Today I am addressing the topic of Manuscript editing.
After being in the book publishing business for many years now, I see one mistake made by authors over and over. And that is not getting their book edited by a professional. Often times, they think that having a friend or two read it is sufficient. However, unless those friends are professional proofreaders or book editors, this will not improve the quality of your writing.
In many cases, authors have submitted manuscripts that have a great storyline, but they fail to hit the mark in quality structure and this can hurt their reviews. It also makes it difficult for the publisher to market the book for professional reviews.
Your manuscript must be as close to perfection as possible. If not, the overly abusive critics on Amazon, the largest book distributor, will rip your book apart in reviews, and this will dramatically decrease sales. The reviews are so brutal on Amazon that authors are warned not to take them to heart. However, you need to avoid getting bad reviews in any way you can.
If you want to publish a high-quality book, whether it is self-published or you are planning to go the old school route of attempting to secure an agent that might land you a contract with one of the large publishing houses, you must have your manuscript professionally edited.
1) COPY EDITING:
A basic word-by-word edit that addresses grammar, usage, and consistency issues.
- Check for typographical errors, spelling errors, and consistency aspects, correction of grammatical and linguistic errors, attention to punctuations.
- A brief review to ensure accurate and consistent usage.
- Editing time: 8 to 10 business days
*Note: This is included in our publishing packages of Gold or higher.
2) LINE EDITING:
A more intensive structural edit that focuses on the finer aspects of language—the flow of ideas, transition elements, tone, and style. May require rewriting a sentence or an entire paragraph to make sure the whole thought is portrayed properly.
- Correction of awkward constructions and suggestions to make sentences crisper and tighter by fixing redundancy.
- Review of key aspects of the manuscript—the narrative, vocabulary, structure, characterization, style, and development.
- Editor’s notes and overall comments.
- Editing time: 2 to 4 weeks depending on the word count
*Note: This is not included in any of the packages except the Diamond Package.
Empire Publishing performs two rigorous rounds of editing. The first is mechanical using academic software and then personally by editors with a Degree in English/Literature.
Our editors will not change your original manuscript but will make recommendations for suggested corrections. The author receives these suggested edits via “track changes” in an edited version Microsoft Word file. We recommend submitting your manuscript as a Word 2007 for best results. It is your responsibility to accept or reject the editor’s recommendations and make those changes to your manuscript. Our goal is not to alter your story or voice, but to enhance it for the better.
The estimated time frame for most manuscripts on an average is approximately a week to two weeks depending on length and complexity.
Empire Publishing is here to help your book be as successful as possible. So please, do your book a favor and have it professionally edited.
~Sentiments from The Team at Empire Publishing
To purchase the service of editing click here: EDIT MY BOOK