Writing and Publishing News

Are you an astute self-editor? Do you thoroughly check every submission, blog post and email before sending them out? Are you careful to always make a good impression with anything you write?

Sure, we all make mistakes. We miss errors and fail to notice problem areas in our manuscripts and email. But I believe it is the job of a writer who wants to be thought of and perceived as a writer to always ALWAYS make the best written presentation possible.

I get emails personally and through SPAWN with all sorts of problems—no capitalization, minimal punctuation, misspelled words, etc. When this person is asking how to get published or how to submit stories to magazines, my instinct is to first suggest he or she go back to school or hire an English tutor. What are they thinking?

It is easy to overlook errors in your writing, especially if you write a lot and you can compose letters and stories/articles rather quickly. That’s why I always reread what I write, even when it is a simple email to a friend.

I can’t tell you how many times, in my haste, I type the wrong word—“our” instead of “out,” “her” instead of “here,” “of” instead of “or,” “thee” instead of “there” or “were” instead of “where” for example. It is easy to do when you write a lot and when you write lickity split.

If you want to be respected as a writer, pay close attention to the material you are putting out there. And this is important whether you are typing a quick email to a friend (or an editor) or you are creating a promotional piece for your newly published book or you are working on your novel. Your presentation really DOES make a difference.

It’s easy to overlook errors. We all do it. And mistakes are especially common in work that has been revised over and over again. Not too long ago someone let me know that I’d misused an apostrophe in the title of one of my blog posts. Sure enough, there was my mistake for all to see. I so appreciate the kind blog visitor for pointing this out to me.

I think it is a nice gesture to let someone know when they’ve committed an editorial blunder. But not everyone will thank you. I once sent a note to a well-known newsletter editor letting her know that two-spaces between sentences was no longer an accepted practice. It is now one-space after all punctuation. She snapped back that she knows that, but she prefers not to try to change an old habit.

So what is my message for today? If you want to enter into the world of writing as a respected freelance writer or author, you really must present yourself in the best light possible in everything you write. One way to do this is by checking and double/triple checking every piece of writing you produce before sending it out.

Learn more about me and my work here:
http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matiljapress.com

Order my new book, Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author. http://amzn.to/oe56Ia

Read what others are saying about this book—on the book page. Last time I checked, this book had 14 five-star reviews.

I see many types of grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the course of editing other people’s manuscripts. And a common one involves the misplaced modifier, dangling modifier or dangling participle.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to spew rules of grammar in technical terms today. I just want you to be cognizant of an easy-to-make mistake that you could be guilty of and show you how to correct it.

Can you see the problems in the following sentences?

“Walking past the open window, the breeze warmed my face.”

“Having committed to the late night meeting, my car careened toward the library.”

“Leaning over the balcony, the body came into view.”

“Climbing up into the saddle, the horse gently trotted away.”

None of these sentences makes any sense the way they are written, do they? Did the breeze walk past the window? Did the car commit to the meeting? Did the body lean over the balcony before it came into view? And I’m sure you realize that the horse that trotted away is not the one who climbed into the saddle.

I would make these changes in these sentences:

“As I walked past the open window, I could feel the warm breeze on my face.”

“Having committed to the late night meeting, I drove my car toward the library.”

“I leaned over the balcony and the body came into view.”

“I climbed up into the saddle and the horse gently trotted away.”

Check the manuscript you’re working on. Do you tend to write sentence that don’t quite say what you intend—that make your readers stop, shake their heads and lower their opinion of your credibility as a writer? If so, make it your priority to locate and correct those sentences today.

http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com

Some authors are still confused as to when they should hire a proofreader and when they need an editor. And I think, in some cases, it is because they are simply trying to save money.

They seek out a proofreader and hope that this person will simply read through the manuscript quickly, correct any blatant errors and charge only a few hundred bucks. Some authors avoid going the editing route because they’re terrified that the editor might change their “voice.” Others do not understand how many errors they actually have throughout their manuscripts and how much a good book editor could improve their work. They are not good enough writers to recognize their mistakes. They don’t notice when the tense is off or when there are inconsistencies in their stories. They don’t know the appropriate punctuation for dialog. They are not sure how to use the apostrophe or quotation marks.

Most authors, even when they decide to take on the task of self-editing, do not study and use the Chicago Manual of Style. They simply adopt their own rules of grammar and punctuation. Some are so unsure of the rules, that they are inconsistent throughout their manuscripts—using the apostrophe correctly sometimes and not others, using numerals correctly sometimes and not others, etc. Sometimes there are even inconsistencies in their story—which is a good way to lose credibility with your audience. An example of this would be that Bob has blonde hair in one chapter and brown in another or his ribs show in one scene and he is hefty in another. Seems elementary, but I see this often.

Is your book truly ready for your audience? Can you—the author—actually edit your own manuscript adequately for publication? In most cases, the answer is, “NO.”

I have seen numbers of finished manuscripts. Sometimes the author asks me to edit it and sometimes the editing needed is extensive. Some authors hand over their manuscripts for proofreading only. I always wonder what they expect. Usually, they say, “I have edited it. Would you proofread it and make sure it is ready to go?” However, nine times out of ten, the manuscript needs more than a quick proofing. There are numerous inconsistencies, typos, punctuation and grammatical errors and even difficulty with run-on and muddy sentences.

When someone asks me to proof their manuscript, I will let them know what that manuscript needs, how long it will take me and what I will charge. When they ask me to edit their manuscript, I will let them know what that manuscript needs, how long it will take me and what I will charge.

In other words, if the author believes it needs proofing, I will proof it—making changes and corrections along the way. If they ask for editing, I will proof it—making changes and corrections along the way.

Yes, you read right. There is no difference in the way I approach the manuscript. It is going to get what it needs, whether it is extensive or minor editing.

My goal should be the goal of the author—to make the manuscript the best it can be. For me this means taking your story or nonfiction manuscript and making it more readable while correcting errors. This does not mean rushing past errors and calling it “proofing.” This does not mean changing your story one iota, unless it is in the form of a suggestion that you change something in order to make your story more believable, for example, or showing you how to create more interest for the reader.

Does your manuscript need editing or proofing? Let me take a look and give you a FREE evaluation and estimate. PLFry620@yahoo.com

http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

Lately, I’ve had a couple of prospective clients contact me about proofreading their manuscripts. They claimed they did not need editing—just simple proofreading.

When I looked at their manuscripts, I noticed that they did, indeed, need editing. The manuscripts had a few problems with tense, grammar, sentence structure, spelling/typo errors, and punctuation.

One client insisted that he did not want me to do editing—“Just proofread it,” he said. I had given him a quote for editing and he wondered how much he would save if I just proofed it. How in the heck do you proof a manuscript that needs editing? Also, I wondered, where does proofreading end and editing begin (or vice versa)? This client hoped to save money by having me proof rather than edit. But I told him that I would take the same amount of time with the manuscript whether I was instructed to proof or edit and I would use the same procedure. If it needed editing, it needed editing. You can’t just proof over a bunch of mistakes.

The client thought he could save some money if I only read through the entire manuscript quickly in some sort of high speed proofing motion than if I stopped to make corrections. But I explained that it would be wasted time for me to just read the manuscript without making needed corrections.

I’m not sure what he thought proofreading would accomplish. I do know that it was important for him that I read the entire manuscript. But for what purpose? And at what cost?

I decided to check what others consider the differences between editing and proofing. Here’s what I came up with. “Proofreading means to examine text looking for spelling errors, punctuation errors, typos and obvious errors such as the unintentional use of there when it is clear the correct word is their. (Also known as proofing or line editing.)”

Editing: “to examine text with the intention of improving the flow and quality of writing. It also involves correcting grammatical errors and other unintended errors.”

(Thanks to Tamara Rice at oDesk Blog for putting these definitions in succinct form.)

If you think that you can save money by having your book proofread instead of edited, you’re probably trying to cut corners in the wrong place. I can do proofreading, which I will do on the final go-through. But if your manuscript needs editing, it needs editing. And you should hire a qualified book editor.

I’m going to be away for a few days and there will be no new blog posts until Monday, June 20. Please enjoy reading some of the posts in my vast archives. Take this opportunity to visit my websites and you may even want to download my FREE ebooklet, 50 Reasons Why You Should Publish That Book.

http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com

I didn’t start out as an editor. I began my writing career writing articles for magazines. And I’ve managed to support myself through my writing for many years. I am now also the author of 34 published books.

Along the way, other writers and authors often came to me asking questions about the big wide world of writing and publishing. I helped where I could. In the meantime, I became involved with SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) and met even more authors and freelance writers who needed guidance. And I wrote several books in response to the most common questions they asked.

Many authors also asked me to edit their works. For years, I declined. I felt I had enough of my own work to do and I certainly knew how to generate even more work. And then one day I said, “Yes.” I thoroughly enjoyed the process of editing that first book (which I did on a hardcopy manuscript). It was a true crime. Since then, I have edited dozens of books of all types—YA fantasy; novels; nonfiction how-to, self-help and informational books; children’s story books; and others. I have edited manuals for major companies and organizations. I’ve edited and consulted with regard to numerous book proposals. And I’ve learned a few things along the way.

1: You can’t make reservations for an editing job. Most authors do not get the project to you when they say they will. So if another job comes in the meantime, you’d better take it. I once waited in earnest for an author who was days away from sending me her manuscript and missed out on two other editing jobs. As it happened, life threw her a curve and she had to stop the forward motion on her book.

2: If there is more than one author involved, get a commitment from both. Partnerships are sometimes precarious. If my fee will come from both authors, I like to communicate with both of them before starting the work. An author who personally agrees to hire you is less apt to flake on you later.

3: Not every author wants to learn writing techniques. I am a teaching editor. I write a lot of notes on my clients’ manuscripts–notes designed to help them learn how to use the apostrophe, when to capitalize words like Mom, when to use Italics and when to use quotation marks, how to use single quotes, how to punctuate dialogue, how to establish credibility with your audience, etc. Those who are eager to learn and open to learning receive a huge benefit from my way of editing. But I can tell you that I often get a second or third project to edit from clients and sometimes not one of my attempts to teach them is evident in their manuscripts.

4: Good writers are better able to appreciate good editing skills. It can be a real challenge working with someone who doesn’t have a good grasp on language, grammar and punctuation because they simply do not recognize good writing when they see it. I’ve even had clients rewrite their manuscripts after I spent hours and hours cleaning up the muddy, run-on sentences and other blatant errors. And then they hire a pay-to-publish company to produce their less than acceptable books.

5: Even authors don’t always appreciate the difference an editor can make with their projects. They would rather turn their manuscripts over to a friend with a large vocabulary or the retired English teacher who lives up the street. Sure friends and professionals can sometimes offer valuable perspectives on your book project. Some of them might discover inconsistencies that need to be addressed, errors in calculations or factual errors, for example. This is important. But you need a qualified book editor to do the final edit for your project—someone with the knowledge, experience and eye for book editing.

Sign up for Patricia Fry’s self-editing online course and fine-tune your manuscript to the best of your ability before hiring a qualified book editor.

http://www.matilijapress.com/courseself-editing.htm

Learn more about Patricia Fry here: http://www.patriciafry.com

Have you noticed how professionals always hound authors to have their books edited? Anything you read about writing and publishing includes this advice. Some of you decide that you don’t need or want an editor because you know your way around punctuation and spelling. You have a handle on the fine points of grammar.

But there is another service editors can provide that you may not realize you need. She can make sure that you have been consistent throughout your story or your nonfiction book.

For example, did you inadvertently use the wrong name in an important quote—you meant to attribute it to Joe and you accidentally typed Marsha’s name. Or maybe you changed a character’s name from Harry to Hank in midstream. But you neglected to change all instances of Harry. Oops. Did you maintain the same spelling for a character or place name? This can get real touchy when you are writing a fantasy or otherwise making up place names, for example. Is it Crimia or Crimea? Did you mean for it to be Plaggerly or Plegarly?

Some authors change the way their character’s look—she starts out with curly brown hair and, without explanation, she suddenly she’s a blond. Or he is tall and lanky in one scene and burley in another. I’ve seen this happen. If she changes her hair color or he becomes buff, tell your readers. Otherwise, make sure that you stay true to your characters.

It’s easy to use different arrangements of some words. If you use heartwarming, stick with this throughout. Don’t use heart-warming in some places and heart warming in others. Is the word hyphenated or not? Two words or not? Find out and be consistent.

During research, you might discover that there are conflicting facts or stats with regard to something you want to use in your book. Sometimes you have to choose one. Once you do, make sure that you don’t waver. You’ll lose credibility with your readers if you report one statistic in one place and a different one in another.

As an editor, I can tell you that inconsistency is a common problem among authors. There is something about an author’s eye that seems to prevent them from seeing the discrepancies in their work. That’s one more excellent reason why you really should hire an editor.

Another habit many authors have in common is the fact that they repeat words. Rather than coming up with a different word to make their sentences more interesting, they will use the same word twice or three times. Here’s an example, “He sat next to the babbling brook, enjoying the splashing water as a dog swam nearby, splashing in the water.” Or “Dora came in from outside still feeling the cool outside air chill in her bones.”

Today, why don’t you spend time going through your book in progress and determine whether or not you are committing some of these author’s sins. Get a head start on preparing your manuscript for the editor. The cleaner your manuscript, the less time it will take a good editor to get through it and the less you will have to pay.

http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com

That’s a strange question coming from an editor, isn’t it? But I do have a point.

I’ve been creating the index for the revised and expanded edition of my original 75 Good Ideas for Promoting Your Book. Allworth Press will come out with the new edition in July of this year. The new title is Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author.

The index is completed. Now I am proofing the edited galley. Even after I did my best self-edit before sending this manuscript to the publisher, and even after the publisher’s editors went through it, I am finding mistakes. I’ve discovered 22 so far and I’m less than ¼ of the way through.

What am I finding? I discovered that we had used “off” rather than “of” in one spot. The editors misunderstood where the section break should be in one instance. I caught some inconsistencies where we capitalized Chamber of Commerce, for example, in some cases and not others. I am asking them to put this term in lower case. Italics are missing in a couple of spots. A word is in italics that shouldn’t be. There are some closed quotes missing. A question mark was missing. I even found an instance where we had “yar,” instead of “your.”

These are all small things that make a big difference and they’re all things that are easy to miss when you have the enormous task of editing your own or someone else’s book.

While editing is going on whenever you spend time with your book—while you’re fleshing out a scene, searching for a comment, looking it over for style, creating an index, etc.—you must also edit with intention. By this, I mean plan to spend several days or a week in complete editing mode—scrutinizing each and every word and sentence. Pull your copy of the Chicago Manual of Style out of mothballs (better yet, spring for the latest edition—14th) and use it to determine those questions that come up. Should numbers be written out or not? When is “captain” capitalized? How is dialogue handled? Is it heartwarming, heart-warming or heart warming?

And once you have done your best job of self-editing, it is time to hand your book over to someone with fresh eyes and some editorial knowledge. Yes, pay an editor to fine-tune your manuscript.

Now you are ready to present your wonderful manuscript to the publisher of your choice. Once it is accepted and their editors work with it, you will get it back for your final review. This is another important opportunity for the author. The time you spend in this phase is also highly important. You WILL discover at least a few mistakes. There will be things that everyone missed. The company editors may have made changes in error.

As an example, I mention my book, The Mainland Luau, in the book I am currently proofing. I wrote that I use handouts during book signings for this book featuring a recipe for a pork roast that you cook in the oven, and that it tastes like kalua pork. The editors changed this to kalhua-flavored pork. Sounds good. But that isn’t what I meant. “Kalua” is the Hawaiian term for cooking underground and that’s the word I meant to use here.

Can you trust your editors? In most cases, yes. But you still want to cover all of your bases by hiring a good book editor who is knowledgeable about the publishing industry. You want to pay close attention to her suggestions. Never accept them all blindly—she may have misunderstood your meaning. And always give your book a good proofing before it goes to the publisher and before it goes it print. You’ll be glad you did.

This blog site will go dark for the next two days while I am working hard (and having fun) at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. This is a good opportunity for you to spend time in the archives. You’ll notice to the lower right, a list of topics. Click on those that interest you and start enjoying some past posts. I’m sure that you will learn something new.

http://www.matilijapress.com

Did you know that I have a huge resource list at this website? Check it out here:
http://www.matilijapress.com/forwriters/resources.html

For a FREE report and information about my services, visit this site:
http://www.patriciafry.com

I just finished compiling another issue of the SPAWN Market Update for the member area of the SPAWN website. That’s Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network, http://www.spawn.org.

In so doing, I had occasion to check publishers’ guidelines, their announced calls for submissions and their press releases with some innovative new publishing options for authors. Guess what I read over and over and over again:

“Send your completed manuscript ONLY after it has been professionally edited.”

Yup, this bit of advice can make the difference between a contract and a rejection letter. And it often does.

You hear that publishers will run a manuscript through their editorial department before sending it to the printers. And they do. Most publishers have specific editorial requirements and they want their stable of editors to make sure your excellent manuscript conforms. But a manuscript that is not professionally edited when the publisher receives it, won’t get this far in the process.

After you have gone through your manuscript numerous times looking at it from all possible angles and checking for all possible problems, it is time to hire an editor.

Here are some of the things your savvy editor will look for when editing your perfect manuscript:

• Spacing. It is now one space between sentences, not two!

• Punctuation. Are you using quotation marks and single quotes correctly? Are you creating the em-dash correctly? What about commas and exclamation points? Do you place them only where they need to be?

• Hyphens, etc. Do you know when it is two words, one word or a hyphenated word? (Many authors are inconsistent in this area. For example, they write heartbreaking on page 12, heart breaking on page 76 and heart-breaking on page 101.)

• Capitalization. Do you know when to capitalize Mom, Father, etc. and when not to? Have you been consistent in your capitalization of special words you use in your story or nonfiction book?

• Spelling. Have you triple checked your spelling? Are you consistent in the way you spell names and other specialized words you’ve chosen for your book?

• Mistakes. Have you checked for misused and extra words leftover when you’ve made changes? (These can be really hard to catch.) Maybe you changed someone’s name along the way—did you remember to make that change in all places?

• Clarity. Are your sentences tight, clear and necessary to your nonfiction book or your story? Is there enough explanation? Could someone from Mars read this sentence or paragraph and comprehend it? (Be careful here. Often, folks who engage in muddy writing rarely recognize the mud in the writing. Another good reason to hire an editor.)

• Is your story told or your how-to book organized logically? Does it flow? I can’t tell you how many times I have to help an author reorganize his or her material or story so that it works.

Each phase of preparing a book for publication is important and editing is one of the most important. After you have self-edited to your satisfaction, hire an experienced book editor and see the difference he or she can make with your amazing project.

http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com
PLFry620@yahoo.com