TuesdayTips191

Do It Yourself, Don't Edit Yourself.

Welcome to this week's #TuesdayTip. Last week (TuesdayTips 190) I announced my newest book, The Aftermath, which I am self-publishing - a first for me. I promised to take you with me on this new and exciting journey.
I'm not an expert - far from it - but I have learned a lot over the past few months. If you have any suggestions or thoughts though, please feel free to comment here or on social media.
First of all, much of what I have learned came from the brilliant resources available through the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi). Joining them was well worth the relatively modest subscription fee (which is tax deductible in the UK) (https://www.allianceindependentauthors.org/). Many of the indie authors I've spoken to over the years swear by them.

"A person who represents himself has a fool for a client."
This common admonishment, attributed to either Abraham Lincoln or Henry Kett, also stands true for those editing their own work. The human brain is a wonderfully complex machine, but it is also a trickster and sometimes too clever by half. Oftentimes, you read what you think should be there, not what actually is. And sometimes an outside perspective tells you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear.
Of course, we all edit our work to some degree. I review the previous day's work before starting typing, and perhaps pick up typos or inconsistencies. My completed draft will go through several rounds of red-pen, but eventually, it is time to relinquish my manuscript to other eyes.
My first stage is to give it to my beta readers. I am lucky enough to have close relatives who are eagle-eyed and have good instincts, and this valuable first read-through is extremely useful. I have not only corrected typos and inconsistencies, I have also changed parts of the story based on what they suggest.

But ultimately, a pair of impartial, professional eyes is needed.
For The Aftermath, I was lucky enough to have some early input from an industry professional. Their advice, though hard to hear initially, convinced me to do a major rewrite and it was much better for it.
However, by the time I had completed this job, circumstances had changed and I had decided to self-publish.
With a traditional publisher, much of the editing is organised by the publisher at their expense (authors should never be asked to contribute to this). As a self-published author, it is up to me to find these editors and pay them for their services. Unfortunately, you have to speculate to accumulate, so you need a budget. The hope, of course, is that without the publisher taking their chunk of the royalties, this is paid for by the hopefully increased take-home from sales.

The first thing I did was pay for a manuscript critique. I had taken on board the suggestions of the industry professional, but since then, nobody had looked at the book. For a critique, a specialist in the genre you are writing for reads through the story and checks that it works, makes suggestions for improvements and acts as an impartial, critical friend. You can find lists of these professionals in Alli's trusted professionals directories, or go through professional organisations such as the Crime Writers' Association. Costs vary, but are often done based on length. Expect to pay a few hundred pounds. This essentially fulfils the role of your agent or editor in the traditional publishing process.

I was fortunate in that my story was essentially sound, and the suggestions made weren't too arduous.

Next is the copy edit. Often combined with proof reading, this is where the editor goes through the manuscript with a fine-toothed comb. Spelling, punctuation and grammar are checked/corrected, small inconsistencies highlighted (such as dates), small errors noted (eg attributing dialogue to the wrong character) and minor questions (eg wouldn't it be better if the character did this first). For a traditional publisher, this is almost invariably out-sourced to freelancers, which is great because you can often hire these people directly. Again, the fee is based on length and will cost more than the critique. Perhaps as much as a thousand pounds or so for a long novel, several hundred for something shorter.

I can't stress enough how valuable and necessary this is. Thanks to my beta-readers, my manuscripts are usually in pretty good condition. Yet the editors that my publisher have assigned me over the years invariably improve the story immeasurably. Just because I am self-publishing doesn't mean I can skip these steps. The last thing I want is for a reader to be able to tell the difference between my traditionally-published Warren Jones novels and my independent efforts.

Join me next week for a discussion about covers.
Best wishes,
Paul
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If you are a writer with a tip to share, or fancy writing a fictional interview between you and one of your characters, please feel free to email me.