One of the elements of a book that doesn’t get spoken of much is the index. An index is essentially a roadmap to the book, listing names, places, and things in alphabetical order and giving the page numbers associated with each topic. For nonfiction books, packed with valuable information, a well-made index can help quickly direct the reader to the information they’re trying to find.
Before you begin writing a book, it’s crucial to ask yourself why. Without a clear understanding of the purpose of your book, it’s difficult to make it stand out from the thousands that are published each day. But there are two sides to that question: why you want to write the book and why someone else would want to read it. Understanding both sides of that coin is crucial if you want to both get your message across and ensure that there’s someone on the other end to receive it.
Questions about the editing process are natural—especially if you are a first-time author. You may be wondering about your editor and what will happen to the manuscript you’ve worked so hard on. Who is this person, and what are they going to do to my book?
Your editor’s motivations are much the same as yours: to make your book the best it can be. Don’t worry: She doesn’t want to stifle your voice; she wants to help you be heard.
00:00 – Hi, I'm Amber. I'm an editor at Greenleaf Book Group, and today we're going to talk about why a manuscript would need an editor.
00:13 – Even when you're a wonderful writer, a professional editor can always help improve your manuscript. Maybe your book needs just a bit of finessing, or maybe it needs more of an overhaul. Either way, an editor can be a valuable partner. That's the case because authors tend to be very close to their subject matter. They've often worked on the project for years, and it's incredibly helpful to have someone else sit down, approach the work with a fresh perspective, and point out any blind spots that may have developed in the author's vision of their own work and that's precisely what a good editor does.
00:44 – Whether the changes they suggest are big like changing the whole focus of the book, or cutting out entire chapters, or small like punctuation and grammar, the book editor always serves two masters. First, they serve the eventual reader of the book. The editor points out to the author passages that may confuse or annoy or bore or possibly even offend the reader, then they suggest how to fix the problem. They also work on catching errors and omissions. Without this work done, the reader may regard the work as unprofessional and be less invested in the author's message.
01:18 – The book editor’s second master is of course the author. The editor has to make sure that the author is on board with any changes to the book, and that any alterations maintain the spirit and tone of the author's work. An author should never feel that their book editor is putting him or herself into the book or making changes that don't feel warranted. So, a book editor is sort of a test reader really noticing what your readers might before you take the book to market.
01:44 – A professional editor is also willing to frankly point out the problems a more sympathetic test reader might not, say your husband or your mom. You have to really trust someone to put your work in their hands, but we highly recommend looking for a professional, experienced editor and taking that leap of faith. You'll always come away with a stronger book.
“I’ve heard horror stories about editors,” an author told me recently at the start of a project. Another said to me, “I was really expecting the worst during editing.” Horror stories? The worst? Really? What is going on in the publishing world that has authors dreading editors and their fiendish red pencils? I know a lot of editors, and I don’t think we’re a horrible lot. Yet editors do offer up similar lamentations about working with authors: “I need to start charging a stupidity fee” or “Why won’t they just accept that I’m right.” If you’re on either side of this editorial war, I recommend you read on for some rules of engagement:
For many authors, one of the obstacles in writing a book is finding the time to put pen to paper (or nowadays, fingers to keyboard). Another obstacle is that although they can speak about their subject matter easily and professionally, writing can be considerably more difficult to manage. GBG’s Spoken Draft service is a hybrid of our Manuscript Development service, in which an editor collaboratively coaches the author through the writing process, and Ghostwriting, in which a professional writer works directly with the author, usually through interviews, to create the manuscript in the author’s voice.
This service is perfect for the author who doesn’t need a full-fledged ghostwriter, but does not have the time or skills to write, and needs more guidance from an editor. The Spoken Draft process is using done in four phases.
1. Defining promise, theme, audience, and market differentiation
To ensure that the final manuscript is as clear in its messaging as possible and has the highest potential in the retail market, we will begin by brainstorming with the author to clarify the core promise and themes to keep the book focused. We will work to define the audience and identify those aspects of the author’s content that can best be leveraged to build a strong foundation for market differentiation. We will also discuss the author’s platform and outreach efforts to ensure that the final book will be aligned with promotional efforts and broader goals.
2. Outlining
Once the focus, audience, and market have been defined, the editor will interview the author to refine the organization of ideas and content to ensure that the core message is clearly communicated. The goal is to create a clear arc for the book that helps the reader digest the content and build toward an identifiable end goal. The end result will be a detailed outline the editor and author can follow during the content creation phase. This outline will be very detailed, including headings, speaking prompts, and word count total goals for the author to use later to create the content.
3. Recording early content
Once the outline has been fully developed, the editor will interview the author for some early sample content. We will transcribe it and provide feedback on clarity, style, tone, flow, and integration of themes and ideas.
4. Recording a first draft
The editor and author will set up an interview schedule to record the rest of the book in sections. Prior to each interview, the author will prepare the upcoming research, case studies, and other content that will be discussed during the recording session. After transcribing, the editor will provide a notated, completed first draft that the author and subsequent editors will use as a base for the final retail-ready manuscript.
Once this process is complete, we expect that we will have a complete draft to work with. We will analyze this draft (perform a second diagnosis) to determine what further editorial work (at additional cost) would be required to get to a final, high-quality book that will be ready for market. This editorial work could include the following:
