Manuscript Editing
Manuscript Editing And Why You Need It
Author: Tom Anderson
If you are like most writers who have written a book, you have put months or years into your manuscript. But it isn’t just the time that you have devoted to your work that matters. You have also put your thoughts, your heart and your soul into the words that construct the book. That is why you want to give your book the best chance you possibly can.
Through the utilization of manuscript editing services, your manuscript can have that chance. This service gives you the opportunity to be a published author that you deserve and maybe even to make the cut on the New York Times Bestsellers list.
Preparing your manuscript
When you choose manuscript editing services, you have made a wise decision that will help you get your book accepted by a publishing house so that your dream of being published is realized. Plus, you have a story you want the world to read. Once the editor who will help make this possible is secured, it is time to prepare your manuscript for editing.
First, you can envision what you want your published book to look like, so communicate this to your editor. As a matter of fact, you will work very closely with your editor, so communicate your thoughts and opinions to this individual regularly.
The second thing before handing over your manuscript for manuscript editing is to ensure that your margins are correct, your table of contents is in check, your graphics are placed where they are supposed to be, your fonts are correct and everything is in order. This will ensure the quickest and most thorough editing process possible.
The integrity of your manuscript
Once you have handed over your manuscript, don’t worry about the integrity being destroyed. Some writers tend to opt out of manuscript editing because they feel the message within the book will be compromised. This couldn’t be further from the truth. All changes are marked, and you must approve or reject those changes. The manuscript is yours, so it is your call.
The truth, however, is that the editor is ensuring your message comes across clearly, correctly and consistently. Your editor also makes sure that all lines in your book make sense. If anything, the integrity of your manuscript improves and so does your chance of becoming a published author.
What about self-editing?
If you feel the integrity of your book will only be preserved through self-editing, there are some things to consider. First, think about how businesses hire consultants to tell them what they can improve within their businesses in order to be more profitable. You are dealing with the same concept when using manuscript editing to polish your book. Businesses hire consultants because they are so close to their business that it is difficult to see the problems within it. As a writer, you are so close to the project that errors can slip past you very easily.
Although manuscript editing does require an investment, the long-term benefits will far outweigh what you must pay to have your book perfected. You have a great idea and you want the world to see it, so do all that you can to make sure that the world does.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/business-ideas-articles/manuscript-editing-and-why-you-need-it-2160406.html
About the Author
www.grammar101.com has been providing quality professional proofreading services since January 2000. Many of the editors employed by Grammar101 are English professors with years of experience in editing and prose composition with a reputation of being able to complete a proofread work in 24 hours or less.
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All writers learn to edit their own work. It’s like all artists learn to clean their own paint brushes. It’s just part of the job and no big deal and it isn’t rocket science.
Get Strunk and White’s ELEMENTS OF STYLE. All writers have that book and use it. Most never need another on the subject.
It will help you with the technical mechanics of punctuation and grammar.
You train yourself to be paranoid about using the spell checker.
And you go through the book line by line.
That done, you loan this corrected manuscript to trusted friends to “beta read” it for you. Their job is to tell you what jarred them out of the narrative, what’s too slow or too quick, what worked, what didn’t, and to point out every single flaw so you can fix it.
Then you read and polish it all over again.
All writers do this!
Do not waste money hiring a professional editor when you can do this yourself for free. A pro editor only comes into the picture after you sell the book to a publisher. They’re paid by the publishing company to give your book a final polish.
I strongly urge you to make the library your new best friend.
When I was 11 I discovered the 808 section, which has all the books on writing and getting published, and I read all of them. By the time I was 12 I knew how to edit, that you never ever paid to get published, never paid a fee-charging agent, and how to submit manuscripts to publishers.
All free! ;>)
Hit the library, give yourself a 101 course, check out a copy of Elements of Style until you can get your own and read everything you can get your hands on.
Join this writer’s board. It’s free and run by pros:
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/
You don’t start shopping your book around until you’ve gotten solid feedback on it first. AW has a Share Your Work forum where other writers can give constructive crits.
Feedback, beta readers, polished, and re-polished, a book has to be the best you can make it before you send it out. I thought my first was ready, but two years of rejections and rewrites taught me better.
(It did sell, I landed a multi-book contract.)
But you can’t be in a hurry, or assume you’ll get paid a fortune. The Brenda Hiatt link below will give you a general idea about book advances. Always assume you will get the lowest number. You’ll be the newbie on the block. It takes time to work up to getting the real money.
STAY AWAY FROM PUBLISHAMERICA. They are the BIGGEST ripoff site of them all. They say they’re free and don’t want your money, but that is a LIE. You end up buying overpriced copies of your own book which is locked into an insanely bad contract for 7 years. Bad guys! Avoid! (Google the name + “scam” for why.)
bestbuy.
I agree with peilthetraveler. I would suggest having a native English speaker be your editor. I’m not saying it’s a bad idea hiring a foreigner, but from a logical point of view, it would probably be a better idea to hire someone with English as their first language to edit.
I’m a bit confused. Are you sending your work to be edited? Or are you submitting your work to a publisher?
Virtually all publishers have manuscript submission guidelines that explain the expected font style and size. You should check the publisher’s submission guidelines prior to submitting your manuscript, and follow them to the letter.
You may also consider sending the work to an agent, who would have similar submission guidelines.
If you’re submitting your work to someone for editing (before you send it to the publisher), you should ask the editor for what they like to see. I’m a little surprised that you need to print them off…is that a preference?
Most editing services (including the one I work for) accept electronic submissions. This allows you to take advantage of a lot of the advanced features of Word, including notes, being able to accept or reject changes, and allowing the editor to adjust the font to their preference (and you can change it back when you receive the changes).
When editing, I tend to prefer using double-spaced, size 12, Courier font. This allows me to see spacing errors and punctuation problems more easily.
Publishers generally like either Courier or Times New Roman font, usually size 10 or 12, also double-spaced. They also like it in a specific format, called the manuscript submission format: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mslee/format.html
If you’re interested, you can submit up to 2000 words for a free sample edit at http://www.writanon.com/services/editing . This way you can see what you get before you pay for any service.
A couple of publisher manuscript submission guidelines to get you started:
http://www.baen.com/FAQS.htm#Manuscript%20Submission%20Guidelines
http://us.macmillan.com/Content.aspx?publisher=torforge&id=255#ctl00_cphContent_ctl30_lblQuestion
Best of luck as you continue work on your novel!
I suggest you buy or borrow from the library the book
How to Start and Run a Writing and Editing Business (Wiley Small Business Editions) by Herman Holtz http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471548316/ref=nosim/powerhomebizguid
I’m an excellent editor and would like to get into book and/or manuscript editing. How do I get started?
I would like to hire someone from India, Japan, or China to do english manuscript editing.?
I am a writer in need of an editor. I will pay by the page and it will all be done via internet. I prefer to hire someone from Japan, India, or China, would make a nice supplimental income.
Can anyone tell me where I can purchase software for manuscript editing ?
I’ve written a manuscript and now I want to run an editing software on it before sending it to a professional.
Manuscript Editing..?
I have written a manuscript – and I would like it edited.
I do not know where to do this.. I dont want to spend THOUSANDS of dollars like all the sites I have gone to!
Any suggestions?
When submitting a book manuscript for editing, what font size should be used?
My book is done. It is ready to print out for editing. All of it was saved in 16 point type to make it easier to read on my computer and more pleasing to the eye. When it finally gets to a publisher, I’m told they are rather strict about font size. Please tell me what they like to see.