Did you participate in the NaNoWriMo (Write a Novel in a Month) this November? Now what? Do you plan to trash it and chalk it up as experience? Or do you feel it is something worth publishing?<\/p>\n
If you hope to find a publisher or if you want to self-publish, there\u2019s still a stringent process you should follow before introducing your book to the world (or even to your niche readers). First, you\u2019ll want to go through the manuscript many, many times looking for mistakes and areas that would confuse the reader. A total or partial rewrite is almost always required, especially if you are new to writing. If you\u2019re not sure, let friends read your manuscript and listen to their candid comments. Next, you need to put your manuscript through a self-editing process. Here are some of the things you\u2019ll want to watch for:
\n\u2022\tPunctuation mistakes. It is now one space between sentences, for example. Many people have trouble using the apostrophe correctly and creating the em dash.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tRepeated words. Your writing is fresher when you vary your use of words and, by the way, the style and length of sentences.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tInstances where you use the wrong person or place name. Often, authors decide to change a character\u2019s name or the name of a place in midstream. Be sure to make the change throughout the manuscript. <\/p>\n
\u2022\tClich\u00e9s. While one of your characters might rely on clich\u00e9s in his dialogue, you\u2019ll want to keep your writing fresh.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tInconsistencies in your story or your way of presenting it.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tMuddy writing, run-on sentences and other such problems.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tFor a novel, avoid telling the story\u2014you want to show it through action and dialog.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tFor nonfiction, make sure your organization is logical and easy to follow.<\/p>\n
Once you have corrected everything you know how to correct through your self-editing process, turn your manuscript over to an experienced book editor. This does not mean your former high school English teacher or a co-worker who is good with words. Hire a book editor to do your final edit. And plan to pay him or her somewhere in the neighborhood of $800 to $3,000, depending on the project\u2014length of manuscript, problems occurring in the manuscript and so forth.<\/p>\n
FYI, I edit book manuscripts and I can help you fine-tune your book proposal. (Why do you need a book proposal? Find out in tomorrow\u2019s blog post.) I will give you a sample edit on a few pages and an estimate (FREE). If you like free, download my FREE ebook, 50 Ways to Prepare for Publishing Success. This is an excellent follow-up to this blog post. http:\/\/www.patriciafry.com<\/a> <\/p>\n For your FREE sample edit and estimate, contact me, Patricia Fry, here: PLFry620@yahoo.com <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Did you participate in the NaNoWriMo (Write a Novel in a Month) this November? Now what? Do you plan to trash it and chalk it up as experience? Or do you feel it is something worth publishing? If you hope to find a publisher or if you want to self-publish, there\u2019s still a stringent process […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10,4],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t