In my last blog post, we looked at how to start self-editing your nonfiction book. In this one, we will be moving on to consider the next steps in the self-editing process, such as how well your work flows, reviewing your research and checking your references. However, we will start by quickly reviewing what self-editing is and why it is so important as a nonfiction author.
Why Self-Edit?
Self-editing is the process of reviewing your work, identifying problems and making adjustments to fix these. This is done before you send your work for any kind of editing or submit it to an agent or publisher.
Self-editing is important as it makes your work shine. There isn’t a lot of point in paying for a professional editor if you hope to get a deal with a traditional publisher, as they will have it edited many times before it is published. They aren’t expecting you to submit a perfect draft!
However, you do want to correct any obvious errors in spelling or grammar that you can fix and make sure there aren’t any major mistakes. Your draft should also be structured well and easy to navigate, especially if it is a reference book. Self-editing should fix these problems and doesn’t cost you anything.
Self-editing can also save you money even if you are self-publishing and will be paying for a professional editor. If your editor charges by the hour, your self-edited manuscript should take less time and so cost less. If your editor charges per word, you may find that they have different rates according to the level and intensity of editing your manuscript needs.
Flow
Your book also needs to flow. There are a few different things meant by this. Firstly, your sentences should link well and be easy to read. If you have very long sentences, try breaking them up a bit; if you have a lot of short sentences, try to join them together.
Next, check your work at a paragraph level. Do these flow well into each other? Make sure you have divided it up as appropriate to make your writing clear to the reader.
Finally, what chapters and sections have you divided your book into? Make sure that these are in a logical order and will flow well. Your readers shouldn’t feel jarred by a sudden topic change, so try to smooth out the transitions. You will probably want to start with the basics of your subject at the start, then gradually move on to more complicated areas. Alternatively, if your book is a self-help book, it makes the most sense to build on each chapter, starting with the first steps your reader can take.
Research
You should also check your research carefully before you think about publishing your book. You don’t want any errors when it is launched! Make sure you can support every point you have made with evidence and haven’t made any assumptions in your work. It may be that you have points that you know are right, but just need to find a source that you can cite.
Also, ensure that your writing is up-to-date. If you first started writing your manuscript a long time ago, you may find that some points you made (that were correct when you wrote them) have since changed. In addition, there might be new research that gives you extra points to add, ensuring you have a comprehensive book for your readers.
Sources
As well as checking your research, make sure you have cited everything correctly. This makes it easier for your readers to find the source you are referring to if they want to know more and means that every point you make can be checked against your sources. Choose a style of referencing and stick with this. You will probably want to have both in-text citations and a reference list.
Check all of your in-text citations to make sure they are in an appropriate place and that your reader can easily find the source you are referring to. You should also use a consistent style of citation throughout your book.
You will need to assemble a reference list or bibliography as well. This should be a complete list of all the sources you have used. Again, check that the style is consistent and that it is easy for your readers to find the source you are referring to.
Check Again
Finally, have one last check over your manuscript. You might well be able to catch errors you missed before. If you can, leave your manuscript again and start back at the beginning of the checks for a second self-edit.
Wrapping Up
Self-editing is a valuable skill to have that can save you some money on the road to publication, so it is well worth doing. In my next blog post, we will be looking at the advantages of having an ebook version of your nonfiction book, so come back in two weeks for that!
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