How to Edit Your Own Book

Whether you’re self-publishing your book or are planning on working with traditional publishing houses, your first step after you finish writing a manuscript is to edit your work. No literary work becomes a published book after its first draft. Every bestseller has gone through numerous revisions and drafts. You’re asking readers to invest their time in the world you’ve created. You need to deliver a well-written story that is entertaining and engaging with no structural issues that make your story unbelievable. You need to make sure every line is clear, concise, and necessary—a reader will put down a novel too cumbersome to read. In short, book editing means the difference between a good story and a great book.

There are several different ways to edit a book. If you’re working with a publishing company, they’ll have their team of in-house editors do the job. If you’re self-publishing, you’ll have a more à la carte editing process, able to pick and choose the editing methods that work best for you. Here are the three ways to edit your book:

1. 1. Self-editing: Self-editing, especially if this is your first book, makes you a better writer. You become well versed in grammatical rules and the best way to structure a story. Writers should do at least two self-editing rounds of their whole book: the first time to edit for big story elements like story structure and narrative arcs, the second time to edit the details, like typos and punctuation.
2. 2. With the help of beta readers: A beta reader is either a hired professional or a friend or family member who volunteers to do a read-through of your book and gives feedback. They should tell you what your book needs from a structural standpoint, like any inconsistencies in your plot or character development, or how the climactic scene played out.
3. 3. With the help of a professional editor: A professional book editor can help edit your work on different levels depending on their specialty. Your book might need copy editing, developmental editing, or both. A copy editor fixes the mechanics of your text, like word choice, sentence structure, and grammar. A developmental editor goes through the overall story structure and narrative arcs to create a seamless story.

Editing your own book should be a part of your writing process even if you plan to hire a professional editor. Here are eight steps to follow during the edit of your work:

1. Take a Break From Your Story.

When you’ve finished your manuscript, take a break before you begin editing. According to Stephen King in his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, when he finishes writing a first draft, he puts the story in a drawer for six weeks before pulling it out to edit. Putting some distance between you and your story allows you to come back with fresh eyes and a clear mind.

2. Read Your Story out Loud.

Hearing a story read aloud can highlight any mistakes in a manuscript. Read your story to yourself or to a friend. You can also record yourself reading it and play it back. Keep a copy of your book open on your computer, revising any grammatical issues you hear or making story revision notes to revisit.

3. Do a Big-Picture Pass.

Your first self-editing pass should be a developmental edit. Look for any issues with the storyline. There should be a logical succession of plot points that creates the flow from beginning to end. Find plot holes that need to be fixed. Make sure your subplots integrate well with the main story. Make sure your main character and secondary characters are three-dimensional with clear motivations and believable traits. While looking at character details, make sure your point of view is consistent throughout your story.

4. Zoom in to Edit Scene by Scene.

Make sure every scene has a purpose, like driving the plot forward, escalating the conflict, or aiding character development. As you break down the scenes, go over dialogue and trim any unnecessary banter. Make sure the opening is strong and the climactic scene is satisfying and ties up all of your loose ends.

5. Be Your Own Copy Editor.

On your next pass, check the structural integrity of your copy. Go line-by-line and fix the basic mistakes. Use spell check. Make sure you only have one space between sentences. Fix punctuation and grammatical errors. Also, find and replace words that you repeat too often in your story, known as crutch words. If you find lines written in passive voice, rewrite them in the active voice. Finally, check your sentence structure and word choice always keeping in mind that simple is better.

6. Check for Accuracy.

If you’re writing a work of historical fiction or a non-fiction book, you need to make sure the information you present is accurate. Find sources for every statistic, true story, or fact you include in your book to make sure you have it right.

7. Get a Proofreader.

Once your edit is complete, hire a proofreader. It never hurts to have another set of eyes go over your story one final time. Proofreading can catch typos you might have missed.

8. Format Your Manuscript.

Before you send your manuscript off to a literary agent, make sure it’s formatted correctly. If you’re not sure how a particular agent or publisher prefers a manuscript, use the industry standard book formatting guidelines. Your book should be on a Microsoft Word document, with 12-point Times New Roman font, double spaced pages, no indents on new paragraphs, and page breaks between chapters.

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