Today on our segment on writing I wanted to talk about the editing process that I use.
For me I have an undergraduate degree in English which focused on comparative literature and creative writing. I also have a background from work in technical writing and translation so this gives me a little edge in the editing department. By no means am I the grammar police but I can do a pretty decent critique for flow and wording.
The editing process for the grydscaen novels is rather long. Lets talk about it and break it down.
First Draft: The first draft of any work is just that, the first go at it. There is no really editing at this stage. If the manuscript is hand written which it was for grydscaen: tribute the first rounding of editing happens when it gets typed. But usually the first draft is typed directly into the computer and there is no editing done at that time. This is just getting the thoughts on the page. This can take a month.
Second Draft: This is the time the first set of editing happens. This is before the work gets anywhere near the publisher. This includes a round of spell checking and grammar checking as well as basic content editing. Holes in the plot are flushed out and any inconsistencies corrected. If I end up contradicting myself from a previous book or there is a plot issue then that gets fixed as well. This is the draft that is done before the book comes near submission. This doesn’t take that long. This is the main editing period. Anything that is going to get cut gets done in this draft. This usually takes a week or two.
Third Draft: This draft is what will end up being submitted. It includes two rounds of spellchecking and any minor line edits. Since this draft also includes ensuring we have front matter for the book and a dedication as well as book list, the draft also includes the “from the author” section and the “what has gone before” which requires me to read the previous book and summarize the entire story into 4 paragraphs. That read takes about a few days so this draft may take a few weeks. The book is also formatted correctly for this draft and paginated. We usually take 4 passes at copy editing in this draft. Once this is done, it is prepared to be sent to the publisher for galleys.
First Galley Edit: In this version the publisher converts the book into the galley which is a PDF. It is formatted and sized and also the front matter like copyright information is added and chapter headings. The book is now in the format it needs to be in. Since this version is a PDF I have to record changes in another file that will have to be added. Recording the changes are done by line number/page number and 4 words in the sentence that need to change plus the individual change. This round includes catching typos that slipped through the previous drafts. This draft looks different so there are usually things that got missed in the third draft. Usually this takes a few days and includes at least 3 rounds through the book and checking you caught everything. This also includes a galley of the cover which includes the coloured art and the layout which may also need changes. The file of changes is mailed to the publisher and the production team makes the changes and sends me back another galley.
Second Galley Edit: This version includes all the changes to the previous galley. Sometimes things are missed and they are only seen after the first set of corrections on the galley are put in. By this time the book should be nearing its readiness. This round includes 3 times through the book and recording any other changes. Plot holes should be gone by now and the only thing we are checking for is typos. I go through the book 3 times recording any last minute changes and checking the previous changes to make sure they were all implemented. This round takes about a week after I get through it three times. Any changes are sent to the publisher for the final galley.
Final Galley: I get back the final interior galley and the finalized cover art. I do go through the book at least 2 more times but by this time there will be no more changes. Once this version is approved it is endorsed to printing and the book is put together. The book pricing is set and I email my approval to the publisher. After that the author copy is printed and mailed to me. I review it for product consistency and then call the publisher back that everything looks okay and the book is endorsed to post production and made available everywhere in hardback, paperback and three weeks later in ebook format.
Now in the scheme of things I do all my own edits. Sometimes and I have had this happen a minor number of typos get through. My last book had two spelling errors only in 426 pages so that is not bad. I have never used an editor in the past but I might think about doing it in the future. When the writer edits the book you might miss things because you are close to the subject. My beta reader reads my books after they are printed not before which is backwards as I understand for a real beta. I have not had a problem with editing in the past. This process has been pretty successful for me. As I am an indie published author my publisher does not provide me editing services. I could pay for them and might think about getting grydscaen: tribute edited in the future but I have heard editors can cost anywhere from $1,500 to $8,000 US so that is pretty expensive. My publisher I just looked yesterday does have a line edit and copy edit service you can purchase. Someone mentioned going to the local college and getting an English student. Since I was an English major I think I would fall into that category. I have done okay with editing so far. I did have at least two reviewers say that the book they reviewed needed a professional edit to be supurb but none the less the reviews I get from them even when they say that are still positive. This is my process. I hope you find one that works for you.