Editing for Indie Writers

So, you wrote a book.  It’s beautiful.  It’s fabulous. It’s your paper and ink pride and joy.  What do you do now?  You want the world to see your precious creation.  You want to let it out among the mainstream to do good things and inspire greatness.  The only problem, it’s a little on the raggedy side.  You know you’re content rocks.  You’ve been trusting the Lord every step of the way and you’ve followed His guidance with near fearlessness.

You want the public to see your literary little one at its best.  But a good editor or proofreader can set you back $400-$1500.  You’re not doing the work solely for money but you can’t afford to LOSE money either.  Spellcheck doesn’t cut it. Your heroine’s name sports a red squiggle every time you’ve typed it.

I live this with each bookish birth.  Let me share my journey and perhaps it can help you with yours. With each of my publications, I’ve made some serious mistakes.  Hopefully, I can help you avoid some of your own.

1st- WRITE 

Grow your baby from a raw and rugged place.  Get it on paper or in digital.  Those amazing characters and their detailed backstories can seep from your brain as you sleep.  Get them down and let them live before you worry about fine tuning them.  (Personally, I write a chapter- quick scan edit it- and then move on)

2nd- WAIT

Sit on it for at least two weeks after finishing your first draft before diving into editing.  A month is even better.  I find that if set aside my work and start a different project, while I wait, my brain is more alive and in tune to edit.  My story comes as nearly a surprise and I get to delight in my creation.  This is when I make most of my content edits.  Did I call a character by two different names?  Do I switch verb tenses mid-sentence?  Sometimes I’ve left out a much-needed scene or stressed over a completely boring scene.  During this read through add and cut and repeat.  I then run it through Prowritingaid and/or Grammarly and fix any red flags they find.  And then… I WAIT again.

3rd- READ-EDIT

This time I read the story out of order.  I snag chapters and random and read through them.  I mercilessly slice and splice them until they read smoothly.  I do this step out of order because it’s too easy for me to anticipate what I wanted to say instead of seeing what I actually said.

4th- LISTEN

Use whatever text to speech program you have.  ( I use my kindle) Hearing my story out loud, even in a computerized monotone helps hugely!  I scan-read along with the audio and it’s easier to find places I’ve left out words, added the wrong preposition, or completely butchered a sentence.  Hearing it clears it all up for me.

5th-FORMAT

I set aside the deep editing for formatting.  I format for Createspace and Kindle. Sometimes this brings out more mistakes that I can fix on the spot.  Most of the time it just keeps me productive while taking the focus off the words.  Then I run it through my editing software again.  Sometimes editing messes with sentence placement.  The time to catch it is now.

6th-WAIT AGAIN.  

This time waiting is much more fun.  This is when I’m getting discouraged and hating my book and my whole writing path.  So, to remedy this tension I order my book cover.  I do nothing while I’m waiting to get my cover.  I’m usually too intense to work on any other projects.  I take this time to read, something else, someone else.  My imagination has grown anemic at this point. The lack of creating fosters deep frustration.  Reading something fun and non-industry focused lightens my load as I’m waiting.

7th-ORDER 2 PROOFS 

At this point, I need to hold my baby.  I have to have it in my hands to see it with clarity.  But it’s not snuggling in time yet.  It’s active reading time.  I curl up with pencil, highlighters, and tabs.  Each page I find mistakes I tab, so I can find it later.  I mark the biscuits out of my project.  It’s colorful and sparkly by the time I’m finished working with it.  I log in all my edits.  Run it through my edit apps. Re-check formatting and then re-submit to Createspace.  I re-order a few more proofs.

This read is much more fun.  I cozy up and read it like a civilian.  I also hand out my book to trusted family and friends.  They act as my first Betas. Sometimes they’re my only true betas.  They mark up my books with editing marks.  They point out awkward phrasing.  They also add comments to the margins, telling me what was confusing, inspiring, depressing, or fun.  I couldn’t do this process without them.

I fix all the corrections that are pertinent and you guessed it re-check formatting before ordering another proof.

***  If you can afford an inexpensive editor from Fiverr or Upwork do that now.  My first book is much shorter than my second book.  It cost me very little to hire an editor on Upwork.  If not pray over your book, hopefully, you’ve been doing that all along.  You’re going to need God’s peace and advice for your last round of edits… YEP, your last round***

8th- FINALLY… 

Go slowly.  Have fun.  Enjoy your book.  Use your reader’s eyes.  Go somewhere new and fun.  Buy yourself an expensive coffee and a treat and read.  There will always be flaws.  The only perfect creations come from the Lord.  Do your best.  As a believer, even if your work isn’t Christian, His name is aligned with your work.  Do your best.  YOUR BEST!  And then let it go.  Do your last app recheck.  Do your last formatting.  Submit for your last proof and unless it arrives with serious formatting flaws hit approve.

Writing is hard. Editing is harder. Neither are for the cowardly.  BE FEARLESS and let that book baby fly.

God bless your journey.

Let me know your tips for editing or which editing tools you like to use, in the comments below and say hello to my little book babies. (pictured below) Click the pic to find out more.