HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON EDITING

Getting your book edited on a budget

So, you’ve searched around and discovered that this editing thing can cost you at least your big toe if not an arm and a leg. It’s daunting to get out the calculator, and you may be trying to convince yourself that you don’t really need an editor. The fact is everyone needs an editor. Even editors need editors. The work of the best writers in the world has gone through many revisions. But if you have time to invest, you can be frugal when it comes to your editing budget. Here’s how:

• Read what you wrote and write an outline from it.

  Even if you already have a table of contents, make sure that your work actually adheres to it and that your thoughts are in order on the page.

• Make sure your headings are consistent. 

  Do you have some chapter titles centered and others not? Are all your subheadings in the same font size? To do this you can use the heading styles in Word or customize your own.

• Do a search and replace for double spaces.

  They always sneak in there. Repeat this until no more are found. (This takes care of spots where there were three or more spaces.) 

• Clean up your citations yourself. 

  This one is huge. It can take an editor hours to change the order, publication dates, author names, etc. Decide which style you will use (Chicago, APA, MLA, etc.) and go through them. Your editor will love you for it too!

• Run spell check. 

  You’d be surprised how often we see manuscripts that need a simple spell check. Make sure the language setting is correct for you—not US English when what you want is UK English—and that you turn the grammar setting on. Granted, it is often incorrect, but it can point out some mistakes to you so your editor doesn’t have to.

• Run PerfectIt. 

  This is a super helpful program and you can get a free 14-day trial version and run a whole manuscript through it. It finds things like peace-keeping hyphenated on page 2 but not on page 222.

• Keep a style sheet. 

  It will make life easier for you and your editor if you keep track of your preferences. You can keep word lists so that you remember things like how to spell that 12 letter Polish last name and that the movie E.T. must have periods, along with A.1. Sauce. 

• Have a friend or two read it. 

  There are benefits to paying for a beta reader. But if you’re sure your relationship can handle it, you can ask a friend or acquaintance to give your manuscript a read-through. Look for people who are like your target reader, are well-read in your genre, articulate, and honest. Choose a person whose advice you will take, and then make the changes.

• Read it out loud. 

  Slowly. Every word.

• Look for repetition and cut it.

  Be it word, phrase, or idea; say something well once and be done with it.

• Look for filler words and phrases and nix them.

  You can usually leave out things like very, really, just, that, I believe (We know you do, that’s why you’re writing it.), and I remember (We gathered that.).

• Try to suss out any mistake you make frequently throughout.

  You can get a free trail membership to Chicago Manual of Style online to help you find answers, but don’t worry about every detail, just the ones that come up often in your writing.

  • If your manuscript has many words that are capitalized, be sure they are supposed to be.

  • If you use quotes for things other than dialog, be sure about that decision.

  • Don’t use single quotation marks (US English). If you need them your editor will add them.

  • In US English the punctuation goes inside the quotation marks. “Like this.”

  • If your work mentions things like song names, movies, book titles, TV shows, or the like, check how to style them.

• Be flexible with timing. 

  You don’t want to have to pay a rush fee. Give yourself the time to get a few sample edits from editors. When you find one who fits you and your budget be willing to wait to get on her schedule.

•  When you find an editor you work well with stick with them.

  They may be able to offer a discounted rate for subsequent work or give you priority in their schedule. They will be able to work more efficiently on your manuscripts because they know your writing.