K = Killing Your Faves Might Be Necessary

Welcome, A to Z bloggers, visitors, and of course all my faithful regular readers! This year's theme for my A to Z:

Short & Sweet Reasons Why You Need an Editor

So without further ado . . .

Killing your favorites isn't a new concept. Stephen King advises authors to "kill your darlings," using a phrase written in 1916 by author Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch (the original was "murder your darlings") and modified by William Faulkner ("in writing, you must kill all your darlings").

Killing doesn't happen in every book. Not in the murderous sense, anyway. But there are times—murder or not—when it's best to get rid of a particular character for the betterment of the story. This might mean outright death, if it fits the plot, or it might mean that a character just goes away. Completely, as in "this book has never, does not currently, and will never contain a character named Joe Smith."

It's hard to chop ruthlessly if we've become attached, but a good developmental editor with a fresh eye can see what's clogging up the works. The editor who advises that a darling gets the ax is often only confirming what the writer already knows, deep down.

Allow an editor to help you make the tough decisions.

D = Developmental Editors Want to Talk to You

Welcome, A to Z bloggers, visitors, and of course all my faithful regular readers! This year's theme for my A to Z:
Short & Sweet Reasons Why You Need an Editor

So without further ado . . .

Developmental editors love to talk about your stories. Really! If this doesn't give you an ego boost, I don't know what will.

No more searching for random cocktail parties to attend, hoping for the opportunity to discuss your latest WIP. (That's "work in progress" for all you cocktail-less nonwriters.) Developmental editors willingly meet with you to hear all about it, from concept to characters to drafts, as you describe the big picture.

In short, developmental editors actually want to read what you have, and they're pretty good about telling you how to make it better.

You don't even need to bribe them with quality hors d'oeuvres.

Please Don't Ask Me to Read Your Book

I'm an editor for indie authors. As such, I recognize how difficult it is for some of them to get book reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, so I'm careful to always leave a review when I read a book. If it's great, of course I want others to enjoy it, and if it's terrible, I want to warn people to save their money and time.

Most of my reviews tend to be favorable because I have a general idea of what I'm picking up before I start, either from friends' recommendations or my own pre-purchase research. Even if a book is cheapie-cheap, I'll still read the negative reviews to see if they mention anything that's important to me. I don't usually bother reading very many positive reviews, partly because so many reviewers include spoilers without realizing it, and partly because I expect a book to be good. If someone thinks it's not good, I want to know why.

People on Goodreads ask for reviewers all the time. This is a dubious practice, and "officially" there is to be no review swapping (because those boil down to give-me-five-stars-and-I'll-give-you-five-stars) but still . . . authors are constantly pimping a free e-copy if someone—anyone!—will pleasepleasepleaseprettyplease review their book. (Author Gisela Hausmann has a great post, "What Authors Can Learn from Car Salesmen," that gives some great tips on how to not beg/sound desperate.)

So when people ask for reviews on GR . . . if I haven't offered (and I'm obviously very active there) then I am not interested. Why am I not interested? After all, I do love reading and I always review what I read.

Well, in a few words, here's why. By asking me to review your book, you are putting me in the position of either looking like a jerk by saying no because I:

1. don't have time 
2. saw the reviews and know I won't enjoy it 
3. know from experience that most who ask on random forums have books with numerous issues, and I will be put into the uncomfortable position of saying it out loud

Or I say yes to be polite and then am forced—because I won't say yes and then not do it—to read and pay attention to details I might otherwise not. It's weird . . . I naturally remember details of books I've chosen to read, but have to concentrate on books not of my own choosing. Perhaps it comes from the occasional assigned reading at my day job, where we are expected to discuss what we've read. If I have to read a book someone's asked me to read, I read it as an editor, and can't shut that off. This is an odd curse, but that's what I deal with.

Dear stranger, basically you are asking me to work for you without being paid for it, and I have wasted a lot of time and energy doing things like this that I later regret. As a freelancer, I do a fair number of free evaluations for writers, and if they hire me, that's great, but if they don't, it's hours put in that don't pay off. It happens, and it's part of the free eval package.

Those ones I don't mind nearly as much, except for these stats—the ones who don't hire me are typically broken down into these portions: 10% are people who simply choose someone else—a better fit, for example, of a British editor for a UK writer, or those who are truly shopping around and looking for the best price, fit, and timing on the calendar—and the other 90% are people whose manuscripts are nowhere near ready for editing, much less publishing.

Those 90% still get the same thorough editing eval as anyone else, because I believe in being fair, and I want to be as thorough in my explanation as possible when I'm telling someone their book is not ready for editing. Perhaps I could be mean about it and simply tell them it's not ready, but if they don't know why, then it may never be ready. Or they'll find an unscrupulous editor who will take their money, fix misspellings and typos, and never tell them how bad the overall writing actually is.

Unfortunately, in my experience, many of the "read my book for review" people are still in the second-draft phase and don't know it because they've already gone and published. So yes, I'm being asked do work for them for free, even if they're not aware of it. I even added a (hopefully polite) "please don't ask me to read your book" portion to my Goodreads profile, because I get a slow-but-steady flow of requests that wax and wane around the timing of my posted reviews, and I always feel so uncomfortable when answering. I hate to be rude, but on the other hand, they're not exactly being polite by asking a stranger to do them a favor when there's been no previous relationship.

What are your thoughts on the "please read my book" crowd? I'm not looking for everyone to necessarily agree with me, but would genuinely enjoy your input on this one.

*****

If you like what you're reading, I invite you to fill out the "Follow by Email" widget in the column on the right. You'll get my amazing insights right in your inbox! How thrilling is that? Or you can follow me on Instagram (as easyreaderediting) for completely different content—check out all that stuff on the upper right of my page where the Instagram feed is scrolling merrily along. I also have an Easy Reader Editing Facebook page I'd love for you to like and follow. I'm on Google+ as myself (Lynda Dietz) and my "follow" badge is . . . you guessed it, right there in the right-hand column for you to click. I try to share different things in each place so  life doesn't get predictable and boring, and you never know what you'll find—or whether I'll be sharing YOUR posts, too.

Editor's Notes #16: How a Beta Reader Works

Today, I thought it would be nice to have an opinion other than my own for you to read. Don't get too used to it.

As much as I love the editing process, my specialty leans more toward line edits. I make sure your commas and semicolons don't get mixed up, I fix your odd quotation marks so they're all facing the proper way, and if you're using a homophone, I will ensure it's the correct one. But what about all the tweaking that happens before the manuscript comes to me? Sometimes a book has more global issues that need fixing. That's when a beta reader can come in handy.

There are those for whom beta reading simply means, "I'll read your book and tell you if it's good or not." Those are usually the people who want to read a book for free before anyone else sees it, and you probably want to avoid them. Other betas will give stronger, more specific opinions, or will answer a set of questions from the author. Many of them do the work for free because they love to read and have the time. The person you're hearing from today is a professional beta reader whose thoroughness rivals that of any developmental editor, and one of the few people whose work I trust completely enough to recommend. 

Allow me to turn things over to Sarah from Your Beta Reader.
[Note for 2018: Sarah is currently on hiatus as life does its thing, but as soon as she's available for recommendation again, you can bet I'm going to have her name all over the place.]

As a professional beta reader, I’d like to share with you a little of how I do my job. Why? Because maybe you can take something from my process for when you swap manuscripts with your author friends. Helping others and each other never hurt anyone, after all.

In my line of work, I see manuscripts in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they’re only a few chapters; sometimes I’m the last eye on a full manuscript right before it goes to the copyeditor. Each author has his own set of strengths and weaknesses along with his own process. Some need help when their MS is in the roughest shape, because they don’t like to spend time fixing something they’ll end up deleting. Others like me to double-check inconsistencies only. Either way, if I see something that needs addressing, I bring it up in my reports. It is my job, and if I don’t mention things, I’m doing my client a disservice. 

Once the report is in the author’s hands, it’s up to him to fix things or ignore me—or most importantly, ask for more outside opinions. If, on the other hand, you’re swapping with an author or just helping a friend out, I’d suggest you stick to what they ask of you, unless it’s something major. Overstepping is easy and is a fine line you don’t want to cross.

Here are some general steps I take as a beta reader when I’m working on a job:

• I take a full week when working on a manuscript, and I read it twice. During the first read-through, I make comments and notes along the way to make sure everything is answered or to remind the author what was brought up and never addressed again, as well as for me to understand the story. I take one or two days in between to clear my head from the story, and then I go back. On the second read-through, I’ll look for inconsistencies and make suggestions based on the ending that will help strengthen the story itself. 

• I keep notes for dates, timelines, names, descriptions, facts, etc., and I make sure to point out where they’re off in the MS so the author can fix them. The note includes a reminder of the options, along with page numbers, so the author doesn’t have to go looking. 

• I help identity any problems with the readability or saleabitity of a manuscript by keeping on top of what reviewers (especially the mean ones) are looking for. How? Well, we know they enjoy bashing the overuse of storylines, clichés, and overly perfect characters, etc. I read reviews, I read books for pleasure and for work, and I share my finds with my authors. 

• I pay attention to structure, POV, dialogue, show v. tell, and more. When dealing with structure, for example, if there are scenes that would make a bigger impact in another part of the MS, I’ll make a note and explain my reasoning behind it, and make suggestions of what can replace its original location. 

• I keep on top of characters’ personalities and make sure they’re staying true to themselves. For example, an OCD or neat freak, getting bad news while walking on the street wouldn’t start littering by throwing his coffee cup on the sidewalk because he’s now under stress. Some writers would think it might show just how stressed he is by acting with such opposite behavior, but wouldn’t it be more true to himself if he suddenly stopped and started picking up garbage off the street and putting them in the cans while processing his problems? Two birds, one stone (cliché intended)—but you’re showing and staying true to character this way. 

• Most importantly, when it comes to delivering feedback, I can be brutally honest . . . but tactful, always tactful. I’ve said this in the past, but its true: I’d like to think I’m a very sweet—but serious—defibrillator . . . I shock my authors with nice (truthful) praises until they’re too numb to know better when I’m gently crushing their hearts. Honestly, it’s tricky to find a balance between being too kind and being too cruel. In the end they really do need to hear the truth; that’s why I also bring up their strengths and make sure they know they’re on the right path.

There you have it. I hope my work process was helpful, or at the very least, interesting to read. Thank you for having me over, Lynda!

Editor's Notes #14: Do I Have to Listen to Every Suggestion?

Editors are paid to fix things.

Whether it's a misplaced comma, a misspelled word, or a complete overhaul on sentence structure, if we see a wrong, we need to right it or we can't sleep at night. My blog's tagline sums it up nicely:

I read books. I correct books. I read more books.

One of the beautiful things about self-publishing is that the author has creative control over every aspect of his work. Overall, this is a wonderful thing. He won't have a publishing house hacking his book to pieces or changing the story line because they think it would sell better if his hero was a twentysomething woman living in the city rather than a grizzled sixtysomething man who lives a reclusive life in the wilderness of Washington state. He won't have a cover designed for him that has no real connection to the book's contents or his own vision—though a quick look at lousybookcovers.com will show you why an expert is still needed, regardless of how you choose to publish. He won't lose the rights to his own work (or in some cases, his own profits) for a period of time.

The flip side of this is that some self-published authors don't see the value in constructive comments when it comes to their work. When designing a cover, an author may have an idea of what is desired, and the cover artist can present choices based on the author's vision, with tweaks here and there. Ultimately, though, if the cover artist says (just pulling a random example from nowhere), "No. Zebra stripes would NOT look good on this cover," then the author should trust that his cover artist has the eye and experience to know what he's talking about.

It's no different with an editor. The type of editing I do most often, copyediting, is pretty cut and dried when it comes to what gets changed and what doesn't. The punctuation is either correct or not. The subject and verb either agree or they do not. If something might be questioned, I make good use of margin notes to explain myself. The bottom line is this: I either know the rules or I look them up when in doubt. I'm paid to know.

I often dip my toes into the other end of the editing spectrum, though, and here's where the lines blur. I can't see something that needs changed and ignore it. I don't have the attitude that says, "They're not paying me to make the ideas flow; this job is a punctuation-only gig." I want the book to be seen favorably by the readers, and I would like to think it's a help to the author as well. If a character isn't staying true to himself and it's not part of the plot, I'll point it out and perhaps suggest an alternative. There have been times when I've said, "I know what you mean here, but I don't think this passage is conveying it very clearly. Maybe you could rephrase it this way . . ." or "This person is reacting pretty calmly, considering x and y just happened."

I'm happy to report that the authors I've worked with actually listen to me. Imagine that! They don't take every suggestion and run with it, and I try to only give ideas that are necessary, rather than changing things because that's how I would have told the story. But I've read an awful lot of books, and I can usually spot a cliché or overused plot device a mile away. If I tell a writer he may not wish to go a certain direction because too many people have done that same thing lately, I've done my part and he can choose to accept or reject that bit of advice.

That's the terrific thing about self-publishing: you can take or leave those suggestions and still come away with a product you're happy with. Rules are rules, and there aren't many ways of getting around them. Advice, though . . . if you trust the person offering it, you just might end up with something even better than you started with.

E = Editing Comes in Many Forms

Someone who's “looking for an editor” is most likely referring to the need for a copyeditor. There are, however, a few types of editors to choose from, and it’s best to know what you’re looking for if you want to get your publishing budget set up accurately.

Developmental editors work with you from the very beginning. If you have a concept or a great story idea but aren’t sure how to execute it, a developmental editor can help you organize your thoughts, give suggestions to aid your research, and help you get a handle on the big picture. They’ll spot when your writing isn’t clear, your characters are weak, when your plot has holes, and when timelines don’t add up properly.

Line editors/copyeditors come into play when the text is nearly final—or as final as an author can get it on his own. This type carefully reads each sentence, correcting structure, typos, spelling, punctuation, word usage, and grammar. They’ll alert you to stilted dialogue and inconsistent character details.

Proofreaders take the final look at your project. They ensure all the copyeditor’s changes were implemented, and fix any typos that may have been missed during the initial copyedit.

Each type of editing comes with its own price structure, so it’s best to know what you need before rushing right out there. Many authors think they only need a "light proof," but actually need a developmental editor for a manuscript that’s not yet ready for even the copyeditor. Know your strengths, but also recognize your weaknesses and set your budget accordingly.