Book Editing Process

What follows on this page is a long and detailed discussion of the rigorous editing process I engage in if you retain me as your editor. This is a very serious commitment on both our parts. (Pricing is below.) You need to understand exactly what it is I do to help you vastly improve your book manuscript if you engage me to be your personal, professional editor. Over the many years in which I have edited dozens of book manuscripts, I have always had as an objective explaining as clearly as I can what my rigorous editing process is so we have a meeting of the minds as to how we will be working together. Our goal is to revise your manuscript so that its quality is substantially improved to give you a much-improved shot at being well-published.

Novel and Nonfiction Manuscript Publishing: Some Background

What I write below about editing your book manuscript focuses on the two main different routes to book publishing success. Both of these are perfectly acceptable as ways to realize the publication of your book.

Route 1: Traditional Publishing. The first route is finding a literary agent who will take you on and represent your book to acquisition editors at traditional publishers. If a publisher buys your book, they will pay you an amount up front, then pay you royalties on sales once the book sales reach a certain minimum. The traditional publishers sill market hard cover and paperback books. You can find your books in traditional brick-and-mortar bookstores as well as online bookstores at websites such as Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.
Route 2: Self-Publishing. The second route is self-publishing through the online bookstores. This often involves your having an arrangement with the online bookstores for the ‘print on demand’ (POD) of your book as orders are placed for your book. Some authors make separate arrangements for the printing of their books or choose to offer their books only in e-book format.

In the past — when I began my novel-writing career — the only really legitimate way to get a book published was through the traditional route of finding a literary agent who would then find a publisher to buy your book. The book industry has changed radically now, however, and you can find many examples of authors who began modestly by self-publishing then realized enormous success when either a traditional publisher picked up their books or they continued to self-publish, realizing higher royalties than they would through a contractual relationship with a traditional publisher. You may find some examples of national and international bestselling novels and nonfiction self-published books HERE.

Regardless of which path you take, your manuscript is going to fail if it doesn’t meet commercial standards for what the book-reading public believes it should be.

Working with Literary Agents. I do strongly encourage you to give finding a literary agent a real shot first, even if you later decide to self-publish. Agents will try to sell your book to traditional publishers who have the financial resources to acquire the publishing rights to your book. They also have a dedicated salesforce to represent your book to traditional bookstore chains and the wholesalers who serve independent bookstores. They also have in-house resources to develop marketing materials to help promote your book. If you are going to pitch your book to literary agents in the hope of representation, you only have one shot with an agent. And the agent has only one shot with a publisher. It’s certain death with an agent if your manuscript does not meet the standards for a commercially successful book. It does take some time, of course, to identify and communicate back and forth with potential appropriate agents. (As part of engaging me to edit your manuscript, I will provide you with a draft literary agent query to help you prime the pump in making those industry contacts; more information can be found HERE.)

Get a Candid Assessment. If you are reading this, you are likely at the point where you realize you need to be candid with yourself about the state of your manuscript. You certainly cannot — should not — rely upon the opinion of your family or friends. They don’t represent the views of the book industry and they may not represent the views of the wider book-reading public.

What I Do and How My Editing Differs From the Others

The following is much more detailed information about my editing process. I discuss first the Structural Edit (The ‘Big Fix’), then my ‘Copy Edit Plus.’

Structural Editing - The Big Fix

Unique Qualifications. There are very, very few people who can do the kind of editing I do. That's because I've worked the process from both sides of the desk — as both editor and as a highly successful author. Done correctly, this is very demanding work, requiring a professional who has absolute confidence in making the kinds of edits — recommending cuts, additions, revisions, moving sections around, if necessary — that agents and publishers expect before they even lay eyes on a manuscript. Frankly, it's hard, sometimes very messy work, and that's probably why other editors either don't do it or don't do it well. But the key reason you will want me to edit your manuscript is that I bring my sensibilities and skills as an accomplished writer to the process.
Key Edits. As I mentioned before, the Structural Edit is where the big fixes are made. What I do during this phase of the editing process is address issues of plot structure, scene development, character development, viewpoint, physical setting, and narrative style. I also address issues such as overwriting and over-reliance on exposition, and a large number of other issues that depend on the specific manuscript.
Extremely Detailed Edits on What to Fix. My structural editing process begins with a very close read of your manuscript. I make notes in the margins of your (Microsoft WORD) manuscript, and then write copious, detailed suggestions to you. These comments are highly specific and are the key to my entire editing process of your manuscript. These suggestions are incorporated into a typed document that typically range from 10-15 pages, depending on the manuscript length and extent of issues to be edited. I will in this document give you examples of how to fix recurring problems and tell you where to make the revisions. This document will tell you exactly what revisions you need to make to fix the big problems in preparation for the final phase of editing — the copy-editing and polishing process.
Easy-to-Follow Written Instructions. The notes include detailed instructions as to what needs to be fixed on a page-by-page basis. Before that, I provide preliminary comments concerning the major issues so that you understand the problem and the scope of the issue. I will highlight in yellow on your electronic book manuscript (MS-WORD file) specific sentences to which I refer in my notes so that you can see exactly where the edits need to be made. You then incorporate the suggested edits into the manuscript and return the MS-WORD manuscript to me for a copy edit. Sometimes I must suggest that you cut sections, move sections, or add sections to your manuscript.
Need for a Professional Manuscript with Commercial Potential. Keep in mind that no publisher is interested in taking on a novel that needs a lot of work. They want a novel that requires minimal revision. (Of course, publishers can have an honest difference of opinion and an editor to which you will be assigned at the publish will want to put her own impression onto your novel, which is appropriate, as they are the ones investing tens, or hundreds of thousands of dollars in publishing and promoting a book.)
If you make the revisions I suggest, you will have a very well-crafted manuscript that a publisher will be much more likely to view as a sound investment — a novel or nonfiction book that will actually sell and make money for both the publisher and yourself. And that's when offers are made to first-time writers.

Copy Editing PLUS - Professional Polish

My intention in doing the next important phase of editing your manuscript — copy editing — is to help elevate your writing to a polished product.

Copy Editing from a Successful Author’s Perspective. In copy editing, I distinguish myself from the dozens of others at this critical phase by applying a craft honed by over 25 years as a highly successful author. I know exactly what publishers' expectations are when looking for the next novel or nonfiction book they want to publish. Not only should there be no major problems to be fixed, but the manuscript must exhibit a high degree of professional polish that sets it apart from all the other first-time books they are being pitched. Submitting a virtually error-free, well-formatted manuscript is no longer enough. The writing must sparkle without even a hint of amateurism. If I copy edit your manuscript, I'll put into it the exact same level energy and care that I put into my own writing.
Professional ‘Polish.’ I not only fix obvious problems of inadvertent typos, punctuation errors, misspellings, and page formatting, but I do what I term a "very light polish" (as required) to improve sentence structure, diction, and clarity. Be assured that my copy editing is always done with a view toward maintaining your individual voice as a writer. Also know that — by this point in the editing process — I will likely have already instructed you on making corrections to any recurring copy edit mistakes that run throughout your manuscript. An enormous amount of copy-edit mistakes and ‘polish’ issues are actually dealt with during the Structural Edit phase if the mistakes occur throughout the manuscript.
Copy Edits Directly to Manuscript. When I copy edit your novel I will actually go into the electronic manuscript and make the changes to your WORD document file. The result of this process is two electronic documents: one which shows you exactly what changes I made (including typically the hundreds of line-by-line editorial revisions), and a second which incorporates the changes into a final manuscript ready to print.

When you get to this phase of your manuscript editing, wouldn't you like to have a New York Times bestselling author polishing it before you send it off for your one shot at a literary agent or publisher? Alternatively, don’t you want to have the confidence to know that the manuscript be ready for self-publishing?

Timing

I take on new clients on a first-come, first-served basis, reserving places in the editing queue with the receipt of the checks (see the ‘Fees and Payment’ section below). The turnaround time varies, depending on what projects are already scheduled, but very generally I can return a major structural edit in around a month from when I receive it; the copy edit usually requires a bit less time. It is critical that I be able to do the best job possible for you, so I ask your patience if I must take a bit longer than this or if I am already committed to work on another manuscript which came in first.

Fees & Payments

My fee to do the Structural Edit is $75 per thousand words up to 100,000 words, then an additional $50 per thousand words for anything over 100,000 words. (The Copy Edit Plus is a bonus I provide to you and does not figure into the fee.) I will confirm the word count with you after receiving the MS-WORD document to review before providing you with my quote to edit.
I have a minimum $3,000 fee for manuscript editing, regardless of word count.
Note! The editing fee not only includes free Copy Editing Plus but includes my providing to you free a draft agent query letter, details which are discussed HERE. I also provide free a list of six literary agents which I’ve researched who might be interested in receiving your query letter.
Three examples of calculating the editing fees:
- For a manuscript of 50,000 words: 50,000/1,000 = 50; so 50 x $75 = $3,750
- For a manuscript of 80,000 words: 80,000/1,000 = 80; so 80 x $75 = $6,000 total fee.
- For a manuscript of 35,000 words: 35,000/1,000 = 35; so 35 x $75 = $2,625 but the minimum editing fee is $3,000, so the total fee would be $3,000.
- For a manuscript of 125,000 words: 125,000/1,000 = 125 (or 100+25). The calculation is (100 x $75) + (25 x $50) = $7,500 + $1,250 = $8,750 total fee.
The way I structure the fees/production schedule is payment in two parts. Clients send me two checks equal to half the total fee. (For example, if the total project editing fee is $4,200, you would send two checks, each for $2,100.) I then cash the first check when I begin the Structural Edit, and cash the second when I email you the detailed Structural Edit notes.
On very rare occasions, I will need to increase the above fee for a quote because of a significant amount of extra work that will be required, but you will receive a firm quote on the front end.
Remember: if you have engaged me for a manuscript Evaluation prior to moving ahead with a Structural Edit, I will deduct the $275 Evaluation fee from the Structural Edit fee.

My Expert Editing Process: Summary

A critical question for an aspirant author who has completed a book manuscript: Why would you want to send literary agents something that's not been professionally edited? Why would you want to self-publish a manuscript that has not been frankly assessed by an industry expert?

The editing process — done right — is a complex, demanding, lengthy process. It's important that you understand what's involved before you commit to it.

First, for some definitions. There are two types of editing I do when I work with a writer. These edits are sequential:

Structural Editing. This is what some clients refer to as ‘book doctoring,’ where I fix the big issues with the manuscript. For a novel manuscript, this relates to plot structure, scene development, character development, viewpoint, physical setting, narrative style, and a large number of other issues that relate to problems with the specific manuscript at hand. The book doctoring also addresses issues such as overwriting, over-reliance on exposition and many more critical elements of novel-writing. For a nonfiction manuscript, the different elements to be edited depend upon the specific type of nonfiction work. This is without doubt the most critical phase of editing. More about this below.
Copy Editing PLUS. This phase follows the Structural Edit. Submitting a manuscript with inadvertent typos, punctuation errors, misspellings, page-formatting mistakes, or poor sentence structure will mean ‘sudden death’ when a manuscript lands on a professional reader's desk at a literary agency or publisher. The problem is, you as the writer are too close to your own work to see the things that are glaringly obvious to someone else.

How to Begin the Process

The first thing to do is send me — via my CONTACT page — an introduction to yourself, including what your book is about and the approximate word count. I will at that point likely ask you to email me a copy of the manuscript in confidence in Microsoft WORD format so that I can see exactly what the state of the manuscript is. From there, I will send you a formal proposal. If you agree, you would then send me a signed copy of the proposal (electronically), and mail the two checks. From there, I will begin the process of editing your manuscript!

Please note: I do not do ‘sample edits.’ I have many years as a highly successful writer and editor, and — common to all professionals — I stand on my professional credentials and accomplishments. I am, however, very happy for you to engage me to do a preliminary manuscript evaluation, as described below.

Manuscript Evaluation Service

Some clients take a preliminary step by asking me to perform an Evaluation of their manuscript before beginning the full Structural and subsequent Copy Edit. If you go that route, I’ll deduct that Evaluation fee from your quote for the full Structural Edit and Copy Edit Plus. If you’d like to get started by first asking me to evaluate your manuscript, just click HERE to find out more about the details of this service.

Some Final Thoughts - Contact My 'Competition'!

Please note: I do not do ‘sample edits.’ My credentials — my very many years as a successful book editor and my being a New York Times bestselling author — indicate my level of expertise. I would not ask a lawyer to perform a ‘sample contract’ or a doctor to perform a ‘sample diagnosis’ or ‘sample surgery.’ If you wish to take on an editor without these credentials, that is a personal choice you must make. If you wish to engage a proven professional to work on your important project, I would love to hear about your book.

I strongly encourage you to contact other manuscript editors to determine their background and pricing. You'll find that I'm not the least expensive — and that's something I'm perfectly comfortable with because I don't differentiate my professional editing services on the basis of price but on extraordinary quality. I am completely confident that I will be the professional at the top of your list to edit your book and give you a shot at finding a literary agent to represent you and secure your first publishing deal. Alternatively, you’ll have a vastly improved manuscript which you may have decided to self-publish as have many very successful first-time authors.

I'm going to share some facts with you that almost certainly you will not hear from any other so-called ‘book editors.’ The type of editing I do requires much more work and a much greater degree of professional expertise than the vast majority of editors possess. Sorry, but that's the absolute truth, and I'll stand by that assertion.

The vast majority of the dozens of people who claim they can edit your book really only do some version of copy-editing. That's because they are only really qualified to do copy-editing. Practically speaking, they want to take the easy route of simply going through your manuscript, correcting errors in the existing text, without addressing the types of issues that will immediately earn a (well-deserved) form rejection letter.

The work required for a major edit of a novel or nonfiction book manuscript is rigorous and can be lengthy. Some of my so-called competition claim to do ‘developmental’ editing which is a more in-depth approach than copy or line editing, but it is nothing like the rigorous approach I take. For my own book writing, I often spend more time editing my book drafts than it took me to research, plan, and write the draft. I have learned to be ruthless with my manuscripts, even if it means cutting ‘precious’ writing or cutting or re-writing favorite novel sections. I give you the exact advice that I would give myself.

It's imperative that you understand that copy-editing your manuscript alone will definitely not properly prepare your book for review by agents and publishers, and is insufficient for self-publishing. If any freelance editor recommends only copy editing to get your book into shape before you pitch it to the publishing world, he or she is likely not being honest with you.

Doing a copy edit only is almost always a complete waste of your money as it doesn't address fundamental flaws that might be inherent in your book from page one. These flaws prevent your manuscript from getting serious consideration from agents and publishers or ruin the chances of being well-received as a self-published project.

Keep in mind that hardly any other book editors have themselves been published by one of the major publishers, and I am unaware of any other book editor who is a New York Times bestselling author who knows what it takes to write and edit a bestseller — from the author’s perspective. I understand intimately what you have gone through to produce your book, and I understand intimately what it takes to make a major revision to elevate a manuscript to the highest level.

Why don’t we begin a conversation about your draft manuscript?