Step 5: Be certain to have your manuscript edited.
It’s impossible, even when you follow all the above tips and reread/correct your manuscript a number of times, to edit your own writing with the highest level of excellence. Very few authors have been trained as editors and even bestselling authors look to editors to correct and polish their writing so that punctuation and grammatical mistakes are eliminated. We strongly recommend that you have an editorial diagnostic done on your manuscript to describe what you can do, and what a professional edit can do, to take your manuscript to the highest level of writing and professional presentation.
Three levels of professional editing are available for you:
Copyediting – Copyediting corrects grammar, punctuation, incomplete sentences, typos, spelling and incorrect or confusing formatting. Subject-verb agreement is checked; consistent voice and tense are maintained. Proper referencing and quoting sources are also checked. For excellent writers, a solid copyedit simply catches and corrects the errors that their eyes have missed. Remember, errors in your manuscript diminish sales, embarrass you, detract from your credibility as a writer and often cause the reader to stop reading your book.
Line Editing – Line editing includes copyediting and goes deeper into the structure of your manuscript correcting awkward and confusing sentences and paragraphs. Line editing also inserts or improves subheads, pull quotes, chapter titles, transitions between chapters and chapter sections and,end of chapter summaries. Additionally, formatting tools that improve a reader’s progress through the text like bullet lists, text boxes, sidebars, effective use of italics, bold and underlining to give emphasis to the text, etc. will be covered by this kind of edit. Line editing also helps to finish incomplete thoughts, catch theological mistakes, proof biblical texting, and improve the clarity and completeness of content.
Developmental Editing – This level of editing is the most comprehensive. Developmental editing includes copyediting and line editing. Additionally, everything in the manuscript is improved. Order and flow of the chapters and the material within the chapters are strengthened, rewritten and supplemented to extend, develop and supplement content. End of chapter checklists, summaries, or interactive materials are added or developed. Pull quotes are developed and inserted. Additional content is recommended and stronger reference material is suggested where needed.
Remember as we said previously, errors in your manuscript will…
diminish or limit the sales of your book
embarrass you and detract from your credibility as a writer
often cause the reader to stop reading your book due to errors and mistakes
Authors may try to save some money by initially skipping editing. This can be a costly mistake that also embarrasses the author in the long run. Investing in the quality of your manuscript through professional editing will enhance sales, take the quality of your writing to the highest publishing level, and make reading your book an easy and enjoyable experience for your readers.
Our Commitment to You!
Xulon Press is dedicated to empowering and assisting you in writing, publishing and marketing your Christian book at the highest quality. Your representative is dedicated to giving you the service and mentoring you need to publish your book that will inspire, instruct and impart to others the wonderful message God has given you – obey God’s mandate for you to write the book!
Get started, push through and finish your book with excellence to God’s glory.
