If perhaps you've put together a manuscript - or any type of book - and therefore are now wanting to know just how to go about having it published, stop! Did you even re-read your work, fixing mistakes and working on any weak sections in the wording? Your reply to this is most likely "for sure". But have you gone through it multiple times? Again, you'll probably say "for sure". But have you used a book editor to look at your book with a fine-toothed comb? The answer to this question for most writers is a no. If you are one of those authors and have at this point had no luck with your manuscript, it might be where you're making a mistake.
The simple truth is, you may well be the number one author on earth, but since you composed the draft, you are not really able to pick up on all of the mistakes within the text. You shouldn't simply count on software either; it may pick up on spelling slip-ups, however it doesn't know when you've left out a word, or put ideas in the wrong order, or accidentally deleted an entire sentence. The really difficult truth that many authors find hard to face is that they also can't depend on their own eyes to pick out these fundamental blunders: as a book writer, you're just too involved in your work to stand back and analyse it objectively. You can easily read a phrase through without noting that misplaced word, since your mind knows what has to be there and fills in the blanks for you. It's quite frustrating, yet it happens.
Then there's the big, horrendous, novel-destroying blunders that you may not detect - or not prefer to acknowledge you've detected: the yawning plot holes, the monotonous dialogue, the indisputable fact that your villain is utterly ill-matched for most of chapter five without having any explanation. Getting another person to go through your manuscript and make a note of anything they don't understand - or anything they think doesn't make sense - will likely be valuable for you.
Many writers go with friends and relations to 'proofread' their manuscript, but what normally happens is usually that the relative or friend comes back to the writer gushing about how exceptional the manuscript is, while not dealing with any of the problems in the book or providing any type of useful criticism. This could be simply because they don't want to upset you, but more often than not it's mainly because they don't really know exactly what they're in the hunt for - if they have never experienced editing previously, how can they know what direction to go?
The best way to solve this is to use an experienced proofreader to check your work for you - of course, they will cost money, however that investment won't be going to waste. The truth is, it might be the best money you spend on your novel, including everything else you invest in your promotional plan. A specialist should be able to check work without bias, be honest in their suggestions, and - above all - they'll know what is expected of drafts in the publishing business. They'll are aware of the grammar conventions you ought to be sticking with, they will have an understanding of plot as well as structure work, and they'll be able to recommend where you can improve that you may never have thought of on your own.
Shop on the web for skilled proofreaders and editors - many offer various solutions for different levels of editing, and you're likely to find one that is affordable.
The simple truth is, you may well be the number one author on earth, but since you composed the draft, you are not really able to pick up on all of the mistakes within the text. You shouldn't simply count on software either; it may pick up on spelling slip-ups, however it doesn't know when you've left out a word, or put ideas in the wrong order, or accidentally deleted an entire sentence. The really difficult truth that many authors find hard to face is that they also can't depend on their own eyes to pick out these fundamental blunders: as a book writer, you're just too involved in your work to stand back and analyse it objectively. You can easily read a phrase through without noting that misplaced word, since your mind knows what has to be there and fills in the blanks for you. It's quite frustrating, yet it happens.
Then there's the big, horrendous, novel-destroying blunders that you may not detect - or not prefer to acknowledge you've detected: the yawning plot holes, the monotonous dialogue, the indisputable fact that your villain is utterly ill-matched for most of chapter five without having any explanation. Getting another person to go through your manuscript and make a note of anything they don't understand - or anything they think doesn't make sense - will likely be valuable for you.
Many writers go with friends and relations to 'proofread' their manuscript, but what normally happens is usually that the relative or friend comes back to the writer gushing about how exceptional the manuscript is, while not dealing with any of the problems in the book or providing any type of useful criticism. This could be simply because they don't want to upset you, but more often than not it's mainly because they don't really know exactly what they're in the hunt for - if they have never experienced editing previously, how can they know what direction to go?
The best way to solve this is to use an experienced proofreader to check your work for you - of course, they will cost money, however that investment won't be going to waste. The truth is, it might be the best money you spend on your novel, including everything else you invest in your promotional plan. A specialist should be able to check work without bias, be honest in their suggestions, and - above all - they'll know what is expected of drafts in the publishing business. They'll are aware of the grammar conventions you ought to be sticking with, they will have an understanding of plot as well as structure work, and they'll be able to recommend where you can improve that you may never have thought of on your own.
Shop on the web for skilled proofreaders and editors - many offer various solutions for different levels of editing, and you're likely to find one that is affordable.
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