I received an e-mail today from someone who was looking for an editor–sort of.
In her e-mail she complained that she’d already spent thousands of dollars on a book proposal that agents told her was terrific but that there was no market for–unless she was someone famous. [Note: I had not helped her with the book proposal–someone else had done that–she came to me looking for an editor so she could self publish].
She also wondered whether she was smart to even be looking for an editor. Was the book really as good as people said it was? Was she wasting her time and money?
I gave her the name of a terrific editor who was within her budget. But I also offered a bit of unsolicited advice, which I then decided to share with my writing blog readers. This author was wise to get writing feedback from experts and her audience. It’s important to see where you’re on track with the writing and where it doesn’t work for readers. Yet, it’s equally important not to look for validation from others for what you know in your heart.
Yes, get an editor or expert to provide detailed feedback, but don’t allow criticism to penetrate so deeply that you lose faith in your project.
In my experience, writing a book brings up a person’s past issues. Writing a book is about fully expressing yourself, being big in the world, being seen, being in your power. If you sometimes got stuck in victim mode in the past, or your parents or teachers gave you the message to suppress your brilliance, writing a book is going to bring up those old tapes.
Time to release those old messages around self-esteem, personal power and self expression. Step into your power. The faster you release the past, the faster and easier will be your rise to success.
Enjoy your brilliance. Write. Publish. And have a great day.
Please share your experiences as a comment to the blog!
dear lisa,
wow!
that is a great medicine mantra for ever single day..
“Enjoy your brilliance. Write. Publish. And have a great day.”
thank you!
question…
near ready to send my non-fiction manuscript to an editor or copy editor. do you advise for a copy editor on a first book vs just an editor?
i am publishing with authorhouse to start things off..
blessed day,
deb
Dear Deb,
I do advise for a copy editor. You want to make sure you polish your manuscript on style, formatting and accuracy, not just grammar and punctuation.
However, be careful. Lots of editors don’t do a thorough job and you can pay decent money for an indecent job.
Also, don’t use editing services from a POD or self-publishing company. They compete on price, not quality. Instead, get a referral from someone whose book is polished and well written and who was happy with their editing services. I can recommend an editor if you e-mail me.
How do you choose a good editor? Wow, I’m realizing this should be a blog post. It will be the next post…
In this ‘sky is falling’ publishing market for new writers hiring an editor is a must have if a writer’s goal is to be published by a top publishing company like Simon and Schuster, Random House, Penguin, etc. Not only that, the better a manuscript is, the better the deal, the more confidence a publisher will have in supporting the book in the marketplace with marketing and promotion. Writing books these days is like creating little businesses, a writer must be willing to take a hard look at their business resource (the book), make sure it is functioning to the best of its ability (the audience is affected and the message of the material is relevant and clear), and the writer is unemotional about what it will take to make the book the best it can be (just like a CEO has to make hard decisions related to a day to day business). This doesn’t mean the writer isn’t passionate about their work, it just means that they understand the difference between their art and what it takes to make their art viable in the marketplace. If self-publishing is a writer’s goal, you still should hire an editor to clean up the manuscript and make sure it’s readable however you don’t need to spend a gazillion dollars to make it perfect. It all comes down to the writer’s personal and professional goals as an author.
Lisa – just checking out this blog for the first time, just read this first post, and think your comments are spectacular. What a great gift you’re offering your readers (and I’ll be sure to check in more often myself). Woohoo for sharing!