All About Editing Presented at the San Diego Infinity Publishing Authors' Day Conference January 25, 2008 All About Editing  By LinDee Rochelle   Em the Editor wants you to know…    Why do you need an independent editor? You’re knowledgeable in proper grammar and punctuation, isn’t that enough?             In nearly all cases, no. You’re too close to it. You’ve been teasing it, babying it, living it; and you know how “love is blind”? Even “setting it down and picking it up again” an hour, day, or week later, generally won’t allow you to see through the forest of familiar words and phrases. Face it, you know what’s coming … and it doesn’t scare you!             Even you computer-savvy writers, who use Word’s “find/replace” feature, will likely find it isn’t infallible and can ignore some changes; and we won’t even get into its spelling and grammar features! In a long piece like a book, you’re just asking for errors until someone who has never read it, and has expertise in editing, can spot the inconsistencies—and be honest.   My mother, father, sister, brother, pretty much everyone in the family and my best friends, are all teachers, professors, or authors—they’ve offered to do it for me. I don’t need a costly, independent editor.             Ah, contraire, m’dear! A couple of reasons why these wonderful people should not be the only means of editing your book:                  Love ‘em though you do, most likely your family members, et al, are not trained to spot the intricate and sometimes obscure, but important details.                  And do you really want to put them in the vicarious position of utter honesty? An independent editor will be more forthright and not worried that you won’t love them any more if they tell you the truth.            Misspellings and typos—yes, in spite of your trusty spellchecker—to lack of developmental structure can cause a book's demise before it even gets a real life. If funds permit, I would even suggest you may need more than one editor. And remember, a good editor makes your voice stand out, not muffle it in their own personality.    How do I know what type of editing I need?             Ah, confusion reigns! And Confucius say, “Research your editor.” OK, well maybe he didn’t really say that but I bet he would have if he were trying to publish a book today! Types of editing also tend to blur more than a photo taken with a shaky hand. A proofreader often offers a tad more, becoming a basic copyeditor. A copyeditor can be trained enough to provide a little content editing … we are so multi-talented these days! So knowing who does what is helpful, not only in selecting an editor for expertise, but in knowing the going rate you should pay.             FIRST & FOREMOST: What “flavor” is your book? Mmmmmm, PEANUT BUTTER! Great—now make sure your editor LOVES peanut butter! She needs to know all about the sticky stuff—how it looks, acts and tastes. An editor may be excellent in the mechanics of editing, however, if she knows nothing about peanut butter, but everything about oranges, look for another editor—the one with peanut butter stuck to the roof of her mouth. In other words, make sure your editor is familiar and experienced in editing the type of book you’ve written.      Taking that premise one step further—technical tomes, historical stories, and perhaps SciFi novels, just to name a few—may require special expertise that will cause you to fork out a few $$ more, either for a specific topic editor, or for a general editor with related experience.             For many books and writings however, a good copyeditor, with “enhanced” skills, might suffice. Some capsulated, standard editing types:   Proofreading            Not truly editing … but always needed to iron out the obvious kinks before sending to your editor. (This is something your knowledgeable family, friends and colleagues might want to help with, too). It simply takes care of "most" of the typos (it's so difficult to get every last one), obvious misspellings, etc.   Copyediting (a.k.a. Mechanical editing; Line editing)      Follows “house style” (for traditional publishers and good, author-originated publishers)—ask what that is and agree on variations.            In part: capitalization punctuation                   spelling                   hyphenation                   tables and lists/formats                   use of abbreviations                   some attention to grammar, syntax and basic usage            Look for a sample style sheet on the website soon.   Manuscript editing                  Broad term used for any book or manuscript editing service.   Content editing              Closely related to Substantive editing (below), add paragraph structure, pattern of the text and overall flow. Non-fiction books and novels with complex plots especially benefit from this type of editing.   Substantive editing              More involved than copyediting, again generally following the line-by-line method and generally includes organization and arrangement of existing content, rephrasing, an eye for ambiguities, and offering comments toward simplifying.   Developmental editing             Tends to be a writing coach and teacher, often working with an author who may not be a terrific writer, but has a great story or knowledge to share. May begin working with the author at the beginning and guide her all the way through, as an integral contributor.   Format editing             Are your lines on straight? This type of formatting ensures your book is consistent with your headings, page setup, and overall “look” of the text (especially beneficial for self-published and author-originated books when you are frustrated by Microsoft’s complex word processing).             LR Note: Please do not submit your book to an editor in chapters as you go—even if they say, “Well, OK.” They don’t mean it … believe me, I know … it is too piecemeal to easily maintain a cohesive hold on the flow.   How do I find a reputable and knowledgeable editor?             With the Internet as their billboard, they’re everywhere! Key words are “reputable” and “knowledgeable.” Best way? REFERRALS. Ask other authors who write in your genre about the editor they used and if pleased with the results. Some additional tips if you have to research: ~ Ask for references. ~ Request a sample of their editing on a couple pages, up to a chapter of your book, so you will know if you’ll be happy with their style. ~ Do they have an organized and detailed website? (A good sign that they will be meticulous with their work, too.)   How much should I expect to pay for editing?             At this time, 2¢ to 3¢ per word (up to approx. 5-10¢) is average for proofing, copyediting and some content editing; and escalates from there. Some editors charge by the page. Be wary of those who charge by the hour—although in their Common Rates for Editorial Services, the Editorial Freelancers’ Assoc. website (see Resources) gives a comprehensive list of average rates, generally by the hour. They also, however, include what the (average) estimated time should be; this is when you definitely want references to validate your editor’s competence and integrity. It’s still recommended to pay by the word or page. (Copyediting is $20-$50/hr., at 2-10 pgs./hr.)             FYI: Infinity Publishing’s current copyediting rate is VERY reasonable at only $  .013 (1.3¢) per word J.             Tip: Always create an agreement between you and your editor, to clarify not only the $ amount and length of time allotted, but specific type of editing expected and what you prefer they don’t do.   What is Infinity Publishing’s editing process and how does it differ from an independent editing service?             Infinity’s copyediting is not only less expensive than many independent and publisher-provided editing services, but also may blend into some basics of content editing. In-house editors are top-notch and take pride in helping your book publishing experience be truly terrific.   What can I do to make my book better?             Create a style sheet – it doesn’t need to be as involved as an editor’s, but it will certainly help keep you on a straight course while writing your book. You may want to indicate:                         how you treat lists                         what words are unusually capitalized                         technical terms                         specific formatting requirements                         word list (i.e., email vs. e-mail/all hyphenated words)                         what style reference books are used                         any uncommon word treatments; unusual figures of speech             Look for a sample style sheet on the website soon.               And stay informed about changes in grammar and punctuation styles—changes are not always obvious, but can take you by surprise. A few years ago I had allowed a couple of years to elapse before upgrading my edition of the AP Stylebook—I soon learned we were no longer to insert two spaces at the end of each sentence … sheesh! What if I hadn't invested in a current copy?   Having your book professionally edited is the angel-white icing on your devil’s food cake--how sweet it is!     Resources:   Author Nation (Internet community): www.AuthorNation.com             Ask an Editor forum moderated by Emily Lawless, Infinity Copyeditor (extraordinaire!)   My Book’s Published—Now What??? (2008, Infinity Publishing) By John F. Harnish, with Jane M. Martin.           See article, “Better Late Than Never—Why Your Book Quietly Begs You for a Professional Editor,” by Infinity Copyeditor, Emily Lawless.   Infinity Publishing: www.InfinityPublishing.com             List of independent editing sources: click on “Author Resources / Recommended Book Professionals”—resources we are comfortable in referring to you.   Penchant for Penning / LinDee Rochelle: www.PenchantForPenning.com             Writing, editing & PR consultant: Where writing and editing is an art form.   Para Publishing / Dan Poynter: www.ParaPublishing.com             Links to suppliers to the publishing industry—hand selected as great resources for you.   Editorial Freelancers’ Association http://www.the-efa.org/res/rates.html   Bay Area Editors’ Forum (Berkeley, CA) www.editorsforum.org/forum_index_articles/editing_02-04-99.php