A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: To Hire (or Not) an Editor before Submitting a Book Proposal with Sample Chapters

 

photo by Frank Perez


Because we work with first-time authors, we often receive book submissions that are clear they would have benefitted from a professional edit. Yes, we edit, but when it is clear that the task will be immense, we are not interested in taking on the book.

You may not need to hire an editor if:

  • You have professional writing experience.
  • You have a friend or acquaintance who is an English teacher, editor, or something similar.
  • You were the star in your college English class in short story writing, advanced composition, or the like.

Most new authors can benefit from a professional editor if they can afford one. (If not, then find a friend to help.) A professional editor can give your manuscript the edge among the vast number of manuscripts received. 

  • An editor can, of course, find your typos and grammatical errors, but so can a good computer program. If you are writing a book not because you are a writer but because you are a content specialist and want to share your content, then you almost definitely will need an editor.
  • Sometimes, word choice is not consistently appropriate to the audience you have in mind; an editor can help with that.
  • What you write is clear to you, but it may not be clear to everyone. An editor can find any instances of lack of clarity.
  • Sometimes, the narrative fails the continuity test. An editor will notice that and be able to recommend fixes.
  • An editor can also pick up on an unwanted tone or other things that might turn off a potential reader--or publisher.
  • If you are not the leading expert on your topic, you might need a content editor as well as a literary editor.

Someone will need to edit your book if you expect it to be accepted by a publishing house. If you can find and afford a professional editor, you are all set. If you cannot, here is a resource for self-editing your book: How to Self-Edit a Book. Or, for another set of tips, check out The Write Life.

Lesson for today's Tuesday talk: Even the best author needs another eye--actually, as many eyes as the author can get. If an editor is out of reach, then find a dozen or more friends who are well educated and ask them to provide feedback. Together, they can make that book of yours look and sound professional, a requirement if you want to be published.





Read more posts about publishing HERE.







Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In Memoriam: Carl Don Leaver

Image
  1948-2021 It is with great sadness that MSI Press notes the death of Carl Leaver, CEO of the Press and typesetter and graphic designer par excellence . Many authors have expressed not only condolences but also a sense of legacy from covers he designed that they love.  Here is his obituary: On August 16, 2021, Carl Don Leaver of San Juan Bautista passed into eternal rest. A forester with the US Forest Service in Idaho and Montana, he turned to nature photography while working in the Bitterroot National Forest. His photographs graced national magazine covers and on a weekly basis the local paper of Hamilton, MT, the Ravalli Republican. He later worked on photography projects for the US Army (AFEES) and taught photography at the New York Institute of Technology in Amman, Jordan. His final career change led him to computer graphics and publishing as co-owner of MSI Press LLC; his many typeset books and book covers have helped MSI Press authors win a large number of awards over the years,
Read more

A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Book Marketing vs Book Promotion

Image
It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side.  Today's post looks at the difference between book marketing and book promotion, two terms that are frequently confused. Leading to the confusion is that some of the same activities are needed for both. In fact, good marketing is dependent upon good promotion. Perhaps the essential difference is that marketing focuses on sales, and promotion focuses on awareness --  noting that without awareness, sales generally do not happen. Book Marketing Book marketing includes promotion, sales, and increasing awareness of the availability of the book. It generally starts with a marketing plan that identifies the target audiences and selects marketing t
Read more

Author in the news: Gregg Bagdade participates in podcast, "Chicago FireWives: Married to the Job

Image
  Gregg Bagdade, author of Mental Health Mayday , recently participated in a podcast called "Chicago FireWives: Married to the Job." Listen to it HERE . For more posts about Gregg and his book, click HERE . Award Literary Titan Gold Award Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book  in exchange for  reviewing  a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com. Want an  author-signed copy  of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com. 
Read more