I know, I know, It’s not unexpected…
Serena and I were gabbing the other day — actually, she was trying to talk but I was gushing — and she happened to mention having her book professionally edited. I know it seems obvious but, well, I can’t honestly say that I don’t notice when a book has been professionally edited but I do know when it’s not!
Authors – take heart — we’ve all been there!
WHY I AM BROKE
(and other results of hiring professional editors)
by Serena Chase
The proliferation of the sloppily self-pubbed novel is an ever-present obstacle to a debut author—an obstacle that can only be hurdled by making sure your book is at-or-above the quality standards for your genre. But how do you do this?
The short answer? Seek professional help.
Here’s the long answer:
- Don’t become a victim to your own vanity. As authors, we are so invested in our stories and characters that we become blind to their faults or flatness. A qualified editor, however, will gently point out the weaknesses in our manuscripts and offer guidance toward the needed improvements.
- Obtain the services of a developmental editor. (Note: A developmental editor reads your manuscript with an eye for “story”, looking specifically at plot and character development, subplots, tension or lack thereof, and for the percentage of “scene” vs “sequel.” See this article: for more on that topic.) To find one, start by asking your “writer friends” for recommendations and then critically read a couple of books to which said editor has contributed his/her skills.
- Get a second-opinion developmental edit. You wouldn’t ask your OB deliver your baby at 4 months gestation simply so you could hold her, would you? Likewise, you can NOT allow your desire to see your book in print result in a not-yet-fully-baked novel.
- Once your story is ready, find a certified copy editor to clean it up. The copy editor goes through your manuscript, line-by-tedious-line, for sentence and paragraph structure, punctuation, grammar, spelling . . . all those little details that can make-or-break a reader’s suspension of disbelief.
- After you get it back from the copy editor, leave it alone! But if you, like me, don’t follow that advice, send it to the copy editor again. (I didn’t re-send THE RYN, resulting in 6 errors in the published novel. But I learned my lesson. I rewrote 2 entire scenes of THE REMEDY post-copy edit, but I then sent it back for another round.)
By the time you reach the end of the editorial process it may feel as though you need a different sort of “professional help” in order to survive the blows to your ego, but when you realize how much you’ve grown as an author, you won’t regret the investment you’ve made.
Thanks for having me, Gina!
Serena Chase
A life-long lover of fairy tales, Serena Chase is the author of THE RYN (3/26/13) and THE REMEDY (April 2013). Together, these two novels comprise an expanded re-imaging of the classic Grimm fairy tale, Snow White & Rose Red and are the first two books in the Eyes of E’veria series.
A frequent contributor to USA Today’s Happy Ever After blog and Edgy Inspirational Romance, Serena lives in Iowa with her husband, two daughters, and a white golden-doodle named Albus. She has been known to live vicariously through her hair, however, so don’t be too surprised if she looks a tad different from one day to the next. We all have our vices.
Websites & Links: 
Excerpt:
DESTINED by prophecy.
GUARDED by deception.
PURSUED by Love.
Centuries ago, an oracle foretold of the young woman who would defeat E’veria’s most ancient enemy, the Cobelds. But after two centuries of relative peace, both the prophecy and the Cobelds have been relegated to lore—and only a few remain watchful for the promised Ryn.
Finally, a child is born who matches the oracle’s description, but a Cobeld curse accompanies her birth. Led to believe they succeeded in killing the prophesied child, the Cobelds emerge from hiding with plans to overtake the Kingdom.
But the child survived.
Secreted away and called “Rose” for the first nineteen years of her life, Rynnaia E’veri has no idea of her true identity until a chance meeting with an injured knight reveals not only her parentage and true name, but the task assigned her by the oracle: discover the Remedy that will destroy the Cobelds’ power.
Now, her time has come.
Offered the assistance of pirates, scribes, storytellers, a young woman who died centuries ago, and the knight who is quickly working his way into her heart, Rynnaia is fortified with friends. But if the Ryn is to complete her task, she must come to terms with not only who she is, but for whom she must be willing to die. For the kingdom’s survival depends on her.
Wow. Sounds like a lot of work. I don’t envy authors.
It is a lot of work, Juju–but it is sooo worth it when you get the final result! 🙂
Thanks for having me over, Gina! *hugs*
This sounds so cool, and I get to have another book in my new Kindle. Totally love books like this too. Oracles, powers, oh yeah goose bumps. I cannot wait to read this. Oh.. my size again for a T is 3X (I like em’ big) hehehe
Great post and yes, I have been there. I am currently go back over first book and am surprised how good I thought it was, lol. Thanks for sharing and the giveaway . The Ryn sounds really good. Best of luck.
Paul R. Hewlett
Oh, every time I hear about these books I become more and more excited to read them! Thank you for the wonderful post, Ms. Chase!