| Your manuscript is finally written. You | | | | professional editor can help detect passages |
| breathe a great sigh of relief. But hold on; | | | | that are unclear, poorly organized, or |
| you aren't done yet. Use your spell-checker, | | | | overwritten. This is called content or |
| grammar, and style checking program to catch | | | | creative editing. During a second reading |
| obvious flaws and flag overly long sentences, | | | | your editor will do copyediting, whisking out |
| for example.You also may have learned to type | | | | grammar, spelling, usage, and punctuation |
| on a typewriter and thus put two spaces at | | | | errors. The job of an editor is to hone and |
| the end of a sentence. In the computer age | | | | polish your manuscript to a fine edge, not to |
| one space is preferable. Otherwise, it looks | | | | impose his or her style on it.Where do you |
| awkward when typeset. No problem, though. | | | | find such folks? There are several options. |
| Simply do a search and replace, and change | | | | Look in Literary Market Place under |
| the two spaces to one.Even the best writers | | | | "Editorial Services;" or contact the ASJA |
| can benefit from good editors working behind | | | | (American Society of Journalists and Authors) |
| them. Editing is a special skill the average | | | | Writer Referral Service at 212-398-1934.Be |
| author doesn't perform well. And since, in | | | | sure the person you hire has had experience |
| spite of their expertise, editors are | | | | editing books. An article or book writer is |
| notoriously poorly paid, the expense of | | | | often not experienced or qualified in the |
| getting professional help for your work won't | | | | editing process and typically has an editor |
| normally be too large. By the way, please, | | | | going over his or her manuscript.Short of |
| please don't submit an e-book without | | | | hiring a pro, which is best, enlist the help |
| editing. Most sites will simply take what you | | | | of several literate friends or associates to |
| give them and put it up. If our industry is | | | | go over your work. It's a good idea to give |
| to prosper, every author must take personal | | | | them some instructions. Ask that they |
| responsibility for presenting a quality | | | | underline any misspelled or questionable |
| product.A poorly edited book is harder to | | | | words, circle unclear passages, and note |
| read, harder to believe, and less likely to | | | | rough transitions with a question mark. Also |
| be reviewed. It is shameful to see a good | | | | recommend they jot any suggestions in the |
| book cut to ribbons by a reviewer because of | | | | margins. Encourage them to be specific. |
| poor grammar or spelling. In a recent review, | | | | Distinct constructive criticism is like |
| while the plot of a particular book was | | | | surgery; it cuts out the malignancy and |
| praised, the reviewer noted, "Unfortunately, | | | | spares the rest of the body. Vague criticism |
| the reader also has to detour around some | | | | is like chemotherapy; it causes the copy's |
| disasters in editing and | | | | hair to fall out and makes the whole thing |
| proofreading."Because authors know their | | | | look sick.Even best-selling authors use |
| subjects so well, they are usually too close | | | | others to refine their work. |
| to their material; objectivity is lost. A | | | | |