Selling Books

Your Guide to Writing, Publishing and Marketing Books and Ebooks

  • Blog
  • Free Newsletter
You are here: Home / Editing / Book Editing for Self-Publishers

Book Editing for Self-Publishers

July 5, 2010 by Joel Friedlander

New self-publishers are often confused about the editorial process. This schematic is intended to be a simple “map” to the journey from manuscript to printed books.

Manuscript: Developmental Editing

The first kind of editing an author will encounter is developmental editing.

Developmental editing helps develop the concept, the scope of the book, the intended audience, even the way elements of the book are arranged.

Developmental editing can be assigned to specific editors, or some of these functions may be done by either the author’s agent or an acquisitions editor at a publisher. Self-publishers who make use of this type of editing will hire freelance editors to help with the development of their project.

Manuscript: Copy editing

When the author and developmental editor have finished organizing the manuscript, and the editor considers it complete, it will go to a copy editor.

Copy editing is accomplished by editors who examine the manuscript line by line, word by word. It takes people who are meticulous and excellent at spotting errors.

Copy editors have vast knowledge of English vocabulary and usage, command over style resources such as the Chicago Manual of Style. In reviewing the manuscript, they will be paying attention to and correcting:

  • Punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and grammar
  • Errors in word usage
  • Subject-verb agreement
  • Consistency in treatment of material
  • Adherence to established standards of style and formatting
  • Accuracy and completeness of citations, references, notes, tables, figures and charts
  • Ambiguity, incorrect statements, lapses in logic, libelous comments, and so on.

In the course of editing the manuscript, most copy editors will also produce a style sheet for the book listing the correct spellings of any unusual names, the proper format for each element in the manuscript, and any other guidelines that will be useful to other people reviewing the book farther down the production line.

When the copy editor has finished her work, the manuscript goes back to the author for clarification of any remaining questions, and the changes are made to the manuscript.

Manuscript to Book Page Proofs: Production Editor

The manuscript is next routed to a production editor who will be responsible for the production process. The tasks of the production editor include:

  • Scheduling the project and tracking its progress
  • Hiring and coordinating the work of the book designers, illustrators, indexers, proofreaders and other professionals needed to complete the book
  • Getting estimates from printers or print brokers for the physical production of the book
  • Making sure the books are properly printed and delivered on time.

Book Page Proofs: Proofreading

The last stage in the editorial process is proofreading the book. The proofreader is the last guardian of the publisher’s reputation for accuracy and care, and the protector of the author’s reputation for diligence.

Proofreaders examine the book’s complete and final pages for more than typographical errors, although that’s a big part of the proofreading job. They will be on the lookout for:

  • Inconsistent line, word, or page spacing
  • Misnumbered list items and mislabeled captions
  • Improper word breaks
  • Page break problems like widows and orphans
  • Irregularities in the use of the books type fonts
  • Accurate and consistent page headers, footers and page numbers
  • Accuracy and completeness of tables, figures, charts, and graphs
  • Consistent use of abbreviations and acronyms.

The End of the Line

When the proofreader is finished with their work, the self-published book is corrected for the last time. Once the pages are set, the final page proofs can be sent to an indexer, if one is being used, and the book will be ready to go to press.

Joel Friedlander is the proprietor of Marin Bookworks, a publishing services company in San Rafael, California that has launched many self-publishers. Joel is a book designer, a self-published author, and blogs about publishing and book design. To learn more about self-publishing a book, book and cover design, and the intricacies of the publishing process, please visit Joel’s blog at http://www.theBookDesigner.com today.

Related Posts :

Becoming Your Own Editor
Hallelujah Rejection!
Why can't the editor give me some feedback?
Why Every Writer Needs an Editor

Filed Under: Editing Tagged With: book editing, editor, manuscript editing

Comments

  1. Normand Ouellet says

    February 4, 2011 at 5:57 pm

    I am in the process of developing the article you will find in my website into a book. I am in need of an editor ,or more like a book shepherd, to guide me through the process of formatting and other technical advice for getting a good product for self-publishing. Norm

Sell More Books!

FREE! Sign up Cathy Stucker's Selling Books newsletter. You will get useful tips and techniques for writing, publishing and selling books, plus member-only exclusives such as free webinars.

BONUS! Get instant access to Cathy's audio program on how to Build an Effective Author Platform!

I respect your privacy & will NEVER sell, rent or share your email address. More than a policy, it's my Privacy Pledge.

Recent Articles

  • Summarize Your Book and Increase Your Book Sales
  • Why Structure Is a Friend, Not a Formula
  • Save the Cat Story Cards
  • Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet
  • Stop Procrastinating, Start Writing
  • FAQs About Children’s Book Illustrations
  • 5 Posts Every Author Should Write on their Website
  • Reducing Everyday Distractions So You Can Get More Writing Done
  • E.S.Danon – Moon in Bastet
  • Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue – Complicated Heart

Pages

Contact
Contribute Articles
Contributing Authors
Free Newsletter to Help You Sell More Books
Get Interviewed
Publishing Resources
Subscribe/RSS
Privacy/Disclosure Policies

Categories

Agents Amazon.com Article Marketing Author Interviews Author Platform Blogging Book Business Book Design Book Marketing Book Proposals Book Publicity Book Publishing Book Reviews Book Signings Bookstore Book Titles Book Tours Cathy's Blog Children's Books Content Marketing Copyright Copy Writing Ebooks Editing Fiction Writing Freelance Writing Get Published Ghostwriters Internet Marketing Marketing Fiction Motivation Networking Non-Fiction Writing Oprah Winfrey POD Publishing Public Speaking Research Resources for Writers Running Your Publishing Company Self Publishing Social Media Special Sales Video Marketing Writers Block Writing

Return to top of page

Copyright © 2006 - 2021 Cathy Stucker · All Rights Reserved

Log in to your account