Step 3: Edit / Proof
The importance of good editing and proofreading cannot be stressed enough. It is the vital step where you ensure your publication does you justice.
You want credibility? Respect your work — give it the polish that will give you confidence when you release it. A novel, article or report that is riddled with mistakes will affect the credibility of the finished work and can also mean poor sales.
Editing has different layers. For example, a structural editor ensures your writing is logical, readable, and appealing. The editor will eliminate poor sequencing, or great leaps of understanding or weak, inconsistent characterisation, scenes or events.
A copy editor will check for inconsistencies in style, grammatical and spelling errors, checking that the language used is appropriate for that genre and audience.
Sometimes these two aspects of editing are carried out simultaneously by the same person.
Proofreading also has different layers depending on the extent of the publication.
Essentially, the proofreader looks for errors of spelling, punctuation, grammar, word breaks, paragraph indentation and page numbering. Consistency, style and accuracy are very important, for example, headers, footers, chapter headings, sub-headings, tables of contents, bibliography — all must pass the proofreader’s ‘close reading’ test.
A manuscript should be read twice — once before it is laid out and again after the layout is complete to check for font substitution, missing text and format changes which can occur during the layout process.
The process of good editing and proofreading requires particular sorts of skills. It is a very different process editing a children’s picture book than an academic reference book or a substantial adult novel.
It is important for you to be clear about:
- The goals for your self-published work
- The audience it is for and
- How you intend to promote and sell your self-published work (if you wish to)
These points will impact on the decisions you make about the level of editing and proofreading your work will need, which will then be weighed up against your budget and available time.
Picture book for family — a picture book you wish to self-publish for your children or grandchildren will need limited editing and proofreading and you may be able to do this work yourself. Even in this scenario it is important that the text is correctly spelt etc.
Picture book for a wider market — a book that you have aspirations to sell to the wider public will need very careful editing and proofreading. Thoroughly check the pictures as well as the text to ensure they reflect the text and the general mood of the story. The relationship between the pictures and the text is vital. You have a lot of competition on bookstore shelves so you have to offer a top quality product.
Family history — a family history will need editing for general readability and accuracy. Proofreading by family will probably be sufficient.
Novel — if your goal is to write a novel that will sell widely then it is critical that you meet acceptable publishing house standards. Professional editing and proofreading services are strongly recommended prior to layout, with further proofreading once you have your proof copy.
Self-publishers share their experiences
“I’ve found the website extremely helpful. I found it useful in defining the audience, working out what the purpose of my book was. I particularly found Step 3 which is all about editing and proofreading your book, very helpful because I used it as a checklist to run through my book. Step 1 to 5 I found great. They’re easy to download on pdf.”
– John Rutten author of: I Like Surprises! The autobiography