STEP 2: a good edit
I cannot emphasise the importance of a good edit enough. Having your husband or friend read through your story simply isn't sufficient. A good editor does more than dot the i’s and cross the t’s. A good editor gets into your story and ensures that all of it makes sense. No author is in a position to judge their text effectively.
A good editor should:
Understanding the different job descriptions:
(Neither of the above rewrites your story for you. If you are looking for that, then it’s a ghostwriter you need and not an editor.)
You are really saving nothing by skimping on paying for editing. All you’ll do is add another poorly put-together book onto the pile that gives self-publishing its bad name.
The cost
With children’s picture story books, the text is usually between 500-1,000 words, so the editing does not have to be a considerable expense. A 500-word edit will probably cost between £25-£50.
There are some prevalent mistakes that I come across during editing:
Editor/author agreement
If you are working with an editor with a good reputation, I wouldn’t bother with this type of agreement. I feel it’s only necessary when the editor comes unrecommended. At the end of the day, a contract is only worth the intent of the people signing it, and if you really don’t trust the editor enough to work without the agreement, then maybe you should look for a different editor. However, all that said, here is a PDF of a simple editor/author agreement for you to download and use if you feel it is necessary.
I offer editing as a service. To visit the page, click here.
A good editor should:
- Consistency - make sure that the dog who dies in chapter 1 does not bark in chapter 4.
- Get rid of repetition.
- Make sure that your characters always act like themselves.
- Help you when your rhyming story jars a little.
- Fix tenses, grammar, syntax, punctuation, etc.
Understanding the different job descriptions:
- An editor will guide you on how to improve your plot while fixing text errors and giving suggestions on flow, tone, point of view, etc.
- A proofreader only corrects text errors such as grammar and spelling.
(Neither of the above rewrites your story for you. If you are looking for that, then it’s a ghostwriter you need and not an editor.)
You are really saving nothing by skimping on paying for editing. All you’ll do is add another poorly put-together book onto the pile that gives self-publishing its bad name.
The cost
With children’s picture story books, the text is usually between 500-1,000 words, so the editing does not have to be a considerable expense. A 500-word edit will probably cost between £25-£50.
There are some prevalent mistakes that I come across during editing:
- Basic punctuation is often non-existent or incorrectly used.
- Present and past tense are frequently mixed.
- Rhyming stories… I edit many rhyming stories, and I can honestly say that only 1 in 50 is actually any good. People mutilate the story (or the words) for the sake of rhyme – it’s like trying to squash a square peg into a round hole.
- Some writers seem to dump words onto a page and expect the editor to magically transform them into a stunning story. Writing is a skill; to be a good author, you must spend time honing your craft.
Editor/author agreement
If you are working with an editor with a good reputation, I wouldn’t bother with this type of agreement. I feel it’s only necessary when the editor comes unrecommended. At the end of the day, a contract is only worth the intent of the people signing it, and if you really don’t trust the editor enough to work without the agreement, then maybe you should look for a different editor. However, all that said, here is a PDF of a simple editor/author agreement for you to download and use if you feel it is necessary.
I offer editing as a service. To visit the page, click here.