Many writers are stunned when their manuscripts are rejected by a publisher for editing reasons. Some writers have jumped the gun in publishing their books, omitting editing of any sort, because they thought their story was so strong they “didn’t need to edit.”
But readers and reviewers have reminded writers all over the world of how distracting manuscripts errors can be, even in e-books. The best story will be abandoned when readers find it too hard to ignore, or be confused by, poor spelling and non-standard punctuation.
As an author myself, I know that when you’re busy writing, it’s practically impossible to see the trees for the forest, so to speak.
Writing is hard work. Editing a manuscript for submission is hard work. But they are not the same kinds of work, and even the best writer finds it difficult, often even impossible, to catch a manuscript’s many possible errors, especially after re-writing and polishing it.
Just what kinds of problems are we talking about? Somewhere along the line, I found a pie chart that depicts the most usual copyediting errors found in writer’s works. (Copyediting is the final editing that looks at a work’s details rather than basic plot, character development, etc.) Unfortunately, I cannot find the attribution for this information, but it generally coincides with our own publishing experience:
Missing words—35%
Punctuation problems—24%
Agreement—15%
Capitalization errors—11%
Spelling—6%
Remaining, miscellaneous errors—9%
We encourage our authors to find good editors and respect constructive feedback of all sorts, at every step of the writing process. This will assist your writing to become ever better, and help to keep your readers’ attention on your story, where it belongs, not on the copyediting details.
Keep in touch.
Evan Swensen, Publisher
Publication Consultants
Publishing the works of authors worldwide!
8370 Eleusis Drive
Anchorage, Alaska 99502
(907) 349-2424 Fax (907) 349-2426
evan@publicationconsultants.com
Publication Consultants, book publishers, has established a legacy of providing authors opportunities for expression, preserving histories and stories, and bringing joy to readers and writers; and, doing so in an atmosphere of mutual respect and integrity. If you’ve written a book, if you’re writing a book, if you’re thinking about writing a book, or if you know someone that is writing a book, go to www.publicationconsultants.com.
Related Posts at Publication Consultants
- How To Get Noticed By Editors And Publishers:Let Your Strengths Shine
To be a successful writer and get noticed, being good often isn’t good enough. You…
- TRACK YOUR WRITING PROGRESS
If you’re serious about writing, and we expect that you are, you know that the…
- Writing a Book Backwards?
As we mentioned in an earlier blog, we have a second printing of the wonderful…
- What About Writing Contests?
Every writer thinks about entering writing contests. But there are some pitfalls to be aware…
- Writing Tip: Are Your Stakes High Enough?
Writing Tip: Are Your Stakes High Enough?
- Go for the Gold! Aim to Achieve in Your Writing.
We’re excited about the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia this year. We want you…