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How to Trim a Manuscript That’s Too Long
Trimming words is often the hardest part of writing—which builds a case for a solid outline up front to organize your ideas and prevent “rambling” too far off track. Still, every book goes through a process where some material is left on the cutting room floor. If your manuscript needs to be trimmed based on your publisher’s or industry-standard guidelines, read on for strategic cutting tips.
For the Love of Descriptors!
For the love of everything holy, please stop inserting words that do nothing but clutter your writing.
Before littering your writing with a slew of meaningless descriptors, ask yourself these questions:
Seven Ways to Save You Time and Money in Book Editing
Authors often ask me how many revisions they will need by a professional editor. Each phase adds up financially, so my goal is to help streamline the process without sacrificing quality. Which leads me to answer: “It depends. Each revision will take your manuscript up at least a full letter grade.” This means you might move from a B to an A, etc.— up one level in quality with each full edit.
My goal is to help you earn an A. Sometimes this can be done with three basic rounds: developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading. But a lot depends upon what shape the manuscript is in when I get it.
To save you time and money, here are tips on how to resolve the most common issues I see in manuscripts sent to me. This will help you get the most out of your editing experience.mmary-goes-here
Does My Book Need an Outline?
When writing a book, you’re like a tour guide inviting a reader on a journey through your topic. Readers aren’t risking much to spend a few minutes scanning an 800-ish word article. If they’re bored, confused, or even offended, they can move on and still enjoy their lunch. But what about with a non-fiction book, which averages 50,000 to 60,000 words? That’s like going on a weeklong road trip with you.
Is My Life Interesting Enough for a Memoir?
I hear this all the time. The person asking sometimes replaces interesting with words like great, special, dramatic, exciting, or unique.
That question usually implies that memoirs are only for people who’ve lived extraordinary lives or experienced “next-level” events. Or sometimes it implies: Imagine the ego someone must have to write a whole book about their own life.
However, as a ghostwriter of memoirs, I answer this differently.
Can My Journalist Friend or Former English Teacher Edit My Book?
Can your neighbor or journalist friend edit your book? Maybe, but someone who isn’t trained in how to edit a book—meaning how to ensure that it holds engagement, continuity, and clarity across 35,000 to 100,000 words versus, say, 800 words—may be leaving opportunities, and likely errors, on the table.