Let’s take a step back and look at this wonderful and crazy journey I put myself on.
BOOK ONE: The Vasile Sisters: Hunted
Time to talk editing.
Book one has been through developmental editing last summer. I found an editor on Reedsy and one who I think is fabulous. She found a plot hole no other person had found. When I realized she was right I almost fell off my chair. I am so thankful for her amazing editing skills. My plan is to utilize her talents for book two.
With book one I am going through my final stage of beta readers, tweaking a few things, and then it will be time to find a copyeditor. This is something I plan on doing by the end of March. This means my edits need to be done by the end of February. Do I think I can make it? I honestly don’t know. I tend to put a lot on my plate at once and I am still learning balance.
For Example: Did I expect to be done with book two before book one was 100 percent complete. No! I blame NaNoWriMo and yes I would do it the same way all over again. I literally have 90k words completed for book two. What?!?
BOOK TWO: The Vasile Sisters: Stolen
That is where I am with book one. Where am I with book two? It is currently with alpha readers. I have three of them reading through the story and I am hoping they will tear it apart for me. The goal find plot holes, flat or uninteresting characters, and anything else that irks them. I appreciate their feedback more than they will ever know.
Once the alpha readers come back I will make my changes and then I will send it off to the developmental editor. That typically takes six to eight weeks. Then it is off to beta readers to look for anything else they may find. Finally copyediting, proofreading, and soon I have another finished manuscript. This is becoming a vicious cycle and I love it.
Editing to me is one of the most important aspects of putting out a great book versus a good book. If you plan to self-publish as I am, I foresee my books will go through the following three rounds of editing.
- Developmental Editing: Have someone help with those plot holes, check those characters, look for that tone. Big picture edits.
- Copy Editing: Consistency, grammar, punctuation, check for spelling. Start drilling down the details.
- Proofreading: Find the little things. Dot your I’s and cross your T’s.
Those are my steps to editing. My plan once book one is fully finished and ready for publishing, is to start on book three. The planned final in this series.