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	© 2012 by Bart Smith, TheMarketingMan.com & Founder of MyMarketingCart.com, MyTrainingCenter.com, ReallyCheapNames.com & MyPaymentServices.com

RECOMMENDED TUTORIAL:
	Here's How You Can Send Your Book's Manuscript To An Editor For Proofing Before You Send It To The Printer ...

Have you ever read a book and found an error in it? Believe it or not, 99% of all books have at least 1% (or more) of errors in them if you really look for them. No one is perfect; no book is perfect; and, no one really cares if they find one or two errors in a book.

On the other hand, if you have more than two or three errors in your manuscript, in fact, if it is riddled with errors, potential buyers might put the book down because they can't focus on your work because it is too cumbersome to read.

Thank heavens for editors! Many writers can develop their ideas and create a good story. But, they ain't particularly good at grammner, spelleeng, and punktuation. Editors will vary in what they consider appropriate in the continuum of their work because every editor wears two hats: (1) to act as the reader’s advocate by making copy easier to read and understand, and (2) to make the author look better to the reader.

I tell authors they should focus on their message, do their best to keep their manuscript as clean and free of errors so the editor can focus on the major aspects of editing the work for nitpicky grammar, diction, structure, flow, content, authenticity, believability and, possibly, some rewriting. When you're ready to submit your manuscript to an editor for proofing, be sure that you have run spell-check (several times) at a minimum within the software program. To the best of your ability, check style and consistency; clarify and polish the work BEFORE turning it over to an editor.

That said, let's say you just finished writing your book, and you're ready to send your manuscript over to an editor for proofing. First, may I say, "congratulations!" What's the next step? Hire an editor, right? You bet ...

When it comes to editing your written work, picture going through these five phases, at a minimum:

	First Draft Editing (Phase I)
	Depending on your level of writing, you may want someone to look over what you wrote and suggest any rewording (noting them in a different font color) so what you wrote sounds stronger and more refined before you actually send it to an editor.
	I've actually taken first drafts from authors and done exactly that to what they originally wrote. I didn't change the message, purpose or tonality. I merely enhance the content.
	Editors cost money, and it's wise to get your initial work checked out first by someone who can glance over it and give you some honest, constructive feedback. Having someone first look over your work before you send it off to an editor saves them time and money.
	Light Editing (Phase II)
	Occasionally, a writer’s work only needs a "light edit." This usually involves checking for the following in your work:
	• Obvious errors in punctuation, spelling, grammar and diction ... • Sentence, paragraph, and section structure and length ... • Proper title page, preface, introduction, table of contents, body, conclusion, acknowledgements, etc.
	COST: Depending on the number of pages your manuscript has and the level of "light editing" required, you can expect to pay between $150 to $1,500 for this first pass-through of editing. Again, everything depends on the size of your book, what you're writing about and how light-weight the job turns out to be.
	For more details on costs, picture hiring an editor for $35 per hour. If the editor spends 2 weeks editing your book -- working approximately 20 hours per week, do the math: 40 hours x $35 per hour = $1,400. If more time is needed to complete editing phase, the costs can add up. Also, keep in mind, editors have skills the average ordinary citizen doesn't have. In short, they're worth every penny.
	Heavy Editing (Phase III)
	Even experienced writers sometimes need what I call a "heavy edit," especially if their work is lengthy (i.e., 300 pages or more). Heavy edits usually check for the following elements in your work:
	• Preference for active voice rather than passive voice ... • Factual Errors ... • Appropriate and consistent style ... • Maintaining (staying on) theme ... • Nonexistence of triteness, superficiality ... • Errors in Reason/Logic ... • Omission of necessary material ... • Overall organization ... • Maintaining progression ... • Tone ... • Theme/goal achieved ... • Perspective ... • Proper avoidance of plagiarism ... • Appropriate weight given to certain issues/matters ... • Formatted properly for a book printer, ebook software ... • Cosmetic appeal, package/cover layout ... • Proper transition from sentence to sentence, paragraph    to paragraph, section to section ... • Consistent formatting of text and graphics, yet variety ...
	COST: Depending on the number of pages to your manuscript and the level of "heavy editing" required, you can expect to pay anywhere from $50 to $5,000. Again, everything depends on the size of your manuscript and the level of "heavy editing" it requires.
	Again, to explain the cost to you, picture hiring an editor for $35 per hour. Then, imagine if they spent 2 weeks editing your book; working around 20 hours per week reading through your entire book. That'd be 40 hours x $35 per hour = $1,400. Suppose they needed a whole month, working 20 hours per week for 4 weeks in a row? Do the math and you can see how it all adds up.
	Second Round of Editing (Phase IV)
	This round comes after the first round of light (or heavy) editing, AND after you print an actual physical copy of your manuscript in book format. What better way to proof your book the second time around than by holding a tangible copy in your own hands?
	From there, the editor can simply take a red pen and mark up the actual book with their suggested/needed corrections. When they're done, they simply mail you the marked-up book so you can have those new corrections entered into the computer.
	After your changes are entered, order a third proof to be printed for yet one more review! This time, you might order 5-10 copies to be printed, and hand them out to friends. Ask them to give your book a fair review. Ask them to mark up the book? “When you’ve finished your preview, I'll take you to lunch. You'd be doing me a huge favor if you could help me."
	Third Round of Editing (Phase V)
	Hopefully, the third round of editing will be your last one for awhile. The third round of editing comes after you've printed your manuscript in book format for the second time.
	You would be surprised how many NEW errors can surface after a couple rounds of editing. I was working on a book one time, where the first round of edits produced roughly 2,500 suggested/needed corrections. Just imagine a 500-page book, with 2-5 errors, suggested corrections, misspellings, punctuation errors, etc., marked up per page. Well, do the math, again, and you can see how the total number of corrections can really sky-rocket.
	A good writer may not necessarily be a good speller. That’s why the services of an editor or proofreader are needed. Don’t let your pride stand in your way.

Well, if you think you're at the point where you need an editor to review your work, contact my office, so we can discuss which direction we need to take to get your book edited and ready for the printer.