With every first book, there’s a first manuscript. Before you even think about publishing your book, it must be presented in the best possible way. You need an editor! I cringe when I see self-publishers claim they’ll just edit their book themselves. Please don’t do that. I empathize with those authors though; book editors are expensive. After editing my first book,  Door to California; I learned just how labor intensive editing is.

I most certainly did get an editor, but by chance. She was a rookie. We were able to work out a price that was fair and feasible for both of us. I think my book was the first full novel she’d edited, so I knew right away that I had my work cut out for me. When your budget is tight, you must figure out what specifically you need your editor to do. If they’ll be doing a lot, then expect to pay a lot. For me, I needed someone to edit basic grammar, and help with story line consistency. I just needed an extra pair of eyes really, which is what I got. My editor was also the demographic I was writing for. It was a win win on my part. I figured that if I’m writing a novel based on a young woman, then it would only help that my editor was one too. She caught things that I missed, and edited for a modern mindset.

When you write your first book, that’s when you’ll be able to cultivate your own unique editing process. For me, I do the manuscript, then send the RM (Raw Manuscript) to my editor. My editor sends it back with corrections, suggestions, and notes. I then update the manuscript, making it the final edit. This is what I refer to as the “Final Read” edit, where she/he just reads for last minute grammar, consistency, and suggestions. It’s not as intense as the first edit.

While she’s doing that, I will simultaneously be doing what I call a “Listening Edit,” where I put the manuscript into a text-to-talk. Doing this checks for flow; making sure it sounds the way I want it to, for emphasis, suspense, and so on. By the time the editor is done with the ‘Final Read’, that’s when I’ll be done with my text-to-talk (probably way before that). When the editor gives back the Final Read, it should have little to no major edits. I’ll compare it with my notes from the text-to-talk, then voila! Done.

You have to give yourself some kind of discipline and restraint. Honesty, I’ve read about people editing their book to no end; throwing out manuscripts, then starting over, editing at least 15 times, etc. But why? I personally believe that if you’re a writer…then you know how to write. You can edit a book many times, but at what point will you be releasing it? All that fuss over grammar and this or that, when the real focus needs to be on THE STORY. What I’m saying is that you have to put your foot down with the editing and give yourself a limit. When you set standards, then you’ll push yourself to meet them. Stop allowing wiggle room to mess up, and just buckle down and shoot for excellence. You may not always be perfect, and you might even miss something here and there, but as long as your story is carried out the way it should be, then that’s enough. This anxiety has got to stop! People hold off on releasing their book because of how labor intensive editing is, when ultimately, it takes time to get it right. Your first book is the key to developing your will and style as an author. Your discipline, work ethic, and quality is something that will build muscle over time; if you’re willing to put in the work. Do the best job you can and get your work out there!