The copy edit is
clean up work. Once the manuscript is complete you become more concerned with
punctuation, grammar and style. Now is the time to make your information more
readable.
There is no such thing as a publishable first draft.
—William Targ, bookseller, collector, editor and publisher.
There
is nothing wrong with unpolished writing, but there is no excuse for not having
it cleaned up by an editor. Hire a wordsmith, a grammarian, a picky English
pro. Look for them in the Yellow Pages under "writing". Ask for them in places
where people work with words: check writing clubs, local colleges and ask at
photocopy shops (or see the sidebar in this article). Interview several editors
and get referrals from satisfied customers.
The editor returned the
manuscript and the pages were filled with red marks. Attached was an apologetic
note saying, “I am sorry for the mess but I thought you would want to know
about the errors.” The author called the editor and thanked her. “I
would much rather that you find the mistakes now than have my readers find them
later.”
When you publish a book, it's the world's book. The world
edits it. —Philip Roth, New York Times Book Review.
I trust my
editors. To save time, I send the file attached to email rather than the
manuscript on paper. That way I do not have to enter the corrections to the
manuscript. The editor edits and corrects at the same time.
Each book
presents a different challenge. Some require punctuation corrections while
others demand a rewrite. According to Brenner Information Group, editors
average sixty-one hours of work per book. Yes, editing is a rewording activity.
Editing and Proofreading Quinn’s Word For Word, Robin
Quinn, 10573 West Pico Blvd. #345, Los Angeles, CA 90064. Tel: (310) 838-7098;
quinnrobin@aol.com.
Media + (Media Plus), Judith Kessler, 828 Westbourne
Drive, West Hollywood, CA 90069. Tel: 310-360-6393; Fax: 310-360-0093;
jude001@earthlink.net.
Your book is a member of your family. You want
the very best for it. Give it a checkup and dress it well so you can be a proud
parent.
Dan Poynter does not want you to die with a book still
inside you. You have the ingredients and he has your recipe. Dan has written
more than 100 books since 1969 including Writing Nonfiction and The Self-
Publishing Manual. For more help on book writing, see
http://ParaPub.com. © All
Rights Reserved.
