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May 02, 2016
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Using Online Editors for Your Book
By Anne Knol
Common
sense and publishing experts all stress the need for careful editing
before submitting for publication. And no matter how experienced you are
in doing your own editing and proofreading, there is always room for
another eye on your work.
The odd
typo or missing punctuation mark pops up even in the best-edited books
from famous authors and prestigious publishing firms.
But--and
this can be a big but when you're starting out--editors cost a fair
amount. If you're only earning minimal royalties per book, you would
need to sell 1000 copies at least to afford an editor. Add another few
hundred sales to pay for a designer cover. And you may well be working
at a loss, considering the average number of copies sold per book is
said to be around 500.
So if you
need to go the self-editing route, read your work aloud. That helps you
hear where words are missing, misspelled, or where the dialogue sounds
unnatural. At least use the grammar and spell checker options provided
by Word.
Do your best to provide a manuscript that
a) follows all the guidelines laid down by your prospective publisher and
b) is as free of errors and as perfect as possible.
I don't
think I have ever read a perfect book. Readers are forgiving up to a
point but too many misspellings and awkward grammar mistakes get between
a reader and the story.
And that leads to bad reviews. Amazon, too, is threatening not to publish poorly presented work. So, enter the robotic editor.
Try Online editors
Interestingly more and more online editors are appearing . . .
To read the rest of this article (and share it), please go to:
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The Article Writing Doctor
Your Content Writing Prescription for Home and Small Business
Karen Cioff, Writing for Children
Editing, Rewriting, Ghostwriting, and lots of tips
Email: kcioffiventrice [at] gmail [dot] com
I'm an affiliate for some of the products I recommend. I only tell you about products I've checked out.
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