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.

B = Beta Readers Are Your Friends

Think of beta readers as your pre-reviewers. Would you rather have a reader tell you—in a scathing review on Amazon for all the world to see—that your book has plot holes, typos, and awkward phrases? Or would you rather have a beta reader tell you—in a much gentler, more constructive fashion—prior to publishing?

Beta readers can be literal friends: people you know well, who are willing to take a look at your book and tell you what they think of it. Beta readers can also be strangers: perhaps fans of your previous work, if you’ve already published. They might simply be fans of the genre in which you’re writing, and love to see books before anyone else does. Either way, they’re your golden opportunity for honest feedback in order to iron out any problems prior to showing your work to the world.

Whether you use a paid beta or a freebie, keep in mind that the closer someone is to you emotionally, the harder it will be for them to tell you if there are flaws in your manuscript. Family and close friends are wonderful cheerleaders, but an uninvolved party will probably yield better results for the work itself.

Editor's Notes #5: The Importance of Beta Readers

Statler and Waldorf: two of the most popular Muppets ever, because they say the things we wish we could say. 






W: That was wonderful!
S: Bravo!
W: I loved it!
S: That was great!
W: Well, it was pretty good.
S: Well, it wasn't bad.
W: There were parts that weren't pretty good, though. 
S: It could've been a lot better.
W: I didn't really like it.
S: It was pretty terrible.
W: It was bad.
S: It was awful.
S & W: Terrible! Eh, boo!

As much as we might laugh at those two, I believe many authors are worried that having a beta reader might yield the same results. After all, beta readers are supposed to be brutally honest while they tell us everything that's wrong with our books, right? And we just know the focus is going to be on the "brutal" part. It's much easier on our hearts and more convenient overall to have our friends and family read our manuscripts. Nobody wants a stranger to tell them they stink.

Thankfully, good beta readers won't tell you that you stink. Allow me to adjust that a bit: good beta readers might tell you that you stink, but they'll do it in such a way that you want to take their suggestions and improve, rather than tell them not to let the door hit them on the way out.

Beta readers work much in the same way as substantive/content editors. A skilled beta reader will pay close attention to your plot and whether it held his attention. Is your voice consistent? How's the pacing? Did he force himself to keep reading?

I'm reminded of the people who are chosen for a movie's advance screening: they watch a completed movie and give feedback on its good points and bad points, what might have slowed down the action, whether the characters were likable, and whether the movie-watcher was willing to stay put with a full bladder because the story was too fascinating to leave the theater even for a moment.

Betas offer that same kind of feedback. And much like a movie screening, if enough people hit on the same problems/negatives, the author is forced to recognize that there may be an adjustment needed here and there. A good author will take the feedback, mull it over, and sift the objective truths from the opinions. A good beta will try to keep opinions out of the equation to the best of her ability.

The advantage of betas who don't charge a fee is obvious: it's free. One less thing on which to spend your money. The trick there is to find someone (or a handful of someones) you trust with your manuscript. I've heard authors complain that they've tried betas who didn't "get" their genre, or worse, who never gave an evaluation at all, basically using the "I'll beta for you" game to get free reads. I'm hoping this is not a frequent—or even regular—occurrence. 

The advantage of betas who evaluate for a fee: you will get an evaluation, and in some cases you'll get input similar to that of a content editor for a fraction of the cost. They know what to focus on without having to be guided through, although they're open to any specific things the author wants them to look for. I occasionally beta for people, though it's a challenge sometimes to take off the editor hat and ignore specifics in favor of the overall package. The disadvantage of a paid beta is that you don't get the eval for free, but to my eye, that seems to be the only disadvantage.

Authors, don't be afraid to use betas, whether paid services or free of charge. It's their job to keep things professional and to be as objective as possible, whereas using only family or friends as your betas may get you many attaboys but not nearly enough of the type of critique you may need. Doing the tough thing now might save you from having to face the tough critics later.

S: Boo!
W: Boooo!
S: That was the worst thing I've ever heard!
W: It was terrible!
S: Horrendous!
W: Well, it wasn't that bad.
S: Oh, yeah?
W: Well, there were parts of it I liked.
S: Well, I liked a lot of it.
W: Yeah, it was GOOD, actually.
S: It was great!
W: It was wonderful!
S: Yeah, bravo!
W: More!
S: More!
W: More!
S: More!

[Statler and Waldorf skits taken from actual Muppet Show transcripts.]

Editor's Notes #4: Do I Need a Substantive Editor?

When a writer sits down to put words on a page, he usually has some sort of idea of what he wants to write about. 

There are exceptions, to be sure, but as a general rule, the idea comes first when writing a book. Many authors describe a story as "knocking around" in their heads, or having characters wanting to tell their stories, not resting until the typing begins.

And as soon as it's on paper, it's off to the copy editor! Right?

What—no?

The copy editor is at the end of the line, not the beginning. Think of the copy editor as frosting on a cake, with a final proofreader as the sprinkles. You need a good cake with a good recipe before you can use the frosting . . . unless you're my husband, who thinks cake is only there so you can hold your frosting easier. But my husband isn't writing this post, so we'll stick with needing a good cake for now.

The recipe and delicious cake come in the form of a substantive editor, known in some publishing environments as a content editor because this type of editor checks the content you already have. 

How do you know if you need one? You can think of a substantive editor as your own writer's coach.

This editor is typically brought in during the earliest stages of writing, once you have a full text. If your chapters need re-ordered, or if facts just don't mesh, the editor will notice these things. If you're stuck with moving the plot from Point A to Point B smoothly, a content editor might point out a way to adjust some details so it can happen.

Some of the things a substantive editor looks for:

• Plot holes
• The reader should never be left wondering how something worked itself out, or how you connected the dots. It should be clear to all.
• Does it get going right away, making the reader want to keep reading?
• Some readers will only read the first few chapters before quitting if a book's beginning doesn't grab them; others won't go past the first chapter.
• Book length—what can be trimmed?
• If your debut novel is over 140k words, you may wish to split it into two books. Not only will the printing be cost-prohibitive, but many people don't want to invest that much time and money in an unknown author.
• Too many characters
• The reader can't remember why Walt the milkman is important, and perhaps he's . . . not.
• Weak characters
• Are they forgettable due to lack of personality? Are readers turning back pages to remind themselves of who someone is?
• A main character/hero who's a bit "too" heroic
• Perfect looks, chiseled abs, popular, billionaire, VIP job
• Is a character's behavior inconsistent?
• Does your tough-as-nails CIA agent turn into a puddle of goo when her personal space is invaded?
• Does the teen boy in your novel sound like a teen boy, or the way a middle-aged female author thinks a teen boy should sound?
• Do all your characters sound the same, or does each have a unique voice?  
• The voice in your head may change, but it needs to translate well in the text. The reader should be able to tell Sally from Sandy by their attitude and speech habits. 
• Is the dialogue believable? Can you picture yourself saying these things to someone and having it flow naturally?
• "I shall not fail you, Mother," may work well in a Howard Pyle novel or a Regency Romance, but that same phrase would be completely out of place in a contemporary novel set in Texas, USA.
• Contractions are fine. Really. Most people use them in everyday speech.
• Are your verbs strong or weak?  
• Using the proper verbs can help the reader to "see" the action better. "Racing out the door" is more specific than "leaving."
• Are you overusing adverbs or clichés?
• "Like a dog with a bone." "In a heartbeat." "With her heart in her throat."
• Is your setting accurate?
• People in the US don't refer to sweaters as "jumpers," nor sneakers as "trainers." Likewise, people in Australia don't say, "Y'all." Northern US people may refer to "barbeque" when cooking outdoors on a grill, but southern US people only use that word to describe seasoned pulled pork with tangy sauce added.

If you're writing historical fiction, your substantive editor may gently point out the obvious: that Julius Caesar could not possibly have been on the Mayflower. Or the subtle: the US Civil War began in 1861, not 1961. 

When I was in college, I had to write a short essay about a particular William Blake poem. At some point in the essay, I must have gotten pretty tired, because I began to refer to the poem's author as Henry Blake. Thankfully, my professor had a good sense of humor and gave me a good grade on the essay while laughingly pointing out that Henry Blake was on M*A*S*H. 

Oops.