(A love/hate mutually beneficial relationship) Working with an Editor (A love/hate mutually beneficial relationship) The Book Analyst

Staggering work of instant genius Marcel Proust The Book Analyst

Who edits? ‘I do 5 drafts before I send it to the publisher’. ‘It took me 20 edits over 10 years before my work was ready.’ ‘I never edit, it just pours out perfect the first time.’ ‘I do a rough edit in my head first, then a written draft, then another two rewrites.’ The Book Analyst

PUBLISH THE BEST NOVEL YOU CAN WRITE Why edit? ‘It’s not bad – for a 99p novel.’ ‘I love everything she writes – I’m always waiting for the next book.’ ‘I found it really hard to work out what was going on so I didn’t finish the book.’ PUBLISH THE BEST NOVEL YOU CAN WRITE The Book Analyst

What’s the point of editing? The Book Analyst

Who do you get help from? Yourself Your friends or relatives Your writing peers A professional editor The Book Analyst

Working with yourself as editor The Box Approach The Book Analyst

‘how could you have written such a terrible book?’ The Book Analyst

Friends and family Beware… The Book Analyst

Your writing peers ‘Enough about me, what do YOU think of my novel?’ ‘Do you have to have nasty sex things happening in your novel?’ ‘Oh, sorry – I know I was going to read your book, I’ll do it next week I promise..’ The Book Analyst

How to pick a professional editor Look for someone with a good track record Would you prefer to be edited by an editor or a well-known author? A small outfit – or a bigger company? A style you feel fits your work A clear explanation of which edit you’re getting A clear explanation of costs and timings The Book Analyst

How do you decide which edit your work needs? Fdsafasfasdfkajsd Are you still working out the recipe or are you onto the icing? The Book Analyst

Different sorts of editing A read and review A deep structural edit Copy editing Proof-reading The Book Analyst

A read and review An industry expert giving an honest opinion on what works and what doesn’t work in your novel. What you get – advice on how to avoid common pitfalls, how well your book is working, and what to do to improve it. What you don’t get – a line-by-line edit, help on grammar or spelling, help on doing the rewriting. The Book Analyst

A deep structural edit Most similar to advice given by an agent or editor in a publishing house. What you get – your novel gets broken down and rebuilt – sometimes even to the extent of changing the ending or the genre. What you don’t get – although this is a very detailed edit, it’s not a line-by-line rewrite and won’t correct spelling or grammatical errors. The Book Analyst

Copy editing A line by line edit that looks out for continuity errors, and works with your writing to allow your prose to work to its best advantage What you get – word by word changes that should bring out the best of your writing. What you don’t get – structural or major changes. The Book Analyst

Proof reading What most people think of as ‘editing’, this picks up the errors. What you get – consistency of style, spelling and grammatical corrections. What you don’t get – any advice on the writing itself. The Book Analyst

A not-so good working relationship ‘Is it so bad you’ve not got in touch because you don’t know what to say?’ ‘My husband disagrees with your report and says you should give me my money back’ ‘When are you going to get my book published? The Book Analyst

Nasty bad bad editors ..editors were put into the world to keep down the writer population, you see. Editors crush fledgling writers in their nest with heavy rejection slips, and they clip the wings of more experienced writers and tell them in which direction to fly — usually the wrong direction — and generally bruise their egos often enough so writers grow bitter and disillusioned and turn to drink. George R.R. Martin The Book Analyst

An editor that doesn’t get you Make sure they work in your genre – or have at least read something in the genre, or know the genre exists The Book Analyst

Over-editing Why it happens: Your writing is too good, there’s not a lot to say – the editor wants to make you feel you got your money’s worth. The editor is unsure about where to suggest you go so gets bogged down in details The Book Analyst

Lack of direction Too wary of stepping on your creative toes Unsure whether to suggest you scrap or rework Working to a formula The Book Analyst

The ideal editing experience You've given me lots to think about, which I shall do over the next few weeks before making any changes. After reading your report over and over, it did help me, the book was not ready to be edited I am extremely glad that I took this opportunity to get your views on the submission material before sending it to agents, so thank you again for your frank appraisal and incisive comments! 18 months later is the first time I can say truthfully "Thank you” The Book Analyst

Sparking off each other The Book Analyst