In my last post, I talked about how I write drafts of a story. When I edit my own work, I make several passes: First, I read it on my computer and make corrections. Then, I print it and read it on paper. I also put it on my Kindle to read. When I turn it in to my editor, I’ve made it as clean as possible.
I usually send the draft to one or more beta readers while it’s with my editor. I don’t ask beta readers to find misspelled words, but they tell me how they liked the book, the characters, and if the story flowed well.
Once I get my book back from my editor with corrections, I try to work on them immediately. I’m so thankful for a fantastic editor who doesn’t try to quash my voice. She catches everything, and makes helpful suggestions, but it’s up to me to make the final corrections.
Once I correct all the edits, I send my book for proofreading. At this stage, all major errors should be fixed. When I get the book back with proofread corrections, there isn’t much to do. I may have missed some punctuation marks. After I correct the proofreads, I usually have Scrivener (my writing software) read my book out loud. This helps me catch any awkward sentences.
Next time, I’ll share some information about the self-publishing process.
