Author Shelly Goodman Wright

When I signed my first publishing contract, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I have read several author and editor blogs to know my novel would go through some editing, but what did that mean exactly. Publishers and agents do vary in their processes, but what I hope to share will give you a basic understanding of the different stages. So, as my novel is close to going through the second stage, I thought I would share a little about the first stage.

COPY EDITING

Well, the first piece it to upload your completed manuscript to the publisher. Although this is not part of the copy editing, we are preparing our manuscript for that very purpose. Each publisher will have their own style, font, layout, etc, that they will want from us soon after the contract is signed. I may have blogged about my publisher’s specific requirements, so if you haven’t read it, scroll down my blogs to find Formatting Your Manuscript.

Once we’ve uploaded our manuscript to the publishers requirement and it’s been accepted, it goes into the hands of the copy editors. At this point, the writer just waits while this process is tackled without much input from us.

So what do they do in copy editing? First of all most copy editors have excellent command of the written word. From spelling to punctuation, these folks are trained to spot factual errors. Their job is to clean up (not conceptually change) the manuscript so that when the conceptual editing begins, the editor then can focus on the consistency of the plot, the characterization, flow of the story, etc.

Here is a list of what copy editors look for:

1. Spelling

2. Grammar

3. Punctuation

4. Style and Usage

5. Gather preliminary pages

 

They will also suggest the following to the conceptual editor:

1. Highlight redundancy

2. Logical order

3. Heading and breaking up text

4. Sentence and paragraph lengths

5. Consistency of text

6. Style (metaphors, simile, words that can be cut, over use of adjectives, rid passive voice, over used exclamation marks, italics, bolded words)

7. Accuracy

 

So there is a lot going on in a copy edit, but it’s well worth it.

Now that I have a better understanding of what my novel has been going through this last month, I have a new appreciation for copy editors!

It should only be days before the real work begins with my conceptual editor. I’m nervous and excited to see my baby again and how much it has already grown—I’ve missed my manuscript!

So I’ll leave you for now and I hope that my blog has been somewhat helpful and informative. If you’d like to add the process you are going through with your writing or revisions, please feel free to post it on the site. I believe we learn from one another more so much more than we do from just reading about it manuals.

Happy Writing!

Shelly Goodman Wright

Author of A LIGHT INTO THE DARKENSS, a Christian Romance/Suspense novel will be available in all major bookstores and on Amazon.com, February 2012.

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