Editing, writing, and publishing advice

Why guaranteeing a flawless manuscript is unrealistic

When self-publishing authors approach me for editing, they are often confused about the type they need. I’m always happy to advise, but thought I would put together a blog post explaining each. Having the information before you seek an editor can be helpful as you put your editorial team together. Manuscript critique/evaluation This is one of the first steps in the editorial process. The manuscript critique looks at the big picture, advising on plot, structure, characterisation, consistency, etc. Your editor will provide you with written feedback in the form of a report and advise on your next steps. Manuscript critiques don’t include comments or suggested changes within the document. Developmental/structural editing Although it’s more in depth than a manuscript critique, the developmental/structural edit also focuses on the big picture elements. As well as the points noted above, this edit looks at themes, point of view, voice, pacing, flow, dialogue and consider genre. As well as an editorial report, the developmental/structural edit also includes comments via Track Changes within your manuscript. However, manuscript critiques and developmental/structural edits don’t include any rewriting or changes. Suggestions will be made but not directly. It is up to you to decide how you implement those suggestions. Manuscript critiques and developmental editing CANNOT replace line editing, copyediting and proofreading. That’s because at this level, the editor is not looking at word choice or grammar. Line editing As it says on the tin, line editing is the edit of each line. The goal is to ensure your message comes through clearly in each sentence. A line editor will examine your word choices and make suggestions without altering your voice. Your manuscript will be marked-up using Track Changes. Copyediting Copyediting is the process of correcting a piece of copy. It examines spelling and grammar; sentence flow and word order; reduces repetition and crutch words; ensures consistency of timeline, plot and characters, and consistency of word and punctuation choices; fact-checking where appropriate; and checks formatting and layout. All suggestions will appear throughout the manuscript via Track Changes. Your copyeditor will also put together a style sheet that will aid you and your proofreader. Proofreading The proofread is the final step in the editorial process. If the copyedit corrects the author, the proofreader corrects the copyeditor. Many authors are tempted to skip one of these levels of editing, but I would argue that both are absolutely essential. When two people are using Track Changes and altering a manuscript, I guarantee that errors will slip through. Also, with everything the copyeditor has to concentrate on, rogue typos are bound to slip through (good copyeditors and proofreaders catch around 95% of errors). For a more detailed blog post on the differences between copyediting and proofreading click here . I hope this helps you understand the editorial process. I offer manuscript critiques, developmental/structural editing, copyediting and proofreading. I am always happy to discuss the most appropriate way forward with prospective clients, so don’t hesitate to get in touch via the contact page if you want advice on how to proceed with your future novel.

Quick tips to make your characters seem real

Or 'Help, I need an editor but I'm scared!'

Do you have an inner critic that follows you around and tells you you’re not good enough? Yes? I do too, and it drives me up the wall! Moving into a new year and thinking about what I want to achieve, I’ve been particularly conscious of that negative voice; considering how it affects me and what, if anything, I can do about it. It turns out this critic is actually imposter syndrome and it’s very common. What is imposter syndrome? Imposter syndrome isn’t a mental health condition and a more accurate term would be imposter phenomenon or imposter experience. It was first described in 1978 by psychologists Suzanne Imes and Pauline Rose Clance, who observed concerns about being outed as a fraud among the high-achieving women they counselled. However, it is now known that it affects both women and men. It seems to be common among us freelance editors, and while I haven’t discussed it with authors, I am pretty sure there will be high levels of imposter phenomenon within the writing community. The fact that writers and freelance editors tend to work in isolation doesn’t help. I also believe that the publishing industry as a whole is something many of us have grown up considering to be out of reach and impenetrable. There is a hangover effect from this, resulting in us thinking we don’t belong, no matter how welcoming and supportive the community now is. For me, it manifests itself in a belief that I am not clever, competent or generally good enough, and that luck has been the main driver behind my career despite all of the hard work I put into it. I have a constant fear of that luck running out and being outed as an ‘imposter’, ultimately resulting in me losing everything (talk about catastrophic thinking!). If you want to explore where these anxieties stem from, a great book to read is The Imposter Cure by Dr Jessamy Hibberd. I don’t know if it’s the same for others, but I find it really saps the enjoyment out of things. I really (really) love editing and proofreading, but those anxious feelings result in the pleasure I get from my work being suppressed. I can have a great week, but that sod of a voice reminding me of the ways I might have failed will always raise its head. The overriding worry about not being good enough has prevented me from trying to reach certain goals, but I am now determined to rebel and pay less attention to it. Can imposter syndrome be positive? I guess in some ways it may be better to have imposter syndrome than be over-confident bordering on arrogant. I regard professional development as important for my career and believe that we always have something to learn, but I think those qualities would still be present without the inner critic. It would also be nice not to have the constant nagging doubt and the anxiety that brings. Things that have helped me calm my inner critic Remembering that the majority of us feel like this at some point – yes, even the CEOs of successful multinational companies Accepting that I am not perfect and never will be – every human being on the planet has made a mistake at some point in their life Acknowledging that failure happens to us all on occasion, it is a normal part of being human and nothing to be ashamed of Keeping a file of positive reviews and comments to look at when the self-doubt really starts to take over Getting away from my desk, and out of my head, for a bit during the working day even if it’s only for ten minutes Giving that voice a silly name and telling it to f**k off Not comparing myself to others. As Roosevelt said, ‘Comparison is the thief of joy.’ I hope these help a little bit. I would love to know what strategies you use to deal with imposter syndrome if you suffer from it, and I hope you will join me in rebelling against the inner critic.

If you’re new to the publishing world, finding an editor can be a daunting experience. Where do you look for an editor? How do you know they are reputable? Hopefully, this post will help answer those questions and give you the knowledge you need to find your partner in fictional crime. Where to find your editor Of course, you could simply carry out a search for ‘editor’ on Google; however, the results are going to be extensive and will need a lot of sifting through. Word of mouth is a great way to find an editor. If you have friends who are published authors (either trad or indie), ask them who they have worked with and recommend. For those who are new to the world of publishing and don’t have contacts, there are places to look. Reedsy is an online marketplace for freelance publishing professionals, where authors can search for editors and proofreaders. You submit a brief to those you think will be a good fit, enabling you to search for your perfect editorial partner in one place. All of the editors on Reedsy have been approved by their level of experience and expertise and, believe me, it is not easy to gain that approval and be accepted (here’s my profile ). Another place to look is the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading directory. As with Reedsy, you can be assured of the qualifications and experience of those listed because all the professionals listed are members of the CIEP. How to determine if they are reliable Editing is an unregulated industry, and anyone can set up a website and say they are an editor and/or proofreader. So how do you know the editor you’re thinking of hiring is reputable? Here is a list of things you can look for: 1. Are they suitably qualified? What does this mean? Well, when I say suitably qualified, I mean they have industry recognised qualifications. In the UK this would mean they have completed courses with the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading and/or the Publishing Training Centre (PTC). If you’ve found an editor or proofreader you are considering using, ask them what qualifications they have if it’s not stated on their website and ask to see their certificates. After all, if you were hiring someone for a job in a company this would be standard practice, and it should be in this situation too as it’s the same thing. At a minimum, they should have completed some of the CIEP's or PTC's specific proofreading and copyediting courses – other courses are aimed at building on skills already obtained; not to prepare professionals to do the job of a copyeditor or proofreader. 2. Are they a member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading? Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t mandatory and there are great editors who aren’t members; however, it tells you a lot about the editor’s experience and commitment. An Entry-Level Member is someone who has just started out on their editorial career. They may have completed or be going through their courses to become qualified. This doesn’t mean you should rule out hiring them. Upgrading your CIEP membership takes time and they may be in the process of doing this and have the relevant qualifications and experience that you need. The CIEP states it expects its Entry-Level Members to upgrade. An Intermediate Member has ‘laid the groundwork for providing services as a proofreader or copyeditor by undertaking high-quality training’ and has put that training into practice via work experience to ‘embed their skills’. A Professional Member has completed ‘high-quality training … beyond the introductory level’, has had ‘editorial work experience that’s substantial in quality’, and has provided a satisfactory reference from a client or employer. An Advanced Professional Member has completed the steps above but also ‘demonstrated a high level of skill and expertise, backed by long and broad editorial work experience and often enhanced with editorial specialisms’. Membership is also an indication that the person takes their career seriously and believes in expanding their professional development. It also means they adhere to the CIEP’s code of practice. If the person you’re thinking of hiring is a CIEP member, they will be proudly displaying their membership badge on their website. 3. Have they been accepted on Reedsy? Absolutely not a deal breaker, but ascertaining if the editor or proofreader you’re considering has been accepted by Reedsy is a good indicator that they are reliable and have the appropriate expertise. It’s not easy to be accepted onto the site and they only take those with a substantial amount of experience with publishers. How do you know if your editor has been approved? They will have a blue tick next to their name and a section that states they are available to hire. While you’re there, you can check out any reviews from clients who have hired them through the site. 4. Who has provided them with testimonials? Now, I may potentially cause some offence here, and that is absolutely not my intention so please bear with me. If there aren’t any testimonials from publishing professionals, you may want to ask yourself why. Yes, it may be that they specialise in providing services to self-publishing clients. While I am not undermining the expertise of indie authors, it has to be acknowledged that the same level of experience and quality control isn’t in place within self-publishing as it is within a publishing house. Of course, there are loads of fantastic editors and proofreaders who only work with self-publishing clients, and this shouldn’t be taken in isolation but with the other three points. The above points aren’t compulsory, and an editor doesn't have to have all four to be a good editor (I am not in the CIEP's directory because I haven't got round to completing the form yet), but they are useful to keep in mind when assessing the credentials of your potential editor. Planning is essential When self-publishing, it pays to think like a publishing house and that means planning ahead. In traditional publishing, it takes months to get a book ready for publication. It can be tempting to try to rush your novel out once you have finished writing it, but patience is the key. Experienced and highly regarded editors are often fully booked up months in advance. They won’t take on more projects than they can handle at a time as they want to provide the best service for you and your book. It is worth the wait to collaborate with the editor of your choice.

The apostrophe, like the comma, is a punctuation mark that can cause problems for writers and authors, and can become a bit of an Achilles heel (more on that later). It's a versatile little mark, and we use it to indicate possession, contraction and omission. Possession We place the apostrophe before the 's' to show that an object belongs to someone when that someone is singular. Thorin's toys. If the singular noun ends in an 's' we have two options. We can place a single apostrophe after the 's', or place it after with an additional 's'. James' corgi. James's corgi. Both of these examples are correct and the key here is to be consistent (this is where your copyeditor's style sheet comes in. See my post on them here ). If there is more than one subject we place the apostrophe after the 's'. The corgis' toys had been put away. However, this is the English language and just when you think you have figured out the rules, a situation comes along that changes everything. In situations when the noun or pronoun is irregular and has a plural form (children, men, women) we again place the apostrophe before the 's'. The children's toys. The women's corgis. The men's dogs. In lists of owners, we only need one apostrophe if a singular item belongs to all subjects, and we attach it to the final name. Abbie, James and Nadine's corgi . But if they each have their own corgi: Abbie's, James' and Nadine's corgis. So you may be thinking I have made a mistake by omitting the apostrophe in Achilles heel. The New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors doesn't give Achilles heel an apostrophe and, to be honest, it's only recently that I wondered why. When we consider that 'Achilles heel' is a noun and it is used to refer to a weakness in someone other than Achilles himself, it makes sense: Abbie's Achilles heel . Another deviation from the norm is 'its'. When we use it in the possessive form, we do not give it an apostrophe. The corgi played with its toys. And that leads us on to the apostrophe's other use. Contractions A contraction is basically one word that we have made out of two separate words. Examples of contractions are do not shortened to don't you are shortened to you're I am shortened to I'm have not shortened to haven't could have shortened to could've they are shortened to they're it is s hortened to it's The apostrophe takes the place of the letter that has been removed to create one shorter word. In the final example, we can see why the possessive 'its' doesn't take an apostrophe as it completely changes its meaning. Omissions In fiction, authors often try to reflect their characters' dialects and an apostrophe can be used to indicate the omission of letters. 'I'm from 'Ull, where are you from?' In the above example the H from Hull has been dropped (common within the Hull dialect) to make the character's dialogue more authentic. This is fine; however, many authors inadvertently use an opening quotation mark rather than an apostrophe. They are two different punctuation marks and look different. The apostrophe is the one that looks like a tiny number nine. * * * I hope you have found this post helpful. If you would like help getting your manuscript into shape, head over to my services page to see how I can assist you.

This particular comma is part of the vocative case. In fiction we use it to indicate a character is directly addressing someone. As you can imagine, it is used a lot in fiction within dialogue. New writers often don't realise the vocative case and comma exist, and that's okay. After all, you don't hear it when you speak to someone. So where do we place this comma and why? The where The comma is placed with the word directly before the name when that address comes at the end of the sentence: 'Do you know we have run out of treats , Thorin?' We place the comma after the name when it appears at the start of the sentence: 'Thorin , do you know we have run out of dog treats?' Commas are placed on either side of the name when it is used in the middle of a sentence: 'Do you know , Thorin , that we have run out of dog treats'? The vocative comma is also used when addressing people with terms of endearment, nicknames, job titles, etc., so: 'Do you know we have run out of dog treats , my love'? 'Mate , do you know Thorin's run out of dog treats?' 'Do you think someone stole the dog treats , sergeant?' The why For such a small punctuation mark, the comma packs a punch and that's certainly the case with the vocative comma. If we remove it, it can completely change the meaning of your sentence. 'Do you know, Thorin?' Here, we are asking Thorin if he knows something. 'Do you know Thorin?' Whereas here we are asking somebody else if they know my corgi. And 'Thorin do you know?' just doesn't make sense! An easy way to remember whether or not you need to use the vocative comma is to channel your inner Robert De Niro and ask, 'You talkin' to me?' * * * If you need help with your vocative commas, or any other commas, check out my copyediting and proofreading services here . I would like to thank Thorin the corgi for his help creating this blog post. And don't worry, we haven't run out of treatos as you can see from his happy face.

Love it or hate it, there is no doubt Amazon has given writers more options when it comes to being published. In the past, you had to be represented by a literary agent to have any chance of your manuscript being turned into a book. Today, publishing is open to everyone and no longer excludes writers who aren’t white and middle- or upper-class (although there's still a long way to go). This leads to a dilemma for new and emerging authors. I’m often asked at the end of the editing process, 'How do I get my book published?'. It can be confusing and daunting if you’re not in the industry. In this post, I aim to outline the publishing options open to you, from seeking a literary agent to self-publishing, the pros and cons of each, and how to approach them. 1. Literary Agents The more traditional route to being a published author is to find a literary agent who will represent you. This involves taking part in the process of querying. Basically, you send out your manuscripts to literary agencies… and then wait! However, it isn’t as simple as finding every agency within the country and emailing them your work. You need to do your research as agents typically have lists and preferred genres. You are going to waste your time (and be disappointed) if you send your horror novel to an agent who manages romance novels. Many writers harbour dreams of being represented by a literary agent, and it still holds a certain prestige – although that is increasingly merely a perception; a hangover from what we still consider to be 'traditional' publishing. But like everything in life, having an agent comes with pros and cons. Pros: They provide a gateway into the Big 5 publishing houses who do not take unsolicited manuscripts. They will prepare your manuscript and proposal for submission. They will find the right publishing house for your book. They can negotiate any potential publishing deal for you. Let’s face it, it’s nice to leave it in the hands of people who know what they are doing! They will ensure your contract is fair (and will understand it!). Cons: There are some dodgy agents who won’t have your best interests at heart, and scams exist in the publishing world. Note that you will not be expected to provide an upfront fee to a reputable literary agent. While they do act as the gatekeepers to the Big 5, this doesn’t necessarily mean that bagging an agent will result in a deal with Penguin. At the risk of sounding cynical, it’s probably best to assume you won’t get a contract with one of the Big 5 (but still go for it if you want to – shy bairns get nowt). It doesn’t automatically guarantee a publishing deal. Your agent may not be able to sell your manuscript. Literary agents aren’t free. You will have to pay a percentage of your royalties to your agent if you are successful. The road to publishing is likely to take longer with an agent than if you approach independent publishers yourself or self-publish. Still feel that being represented by an agent is the right option for you? Make sure you go about it in a way that will maximise your chances of success: Take time getting your manuscript into good shape before sending it out. Research. As stated earlier, you have to find the right agent for you and your manuscript. A great place to start is by looking at a copy of The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook . (This will also, hopefully, help prevent you from being scammed.) Don’t use a generic cover letter and send it out to all agents on your preferred list. Personalise it to the agency you are approaching. Read each agency’s submission guidelines and follow them! Be patient and develop a thick skin. Believe me, you will need to be patient and get used to waiting… and waiting some more. It also helps not to take rejection personally. It’s pretty much a given that you will be rejected – this doesn’t mean your work is crap and you should give up; it’s probably the case that the agent doesn’t feel they can sell your manuscript at this time. Don’t immediately accept the first offer if you’re lucky to receive one. Take your time to decide who you want to work with and who will be the best fit for you. 2. Independent Publishers The reputation of indie presses has changed over recent years, and many are enjoying considerable success and launching the careers of debut authors. Again, research is necessary before you start querying. The independent publisher route is a great option for writers, but there are pros and cons. Pros: You don’t need to be represented by an agent to submit to them. They are more likely to take a risk on an unknown/debut author. The costs of publishing your book will be covered by the publisher. As a general rule, royalty rates will be higher. You won’t have to give a percentage of your royalties to an agent, thus the amount taken is lower than with one. Generally, more say over things such as cover design. If publishing with a digital-first press, your book is likely to be on the (virtual) shelves more quickly than with a traditional publisher. Your book, once published, will be marketed. Cons: It’s unlikely your books will appear in Waterstones and the like. No guarantee that your book will sell (but this is across the board). The publisher will take a percentage of your royalties. You will still have to engage in marketing yourself as an author and your book(s). The advice I would give to finding an independent publisher is similar to that of finding an agent: Take the time to get your manuscript into good shape before you submit. Don’t write one draft and then send it off. Research. Again, you can use the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook as your initial guide. Look for presses who publish your genre, otherwise you are potentially wasting your time. Look up the publishers you are thinking of submitting to. How well are recent releases selling? Do they have a good reputation? Read each publishing house’s submission guidelines and follow them. Personalise your submission to each individual publishing house. Again, be patient and don’t take rejection personally. Don’t immediately accept the first offer you receive and take advice on any contract offered (The Society of Authors offer this service, I believe). If a ‘publishing house’ asks you to contribute to the cost of publishing your book, run for the hills! (See my blog post on vanity presses here .) 3. Self-publishing Lots of authors are choosing to self-publish their books, and it is relatively easy to do thanks to Amazon and digital publishing. There are numerous reasons why a writer may choose this path, and it is often a deliberate decision rather than one they have been forced into. Like the independent publisher, the reputation of self-publishing has improved recently along with quality, and there are a number of incredibly successful self-published authors. Pros: You have complete control over your work – genre, cover, when and how it’s published, who you work with, pricing and marketing. Basically, you don’t have to compromise with anyone! You can choose and work to your own timescale and deadline. You retain all the rights to your work. You don’t have to share the profits of any sales. Cons: Expense. You will have to bear the costs yourself and they will potentially include editing, proofreading, formatting, cover design, copywriting and marketing. If you want to produce a high-quality book (and you should, given the time you have spent writing it and for the sake of your reputation), it is going to cost you. You will have to source your own professionals and, as with agents, there are some dodgy ones out there (a post on how to find a good editor and proofreader is coming). If you think writing and editing are difficult, wait until you try selling it! There are hundreds of books published every day, and it’s probably fair to say that the market is saturated (yes, I’m being cynical again). To break through and get it noticed, you have to spend a lot of time on marketing and being active on social media. Apart from start saving now, I would offer this advice to those wanting to self-publish: It’s really tempting to rush the process, but please take your time. Get your manuscript into good shape, and don’t hire the first editor, proofreader, typesetter and cover designer you come across – it will be worth it in the end. Conduct extensive research when choosing the professionals you’re going to work with. You are paying for this so you don’t want to be ripped off. Start building up your social media presence before you publish your book. Getting your name out there and becoming ‘known’ will help when it comes to marketing your finished product. Gain support from other authors on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The writing community is generally incredibly supportive. Self-publishing isn’t for the faint-hearted, so seek all the support and advice you can. Treat it as a business from the start. Yes, it is a creative process, but you also want a return on your investment. Making the right publishing decision for you involves research, and it’s best to take some time to consider your options. You could try options one and two, before thinking about self-publishing and see how you get on. During that time, get your social media presence established as that will stand you in good stead regardless of which route you eventually take.