Editing My Book - (Guide)

Dear Author

Congratulations on being another step closer to completing your book!

You have now finished writing it is time to edit. As Matt Bird has explained through the 'Writing My Book' course there are three stages to editing:

Personal Edit: What you undertake now following the 7-step pathway below.

Private Edit: What you ask critical friends to undertake.

Professional Edit: What your publisher undertakes for you.

So, it's time to get started with your Personal Edit.

Yours, The PublishU Team
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Personal Edit‍

Step #1: Review Steps

Skim-read through these steps from beginning to end and then work through each individually.

Step #2: Writing Style Guide

Carefully read, understand and follow the PublishU ‘Writing Style Guide’ to ensure your book manuscript edit meets professional requirements.

ACCESS: PublishU 'Writing Style Guide'

Step #3: Read Through

Read through your manuscript and make the following checks...

• Sense Making: Refine what you have written to check that it carries the intended meaning.
• Creating Flow: Edit what you have written so that it flows from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph and chapter to chapter.
• Illustrating Stories: Illustrate what you have written with anecdotes, examples, stories and case studies.
• Deduping: Remove duplicate content by asking where it is essential for it to appear and removing it elsewhere. It is perfectly normal for some content to be duplicated in the first draft of your manuscript.
• Fact-Checking: Check for a primary source for facts that you have included.
• Structural Consistency: Ensure your book has a clear, consistent structure that makes it easy for the reader to follow.
  

Step #4: Copyright Compliance

Undertake an internet search on ‘fair dealing’ in the UK or ‘fair use’ in the USA to understand the complicated world of copyright restrictions and permissions and ensure your book manuscript is compliant. NB As you appreciate, PublishU are not lawyers, so we cannot provide legal advice about copyright.

Step #5: Referencing System

Read through your manuscript, and create/check that your referencing system is correct.

• In-Text Referencing: If you write informally, in-text referencing is sufficient. For example, in Matt Bird’s book Relationology, he said, “x".
• End Note Referencing: If you want to use an academic referencing system, please follow the Referencing section in the PubishU ‘Writing Style Guide’.
• Song Lyrics: Special regulations apply to song lyrics that require special individual permissions.
• Bible Version: If you use the Bible, choose one version and check the copyright requirements for that specific translation. For example, the New International Version permits 500 verses to be quoted without special permission as long as they do not make up more than 25% of the completed work. Your chosen version will be credited on the Copyright Page.

‍Step #6: Artificial Intelligence

Utilise AI editing software Grammarly.com to undertake the heavy lifting of…

• Spelling
• Grammar
• Rephrasing
• Replacing overused words

The free version of Grammarly allows you to edit online rather than within your word processing software. It also limits the number of words you can edit; however, you can edit chapters or sections of your book simultaneously.

The paid version of Grammarly is modestly priced, with the option of a monthly Subscription (which can permanently be cancelled after use) or an annual subscription.

Set 'Preferences' by clicking: Account / Writing / Your Preferences... turning off a) Use a space between the time and a.m. or p.m. and b) Use the Oxford comma.

'Set Goals’ by clicking: Start Assistant / Goals... then select your writing preferences. Please note these carefully as you will need to submit these on your Manuscript Submission Date.

Step #7: Title & Subtitle

Until now, you have had a working title and subtitle to experience how well they fit. Now is the time to finalise what they will be.

Please include a short one, two or three work titles and a concise subtitle expressing the book's essence.

You may find generative AI software helpful in brainstorming title and subtitle ideas. Do an Internet search for ‘book title generators’, and you will be spoilt for choice.

For example… https://booktitlegenerator.com

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Private Edit

Ask two or three critical friends—people who love you enough to be candidly honest with you—if they would read your manuscript and provide strategic feedback to help you improve your book. NB we recommend you do NOT use the word 'edit' as you may find your critical friends getting carried away! If you would like a suggested form of words, here are some you can make your own…

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Dear <friends name>

I’m excited to be finishing the draft manuscript for a book!

My book coach has encouraged me to ask some trusted friends if they would give me strategic feedback on my manuscript. Please would you help?

The sort of strategic feedback I am looking for includes…

- Is the overall message or story of the book cohesive

- Is there there anything in the book that doesn't make sense

- Have I missed out something that you think is important

- Have I included anything that you consider doesn't add value

Please ignore spelling and grammar, as they are still being worked on.

If I sent you the draft manuscript on <send date>, please could you provide your feedback by <receive date>?

Big thanks!

Yours <your name>

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Closely consider the strategic feedback offered by your critical friends.

Books are subjective, so it wouldn't be surprising if your critical friends gave you different and possibly conflicting advice.

If each of your critical friends has given the same advice, you will likely want to accept it and make changes.

You are the book's author, so ultimately, changes are your decision, so integrate as much of the strategic feedback as you believe is right.

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Professional Edit

Your publisher will also undertake an edit and proofread and will ask you to make a final check of the manuscript prior to publication.

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