Is proofreading really a necessary part of publishing a book? Yes, yes it is. But not everyone needs to hire a proofreader. Why? Let's start with the basics. What is proofreading? As I stated in my post where I explain the levels of editing, proofreading is the final stage of editing that takes place after a manuscript has been edited and typeset. This is the quality control stage where any remaining errors are corrected. If you skip this stage, your book will likely go out i

We all like to save money while enjoying quality goods and services. It's no different with editing. Editing can be quite pricey and rightfully so because editors spend hours intensely focusing on each manuscript. But editing does not have to cost a ton of money. There are many ways to save money on editing as long as you are willing to put in the work. Here are eight ways to save those pennies. 1. Read Before You Write The number one piece of advice I give to writers is to r

You've done your research into both traditional publishing and self-publishing, and you've decided self-publishing is for you. Now what? How do you get your manuscript from draft to published book? First of all, we should establish that self-publishing is the equivalent of running your own business. You are in charge of everything, so you have to know what you're doing if you want to be successful. Here are seven tips to help you on your way. 1. Hire a Professional Editor If

Have you heard of NaNoWriMo? National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) takes place every November, and people try to write an entire novel—50,000 words—in one month. That may sound like a steep goal, but it's doable! This year I participated in NaNoWriMo for the first time. I hadn't written fiction since high school, and I started this challenge ten days late. And yes, it has definitely been a challenge. As I write this post, there are four days left in November, and I have 65

Adverbs are a polarizing topic in the writing and editing world. Some people think we should eliminate adverbs altogether, and some people think we can use adverbs whenever we want. This controversy often centres around Stephen King's dislike of adverbs in his famous writing advice book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. I think people often misunderstand King's intentions, although what he wrote about adverbs definitely seems harsh: "I believe the road to hell is paved with

Most people haven't heard of a manuscript evaluation, which is surprising and unfortunate because it's a cheaper way for authors to receive feedback and improve their manuscript before paying for in-depth editing. What do manuscript evaluations cover? A manuscript evaluation covers the same material as a developmental edit but on a more general scale. This includes feedback on multiple aspects of a story: Plot Characterization Pacing Tone Verb Tense Word Choice World-building

I've written a post about 5 Podcasts for Readers, but what about for writers? There are so many podcasts out there offering fantastic writing and publishing advice for those trying to get their stories out in the world. These are five of my favourite podcasts for writers. The Editing Podcast with Louise Harnby and Denise Cowle In The Editing Podcast, editors Louise and Denise provide all kinds of writing and editing advice for authors. Learn why editing is important, how to f

One of the things I comment on the most when I edit is overemphasis. People love using exclamation marks and bolding text to make sure it really stands out. Your characters scream sometimes, or they yell at each other, or something they say is really important. But trust me, you do not need all of those exclamation marks and question marks, and you especially do not need the bolded text, the sentences in all caps, or the italicized text. Take the following paragraph, for exam

Deciding whether to self-publish or traditionally publish can be difficult. Both of these routes have pros and cons, and it's worth thinking about which one suits you best before you jump into one or the other. First, ask yourself why you want to publish. Do you want to be the next Julie Murphy or NK Jemisin? Do you want to publish a memoir only for your family and friends? The purpose of your writing and the audience of your work will help determine what publishing journey f

Words have power. They can empower people and tear down civilizations, and they can also bore people to tears. Back when authors were paid by the word, stuffing manuscripts full of filler words was acceptable. Nowadays, not so much. Filler words are words that add nothing to the text. You can think of them as unnecessary words, or fluff (as we said in university). These words slow down the pace of a story, make sentences wordy, and turn readers away. Editors and writers alike

One of the hot topics in the writing and editing world is editing rates. How much do editors charge? How much should editors charge? Both independent authors and new freelance editors want to know about the money side of the business. Before we dive into how editors determine their rates and what authors can expect to pay, we need to remember that both editors and authors are human beings who need to make a living. Editors need to make enough to cover their grocery bills, ren

You know why you need an editor, and you know more-or-less what level of editing you need. Now how do you find an editor? Editors can seem elusive, but there are tons of us out there! Once you find some editors, you need to shop around a bit to make sure you find the right one. And I don't mean shopping only for prices. Finding an Editor If you're a social person, you can likely find an editor by going to local writing groups and/or book clubs. If there are no editors in atte

Do you ever wonder how editors keep everything consistent when they edit? How do they know which spellings to use and whether an author uses the Oxford comma? Answer: they use style sheets and style guides! Style sheets and style guides are life savers for editors. They make our lives so much easier and keep the editing process efficient. Style sheets Style sheets are documents where editors keep track of all the stylistic decisions they make, and sometimes content points as

Photo: an example of proofreaders' marks for inserting a hyphen, an en dash, and an em dash. Most people use hyphens on a regular basis, but what about en dashes and em dashes? I didn't even know what they were until I went to university, and I wasn't familiar with how to use them until I took a grammar course for my Editing Certificate. So what are the differences between a hyphen, an en dash, and an em dash? Hyphen A hyphen is the shortest dash, and there is a key for it on

Oh, the dreaded semi-colon. I have heard people complain about using it since I was in high school. One of my teachers told us to avoid it altogether because no one ever used it correctly, and my university professors often discouraged students from using it as well. I have to confess, though, that the semi-colon is my favourite punctuation mark. I have a tattoo of a semi-colon on my wrist, although not because I'm such a grammar nerd (even though I am a grammar nerd). I got

We've established that you need an editor no matter what kind of writing you do. But what kind of editing do you need? There are multiple types of editing, and knowing what kind you need can be tricky because types of editing are not clear-cut. Even different editors define the levels of editing in different ways, which is why communication is key. If you are not sure what type of editing you need, your editor should be able to tell you based on a sample of your manuscript. K

No matter what you write, whether it's blog posts, essays, cookbooks, short stories, novels, or textbooks, you will need an editor. Why? Even if you have fantastic spelling and grammar, another pair of eyes can do wonders for your work. I'm a professional editor, and I always get someone to read over my blog posts and sometimes even my emails before sending them out. Fresh Eyes You are familiar with your work. The brain is a funny thing; it will trick you into skipping over t