What do you get back after your edit or proofread?
Category Archives: author
How much should I write?
One of the most frequently asked questions is: how long should my book be? This week, we’ll look at length (keep the jokes to yourself!).
My self-publishing journey: part one
This is going to be a little different from my normal blog posts. An occasional series of blogs, charting my journey to self-publishing. This isn’t my first self-publishing adventure: I first published in 2016. But now, having done lots of editorial training, I’m going back and re-releasing my first book.
How to save money and make your editor or proofreader happy
You’re a self-publishing author? You’re on a limited budget. You want to make the most of editing and proofreading.
Here are five simple ways that you can do to make the most of any editorial experience.
I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
Oh no! I’ve just realised thatfor the last eighteen chapters of misspelt the London Borough of Haringey as Harringay (a district within that same borough – it’s just asking for trouble isn’t it!).
Doing it proper: using capitals properly for people
We all know that names need capital letters. My name is Nick. See, there’s the capital ‘N’. I’m so important that I get a capital letter at the beginning of my name. That’s an easy example but it’s not always straightforward.
Genre: Does it matter?
Genre is a lovely way for your local bookshop, library or internet retailer to classify and sort books. But as a writer, does genre really matter? Does worrying about genre mean you will pigeonhole yourself?
Can you have the perfect manuscript?
Is getting your manuscript perfect stopping you from moving forwards with it? Is a fear of it “not being right” preventing you from submitting to agents and publishers or even self-publishing?
Here’s why the dream of “perfection” might be holding you back and why good enough, is good enough.
How to understand my editing
Editors and proofreaders all work ever so slightly differently, especially when working with Word documents. Here is a quick guide to what all the marks on your manuscript mean. If there’s anything that doesn’t make sense, is confusing, or you are unsure of, always ask. I am always happy to answer questions.
A Very Sweary Dictionary
When I’m editing or proofreading, I’ll use a variety of tools and reference materials in order to get things right. Along with spelling, one of the biggest things to watch for is hyphenation, closing up or opening up of words.
