Tips For Effective Book Copyediting

By Susan Edwards

The process of turning a story from the babblings of a writer into a nicely bound work of art is long and grueling. There is a whole step by step process to ensure it is as presentable and readable as possible. Book copyediting is one such important step. Some discount it as mere spell check but nothing could be further from the truth. There will be spell check, of course, but it is much more than that.

This stage in the publishing process is not just about spell check. A lot more is done. It has not be ensured that the book does not cause legal issues before it comes out. That there are no technical issues with the story itself or with character development. The story also has to be consistent. There also has to have proper continuity. It is very technical work actually. In traditional publishing, there are standard principles to adhere to. The work has to be in compliance.

A manuscript does not go from the author straight to this stage. It has to pass through manuscript critique first. This is a step that looks at the bigger picture. The writer may be asked to change some things about the story. This is a very general stage. Then the manuscript will move on to a line by line critique where every line is inspected for proper placement among other qualities. Once the manuscript passes through these steps, it can then go forward to production preparation which is scrutiny of every aspect.

The best thing is to hire a professional. The chief reason is a phenomenon called typo blindness. It is said that one can be blind to their own mistakes because their mind already knows the message. The mind already knows what was meant. There are tips to reduce the severity or chances of this phenomenon but a professional will be ultimately better for the work. A professional will be better for the readers as they will enjoy the book. It will also be a good move for the peace of mind of the author.

There are times when one is self-publishing and will, therefore, most probably be on a tight budget. Work has still got to get to the masses speck-free. One may then scrutinize their own manuscript in this instance. It has been done, simmer down. The key is to take a week-long or longer break from the script once complete. The mind will be fresh and it will be easier to notice errors. One may also print out the manuscript. It is said that on paper the errors will jump out at the reader than if it as on a screen.

A reader may be unable to tell exactly what the issue with the story is but chances are that the passive voice is disturbing. This is uncomfortable and cruel. Use vivid action verbs instead. Similarly, excessive use of adverbs and adjectives is boring and painful. Descriptive language will work better. Readers will say- oh what a picture this writer paints?

Find sentences that seem too long and shorten them. Find sentences that seem too short and ensure they make sense otherwise add a little something until they do. Too much emphasis by way of italics or exclamation marks is for less serious works. Get rid of those.

Do not expect this stage to be simple or short. Some of the corrections will be simple. Others will be downright heartbreaking. Such is the life of a writer. Suck it up and let the process bear a ruby out of the rough.

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