take money and produce poor quality—you get the idea. We’re up in arms on this subject!
“Rewriting is the opportunity to turn spilt milk into ice cream.”
– Katherine Paterson, Newbery Award winner
FROM OUR HANDOUTS!
Prepared by:
Pat Morris— parmorris@comcast.net Business—http://www.BookArchitects.net
Connie Anderson—(editing) Connie@WordandDeedsInc.com
Businesses: http://www.WordsandDeedsInc.com
www.ArmchairInterviews.com
Important points for authors to consider:
1. Why is editing needed now more than ever?
2. Tips on self-editing—and why everyone needs an editor.
3. Different kinds of editing and editors. 4. Where can you find the right editor?
5. What questions should you ask prospective editors?
6. How much will it cost?
7. The process:
—Proper manuscript presentation
—Word’s tracking/editing tool
—Editing on paper/hard copy
—Spell check/grammar check on Word
—Number of times edited
8. Editors’ pet peeves plus common mistakes
9. It isn’t a good sign when…
10. Resources
A professional editor:
• Knows grammar, punctuation, spelling, syntax (1a), and style
• Double checks when uncertain and has reference works to consult
• Spots ideas that don’t flow, non sequiturs, and unsupported conclusions
• Catches gaffes (1d), jargon, missing words, inconsistencies, and more
• Wants your book to be the best it can be
Badly edited books:
• Often are rejected immediately
• May not be reviewed, or reviewer may comment on editing issues
• Reflect horribly on the author
• Reflect poorly on the publisher
• Indicate the author doesn’t respect his or her readers’ intelligence
What to look for or do when “self-editing”:
• Overuse of certain words (do search/find)
• Changing names or facts about characters (name, hair/eye color)
• Overuse of prepositional phrases, leading to wordiness
• Misuse of the word “only”
• Word usage, e.g., heel/heal; their/there/they’re; write/right/rite, etc.
• React to every green and red squiggle on Word (not always right, but check it out)
• Refer often to your reference books: dictionaries, speller, thesaurus, grammar books, style guides, others
• Punctuation errors
• Personal “gremlins”
• S p a c e s
ALWAYS: Read your copy aloud to allow your ears to hear things your eyes don’t see.
Different kinds of editing and editor:
• Acquisitions
• Developmental
• Substantive
• Copy or line editors
• Technical editors
• Book doctors
• Proofreading
• Editing by software
How to find the right editor
• Organizations(Minnesota)—Professional Editors Network http://www.pensite.org
• Editorial Freelancers Association http://www.the-efa.org
• Other authors/writers
• Book acknowledgments (who do they thank?)
Questions to ask prospective editors
• How long have you been editing? (5 years is a good benchmark)
• Who has published the books you’ve edited?
• What kinds of books have you edited?
• What kinds of books do you prefer to edit?
• Do you have references?
• How do you prefer to edit — hard copy or online?
• Do you use the tracking tool in Word?
• Do you provide an overview of content and flow issues, etc., as part of the finished project?
• Do you want the whole manuscript at once or chapter by chapter?
• How many times do you edit the manuscript? Once, twice or more?
• When would you have time to edit my project?
• How long do you think it would take?
• How much do you charge?
• May I see an example of your editing?
NOTE: Don’t choose an editor by price alone. Budget the necessary dollars to pay for the best editor for your book, and remember that it could involve two or more rounds of editing. Expect realistic turnarounds from your editor and don’t be afraid to ask questions about anything you don’t understand.
Common Rates for Editorial Services
See this web site for update rates: http://www.the-efa.org/res/rates.php
Pet Peeves of Editors Pat and Connie
When an author:
• Rejects our suggestions without asking why the change was suggested
• Won’t prepare the manuscript correctly (one space after periods, double-spaced pages, adequate margins, 12-point serif font, etc.)
• Wants to make his/her own changes but doesn’t allow the time or dollars for additional editing.
• Does a poor job of making changes.
• Won’t pay for a proofreader (different person than editor)
Common Things Editors See
• Undefined pronouns like it, there — also called “expletives” because they add words but nothing else. They often start sentences.
• a.m./p.m.: In books, write out “two-thirty in the afternoon/morning.”
• State names: Spell out in books — postal codes (e.g., MN) should be used for zip codes; Minn. is the abbreviation otherwise, but it’s often best to write out the entire name of the state to avoid confusion.
• Overuse of the word that — many can be eliminated.
• Watch for overuse of the em dash (––), which is often used to show emphasis. Don’t confuse the ellipsis (…) with em-dash usage. The ellipsis shows omission of words in books, e.g., “Can anyone explain why…?” Ending punctuation (… . or ? or !) is needed.
• Semi-colon: Love them or hate them, they do have a place in good writing. A semi-colon can be used in the absence of a connecting conjunction such as “but” or “and,” e.g., “I said no; however, he changed my mind.” The semi-colon is also used in a list where a section of the sentence has multiple commas that could be confusing.
• Quotation marks: Always use double quotation marks (“), not single quotation marks (‘) to show dialogue and to show unique words, e.g., “He is ‘kinky.’” Single quotation marks are used inside a quotation, such as, “She said to me, ‘My voice is raw.’” The single and double quotation marks are almost always outside the comma or period (as soldiers protecting the sentence). If the sentence ends in an exclamation point or a question mark, placement depends on the context of the sentence.
• Wrong word used e.g., heel instead of heal; there/their/they’re; lose vs. loose.
• Using which instead of that. That precedes an essential statement. Which always has a comma before the statement, which could be deleted without losing the value of the sentence.
• In order to can often be simplified, e.g., “To make a comment, I stood up.”
• Look for active verbs. Overuse of the preposition “to” causes wordiness.
• Adverbs (-ly words): NEVER hyphenate ly words, e.g., “closely watched kettle.”
• Gerunds (-ing words): Gerunds add words and replace action verbs: “The boys were hanging by their feet” could be “The boys hung by their feet.”
• Due to: Use “because” (and yes, you can start a sentence with “Because” or “But.)
• To be: Choose action verbs when possible and eliminate forms of to be
Resources
HINT: If certain words or grammar rules seem to confuse you often, start your own “style guide,” a list of your particular gremlins, so you can easily see at a glance whether you’ve spelled or used a word correctly instead of having to refer to a dictionary or other manual. It will save you time.
• Current dictionary (don’t rely on Wikipedia for definitions, answers)
• Strunk & White: The Elements of Style, tried-and-true book of rules for writing
• Booher’s Rules of Business Grammar: 101 Fast and Easy Ways to Correct the Most Common Errors by Dianna Booher. This is an excellent, easy-to-use book with rules and examples of incorrect and correct usage — and all the correct terms.
• Painless Grammar by Rebecca Elliot, Ph.D. Written for middle and high school students, it is a perfect refresher with fun references and word choices.
• The Gregg Reference Manual by William A. Sabin. Every writer and business should have this most accessible resource on his or her desk.
• Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, by Lynn Truss. This excellent book is written by a Brit, spelling and punctuation (especially for single and double quotes) is different. Otherwise, read and laugh.
• Webster’s New World Misspeller’s Dictionary, copyrighted 1983, so it may hard to find.
• The Goof-Proofer: How to Avoid the 41 Most Embarrassing Errors in Your Speaking and Writing by Stephen J. Manhard.
• Grammar Snobs are Great Big Meanies, A Guide to Language for Fun & Spite by June Casagrande. This is a light-hearted yet serious look at grammar.
• The Chicago Manual of Style is the “bible” of the book industry.
• Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing by Mignon Fogarty. She’s been on Oprah. Need we say more?
• Woe is I, The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T. O’Connor. This is an entertaining, easy-to-read explanation of many of our gremlins.