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As the heading says, I’ve booked a book editor! I’ve wanted to do this for a while, but never felt that my work was ready. Now, I think I do. (Although this post is short because my deadline to send my work to the editor is April 1, which is tomorrow!)
I’ve got a couple of projects in the works, but the one I think has the best chance of being traditionally published is my middle-grade sci-fi/fantasy. That’s the project I’ve booked a book editor for.
Setting a deadline
Booking an editor gave me a deadline and I’ve been working hard (every lunch break at work, and as soon as I get home) to make all the changes I want to before I send it off. This pressure is good and very motivating. I’ve added an extra 10k words to my manuscript during this time.
Learning from a book editor
An editor helps you see the flaws in your own writing, or mistakes that are repeated. As a writer, I’m aware of moments where I think the story falls flat or the writing gets repetitive, but I’m very close to it and can’t view my work as a reader would. An editor can help with that, offering a fresh set of eyes.
Understanding the process
I hope I’ll have a greater understanding of a book editor’s role after having my work edited. I’ve studied editing (including different forms of editing) at university and I edit a magazine for work, but there’s always more to learn. I haven’t edited an entire manuscript or book before, so this will provide insight into the process.
I’ve booked a reader’s edit, which is different to a structural edit or manuscript assessment. I guess I’ll find out just how different!
I’m curious to see how the editing goes, and keen to learn from it and improve. I’ll probably write a post sometime in the future about how it goes!