Should you have your manuscript professionally edited?
It's been said that a man who represents himself in court has a fool for a lawyer. That applies doubly to the self-publisher who thinks he should edit his own book.Even if your mother loves it - it's not a good idea.
Assuming you intend to sell your book: to a reviewer, a bookstore, a customer or even your mother, your words and how they appear on the page make a first impression only once. And while you may be the greatest writer of the 21st Century, you're probably not its greatest editor, an art that requires an entirely different set of skills than writing. Worse: all of us get too close to our work emotionally, where it becomes far too easy to develop blind spots to our errors and mistakes. It's been our experience as reviewers that many small presses and self-publishers fall into this trap, and when they do, we're forced to reject them.
The most common errors we see are:
- Subject and verb do not agree.
- Convoluted or run-on sentences.
- Telling rather than Showing (with action and dialog).
- Erroneously placed quotation marks in dialog.
- Incorrect use of italics.
- Illogical structure and/or incorrect facts.
And so it goes. These are among the many things we look for when we conduct our pre-critique assessment prior to accepting a book for review. Those with too many problems are rejected -- as they will be elsewhere.We pride ourselves in looking at the books sent to us as if we were intelligent bookstore customers. As we read along, we fold down the corner of every page on which we find a problem. And not just for small presses, big publishing houses get the same scrutiny. One recent galley from a highly respected major publisher had over 100 mechanical errors and errors of fact. It didn't get reviewed either.
Badly edited books don't get bought by bookstores. Period. So skipping this process is simply not an option. Nothing says Amateur more loudly than a poor job of editing. Furthermore, "production values" play as much a part in a distributor's decision to take you on -- or not -- as the book's content. Large publishers have been cutting this corner lately and it shows, but they know they'll still continue to sell their books. You may not have that luxury!
Nuts and Bolts: If accepted, your manuscript will be assigned to one of our editors, all of whom are either writers themselves or have strong editorial backgrounds.
Process: Your assigned editor will review the manuscript thoroughly. If a particular type problem is noted, he or she will tell you how to fix it with an example or two and then mark all those that recur, which you'll find useful as a learning tool. Mechanical errors will be noted and corrected, and structural and/or storyline problems will be noted with suggestions for improvement. We edit both nonfiction and fiction and accept double-spaced paper drafts and Word RTF files for PCs or MACs, however, please query before sending your document!
The following is a partial list of books Bob Spear has edited:
24/7–Medical Guidance Book
A Reason for Living–Philosophy Book
Alter Sphere–Science Fiction
Angel’s Fire–Romance
Bloodline–British Fantasy
Blue Cove Incident–Terrorist Thriller
Book of Life–Nutrition and Exercise Book
Brielle and the Castle Siege–YA Fantasy
How to Cope with the Pain–Men’s Divorce Recovery Book
Flight From Freedom–Science Fiction
Frogazoom–Children’s Picture Book
Full Circle–Marine Vietnam History
It’s Good to be King–Constitution Education Book
Guidebook to Japan–Nonfiction How To
Happy Sailing–Cruise How To
Heartchasers–New Age Romance
Heartburn–Novel
If Catapillars Could Fly–New Age Novel
In Our Shoes–Women’s Issues Anthology
In the Clutches of the Beast–Novel on Abuse
Is Nothing Sacred–Speculative Fiction
How To Love the Job You Hate–Nonfiction How To
Journey of the Wild Geese–Korean Historical Novel
A Korean Autobiography
The Monster Run–Children’s Picture Book
Moses Probe–Science Fiction
Not Guilty Everytime–Legal How To Book
Of Their Own Accord–Vietnam War Novel
The Pleasure and the Pain–Romance
Pearl–Black Novel
Poochiegrass–Children’s Picture Book
Realization of Spirituality–New Age Book
Secrets of Successful Query Letters–Writers’ How To Book
Seeds of Luck–New Age Spirituality Book
That Common Door–Novel
The Key–Meditation How To Book
The Putsch–Military Techno Thriller
Tip and Tap–YA Fantasy
Too Young to Retire–Award Winning Nonfiction How-To Book
Urban Gun Dog–Dog Training How To Book
When Thugs Cry–Black Street Novel
Why Salesmanship has Failed in America–How To Book on Salesmanship
Wishing Stone–Historical Action Novel
