How to Enjoy Being Edited: A Practical Guide for Nonfiction Authors

By Hannah de Keijzer

You've poured your heart, time, expertise, and sweat into writing your nonfiction book. The last thing you want to do is hand it over to someone who'll rip your voice away while ripping a hole in your wallet.

The good news? You don't have to.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bell Buoy Press
• Release date: Nov 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9798989007912

Book preview

HOW TO ENJOY BEING EDITED

Copyright © 2023 by Hannah de Keijzer

Published by Bell Buoy Press

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including internet usage, without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

ISBN (paperback): 979-8-9890079-0-5

ISBN (ebook): 979-8-9890079-1-2

Book design and production by Domini Dragoone

Author photograph by Evan William Smith

Copyedited by Lauren Alexander, proofread by James Gallagher

Cover images: designer’s archives; pens © Prapann/AdobeStock

To Dad, for showing me it’s possible to build a life around words

Contents

Introduction

Welcome, Writer

Chapter 1

What Editors Do for Your Manuscript

Coaching

Revision: Your Own Job

Developmental Editing

Language Editing

Proofreading

Chapter 2

Finding the Right Editor for You

Professional Standards

Asking About a Potential Editor’s Experience

Great Fit

Chapter 3

Getting the Most Out of the Editorial Experience

Getting the Most Out of a Developmental Edit

Getting the Most Out of a Language Edit

Chapter 4

FEARS AND FAQs

What will all this cost me?

Are you judging me?

How do I know when it’s time to let go?

How do I know what you’ve changed in my manuscript?

Will you rip the heart out of my book?

You Can Do This

Resources for a Deeper Dive

Dive 1

See for Yourself: Editing Examples

Example Developmental Edit

Example Line Edit

Example Copyedit

Example Style Sheet

Dive 2

Six Easy Paths to Connection and Support

Dive 3

Four Revision Tips to Keep Your Readers Enthralled—Right to the Last Page

Dive 4

More Resources to Support Your Book Journey

Introduction

Welcome, Writer

Writing a book is a labor of effort, creativity, and trust sustained over the long haul. Sneaking words on the page over and over again on your lunch break and after your kids’ bedtime. Figuring out what’s supposed to happen next as the words coalesce into a manuscript. Wading through a sea of publishing options, choosing one, and following through. Learning how to connect your finished work with the people who will be most excited to read it. So much of this process feels daunting when you’re doing it for the first time.

This book exists to take the guesswork out of one essential part of it, the part that helps get you from idea to draft to publishable text: having your book edited.

Editing is about working with professionals to nourish your manuscript and shepherd it to its very best form—while at the same time reenergizing you, the writer, with fresh curiosity and excitement for your book.

If the idea of being edited makes you hot-potato slide your manuscript in a drawer and drop into a defensive crouch, or conjures images of nasty comments scribbled in the margins of your hard work, consider this your formal invitation into a different vision. Here, your editors are partners by your side.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, my husband and I loved to host. He’s an academic; most of our friends at the time were, too. Every semester I’d watch their gripe-o-meters and stress-o-meters nudge higher and higher until, by grading time, my friends were little more than exhausted, groaning husks of themselves. So we applied our love of hosting to our community’s shared need for both emotional support and practical accomplishment: we opened our home for grading nights at the end of each semester.

The invite was simple. Our door would be open between 5:00 and 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Come whenever, leave whenever. We put snacks out or everyone went in on a food order or folks brought nibbles and beer. Friends plopped themselves down around the table or on the couch or by the fire. We talked and laughed a bit, but were usually good about leaving each other alone. So much was accomplished in one night. And it felt so good.

That’s the feeling I want for you as you write. That feeling of being held up and given energy by friends. Of being cozy by a fire. Of being delighted by how much you can accomplish with company. This book is an offering to that end.

Working with editors isn’t automatically that, of course (and unfortunately). But it can be—and I’ll walk you through exactly how to make it possible. If you’re a new or new-ish author, this book will help you understand what editors really do. You’ll be able to choose editors who will do right by you and your manuscript and to feel confident and capable as you work together. If you’ve published before, this book will guide you toward an even more useful and fulfilling editorial experience. No matter where you are in your career as a writer, let the information here help you publish books you’re thrilled to see your name on—with less heartache along the way.

Chapter 1 describes the different types of editing and discusses when in your manuscript’s life each is most useful. Use the handy-dandy flowchart on the following page as a map. It gives you a preview of how a manuscript moves through the editorial process over time and lets