13th the Friday

The heat is on 🔥✍️

Edit so you can work with an editor

Editing your manuscript is a funny two-step process. You don’t want to hand in a sloppy first draft to a professional editor (remember the four-P rule: neither polished, pristine, public, nor published shall you be) so what do you do? You self-edit first. This is the writer’s equivalent of cleaning your house before a housekeeper comes in for its regularly scheduled cleaning.

After all, you don’t want to make a bad impression.

-John

Moving Forward

Episode 466: Reworking your manuscript and working with an editor

Now, it’s time to unleash your inner editor. Get mark, get set, get your red pens ready, and …

Wait, before you go, let’s talk housekeeping first (er, the housekeeping you do before a housekeeper comes in, that is). There are certain hurdles that come with some of the previously discussed writing tools to pen your first draft, including the almighty 🖊. Depending on which you choose, you may have to allocate extra time to get your manuscript into an electronic format so you can make the most of the editing process.

Pen and paper

There are two pathways you can go with getting a hand-scribed draft into an electronic format: 1) do a literal transcription, 2) use it as a reference to write (essentially rewrite) a second draft. Either will work but don’t DIY option 1, which makes a hard path that much harder. Instead, dictate it into a third-party transcription program like Google speech-to-text or outsource to a professional service if you have the budget. The 🤏 exception is if you’re a court stenographer by trade, in which case you have the skills and dexterity to do this.

Voice

With voice recordings, you have the same hurdle and options as above. Again, don’t do a brute force DIY transcription (unless the narrow above-mentioned exception applies). Instead, outsource to a third-party service or consider dictating directly to a speech-to-text platform. Personally, I find having separate voice files cleaner and less messy (your first draft will already be messy enough). Otherwise, the reference route is excellent as a foundation to craft a more polished second draft.

Once that’s done, unleash the editing side of your brain as you level up to the rewrite. This is where you can move things around, find the right phraseology, tighten the grammar and spelling, and so forth. There’s no magic number but I would do at least two or three passes to shape and hone your manuscript.

Once you’ve completed your housekeeping, it’s time to bring in a professional.

Learn more on this week’s episode, now playing on Spotify.

Moving Forward is also available on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, iHeart, CastBox, Pocket Casts, Spotify for Podcasters (formerly Anchor), and Audible.

What else on this week’s episode:

• A reminder why first drafts should be sloppy (unedited).

• Approaching your second draft with a (self) editor’s eye.

• What to look for when hiring a professional editor.

• The types of editing and why that matters.

• Where to find a professional editor.

• Options for when you can’t afford a professional editor.

Hacks

The A-B-Cs of finding and working with a professional editor

Finding a good editor can be daunting. Like a good accountant for your taxes, you need someone who is a good overall fit with you and your quirks. Moreover, a good great editor will be able to see your book through the eyes of a reader, helping you to identify its target market.

Where? How? How much? When?

Whoa, hold on there. Before we get started, let’s address the 🐘 in the writer’s room. To do that, I need to clear up a big misconception: that self-publishing is free. While technically the process to self-publish your book is free, meaning no or low cost (depending on the platform you choose), the process to get your work from idea to polished manuscript to compiled book can come with unexpected, sometimes big costs. I’ll be as blunt as an eagle-eyed editor would (and should) be with your manuscript. Editors are expensive, especially if they’re worth their time and an acknowledgment shoutout. If I have a limited budget and can only choose between one of three things: 1) a good editor, 2) a cover designer, 3) help with the self-publishing process, you can bet I would spend it on 1) and do the best I can with 2) and 3). That said, if you have no budget don’t despair 😢. I wouldn’t throw in the towel just yet (or really at all). Let’s address your options:

No budget? No pro … well a little bit of a problem but not insurmountable

First, look within your network to see if there is someone who would love to ✂︎ their 🦷🦷🦷 on your book. I first met Megan Prikhodko many moons ago while we were students in business school. I got to work with her on a number of group projects, including several big research papers and witnessed first hand her editing (and writing) prowess. Megan had the credentials to back up her work too as an English major from a top undergraduate program. Oddly enough, and long before I thought about writing a book, she mentioned off-hand that one of her bucket list goals was to one day edit a book. This is where having a memory like a steel trap for random factoids served me well as flash forward several years later when I decided to write my first book. By then, I already knew Megan was a very capable editor, and as usual, my instincts were spot on. So really, I take full credit … nah, just kidding. I was very fortunate to be in the cross section of right time, place, and person. Megan not only proved to be a fine editor, but an outstanding one at that. I’ve since traded notes with other authors who have spent tens of thousands of dollars on editors with big resumes filled with top publishing credentials who didn’t do half of what Megan did for my first book. The rest is as they say, history. Today, Megan is a professional editor with several books under her belt, including an Axiom award-winning book on careers (affiliate paid link). I’ve hired her for almost every book I’ve written and while her price has gone way up (justifiably so), the service has remained consistently excellent. So, look around you and see if you can find your own “Megan” that will do an outstanding job but more importantly, give you the straight talk on what needs to be done to get your book publish-ready.

And if all else fails, then don’t be afraid to self-edit your first book to the best of your ability, and get it out there.

Budget ready, so now what

Ok, let’s say you have a budget to work with but are not sure how or where to find your Megan. In that case, apply and enroll in grad school and … ok, maybe that’s not the most efficient way to go about it. You can find a Megan without incurring crushing grad school debt, you just may have to look a bit harder. Try posting a job for hire on sites like Fiverr or Upwork. There are hundreds, if not thousands of editors who would love a chance to work on your book, and will do a good job without breaking the bank. As with any service provider, or contractor, vet candidates by looking at their past work. If possible get references and speak with authors who worked with them previously, and negotiate terms, time, and pricing. Or, maybe, just hire Megan.

Regardless of who you work with, have a formal contract in place with agreed upon terms and conditions, including NDAs and separation contingencies in case things don’t work out. This will help ensure you’re both on the same page(s) when it comes to what’s best for you and your book.

Thank you, Kimberly Charleston (MF 413)!

The Poshmark Guide is listed as a top six must read for Spring cleaning

Available in paperback, Kindle e-book, and as an Audible audiobook 

Weekly quirky news

🧸🪁🪀🗓😳, 🧼🧻😷, 🥪🧪🤢,

• The vintage Toys R Us employee training video that perfectly captures what goes through my head every Monday morning.

• A reminder that “fake it till you make it” can sometimes seriously backfire.

• Throwback to 2020 pandemic quirky hilarity via Double Toasted.

• Lunchables may be unlunchable due to high levels of lead, sodium, and other dangerous elements.

Finally! A book to understand how millionaires really think (without having to spend like one)

Available now at my bookstore on Pangobooks

Resources

Teach a man to fish, you know the rest (if you don’t, check these out).

• Book a coaching call with me on Clarity.

• Follow me on Goodreads for book recommendations.

• Check out one of my favorite daily newsletters Morning Brew (affiliate referral link).

Books

I wrote most of these so spruce up your home library and look smart in the process.

• The Poshmark Guide for Individuals and Small Businesses (Paperback, Kindle, Audible) 

• The Poshmark Guide for Individuals and Small Businesses (Apple audiobooks)

• The Poshmark Journal for Individuals and Small Businesses

• The Corporate Cliches Adult Coloring Book

• I Am a Professional Metalhead (audiobook) (Audible affiliate link) written by Angelo Spenillo, narrated by John Lim

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Affiliate disclosure

Note: Links to Amazon and Audible products are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.