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Moneywise Self-Publishing: Editing Your Manuscript

© Donna Murphy

I thought it would be a good idea to start discussing ways that a self-publisher can get a project completed without breaking the piggy bank. We're all trying to find ways to produce quality publications, but not all of us are independently wealthy (yet).

I will be introducing a series of "Moneywise Self-Publishing" articles that will discuss how to cut costs (without sacrificing quality) on your self-publishing projects. So, let's get started with the first Moneywise project...Editing.

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I have learned to strike a delicate balance between doing for myself and knowing when to use the SOS flag. One of the pros to self-publishing your own material is that you can save money.But let caution be your guide. The impulse is to be frugal with everything. Remember that saving money does not always produce the best quality.

One of the first money-saving activities for the self-publisher is manuscript editing.

Proofreading and Editing Essentials

If you know some of the basic rules of proofreading and editing, you can edit much of your manuscript on your own. However, you will want another objective party to edit and proofread your manuscript at some point in the process (preferably before going to print). A good resource to use when editing your manuscript on your own is Edit Yourself: A manual for everyone who works with words, by Bruce Ross-Larson. This book walks you through a process that many editors use to ink up your manuscript. According to Ross-Larson, some of the key elements that an editor looks for are:

· FAT - What things can you get rid of?

· A BETTER WORD - Is there a better word to use?

· PRONOUN REFERENCE - Does your pronoun reference agree?

· SHORTER SENTENCES - Can you say it in fewer words?

· ACTIVE VOICE - Are you using active voice?

· CONSISTENCY - Is your writing, grammar, content and style consistent?

Also in this book are the basic tools you need to edit yourself. These tools include a dictionary, a style sheet, and a checklist of the basics.

A Dictionary - I believe this tool is self-explanatory.

A Style Sheet - Use a style sheet to be consistent with spelling, capitalization, hyphenation, and number usage. Create a style sheet for each manuscript you write and photocopy it for anyone who will be reviewing your manuscript. This will help your reviewers to remain consistent with you while editing your manuscript. A popular reference for style sheets is The New York Public Library Writer's Guide to Style and Usage.

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