Why Editing?

There are a few foundational components every great book needs in order to have a chance at landing on a bookstore shelf: a riveting back cover description, an eye-catching cover design, and high-quality editing.

How do we know? Because a VP at one of the largest bookstores in the world said so. Those are the first three things that is looked for before stocking a title on their shelves.

Editing is a foundational component in your book’s marketability. Sure, your story needs to be interesting and well-written, but if it contains typos and mistakes, it’s a liability for a bookstore to carry it. No matter how interesting or powerful a story is, bookstores are a business, so they choose to carry books with a low risk of being returned.

How It Works

While most things in this digital age are now automated, computer programs still have not been able to replace human editors, so publishers still use human editors. To reduce human error, traditional books go through multiple rounds of editing with multiple sets of eyes, so we still recommend reaching out to teachers, librarians or writers in your circle to help you proofread your copy before sending to an editor.

Why New Dominion Editing?

Because book editing adheres to a strict industry standard. While newspapers and high school papers use their own styles of editing, books adhere to The Chicago Manual of Style. After you’ve finished your proofreading, our editors will perform a final, thorough edit and ensure your book is putting its best foot forward!

What Kind of Editing Do You Offer?

We offer several different levels and styles of editing to meet your book’s specific needs. Not sure what to pick? Select our Manuscript Review or Editorial Critique service to get a personalized recommendation from one of our experts.

• Every Books manuscript will be reviewed by at least two editors.
• Books requiring a substantive edit or a developmental rewrite will receive a second read by a copy editor or proofreader.
• Books requiring a hard copy edit only will receive a proofread in layout by a second editor.
• Accuracy is a shared responsibility between the author and the publisher. Authors must carefully read their digital proofs before signing off on them. While our editors are professionals well-versed in the process, the author is the resident expert of the work, and their collaboration and inclusion in the process is necessary to ensure accuracy and success.
• After the editing is completed and the book is in layout form, the author may only make corrections of errors found in the book. Further stylistic changes by the author may not be made.

Editing Protocols

The executive editor assigns all manuscript editing and approves final edits for layout.

• Once the layouts of the cover wrap and interior are complete, a digital proof will be sent by the designer to the author for his or her final review and approval. The book format will look different than the manuscript, and authors must proof carefully, looking for formatting and other errors. Once the book goes into layout, editing by the author is no longer welcome. Correction of errors only, please.
• Once the proof is returned to the designer with author corrections, it will be sent back to the copy editor for a final look.
• The copy editor will decide which author corrections should be made and will proof the document a final time for typos only. Typos generally include mistakes in:
  • Capitalization
  • Punctuation
  • Spelling
  • Line or word spacing
  • General formatting

The most involved and time-consuming is called a Line Edit which usually involves some structural changes during editing process. Some publishers call it a structural edit, a substantive edit; others still call it a developmental edit, or an executive edit. Make sure you’re clear on what your editor or publisher is providing. For us, developmental edit and an executive edit involve a variety of edits performed as a process into an editing package based in the needs of your manuscript.

Fiction

A line edit for fiction typically involves the big stuff. That’s primarily what I call it taking a high-altitude view of the manuscript. We focus on things like:

• Plot
• Pacing
• Narration and voice
• Character development
• Sequencing
• Transition
• Verb tense
• Dialogue development and structure
• Redundancy

Nonfiction

For nonfiction, a line edit is much the same as the imagined world. Above all, the writing must be clear and the organization cohesive. The biggest difference is standards of accuracy. Fiction is invented and often has disclaimers that indicate it doesn’t concern real persons or events. Nonfiction work is, ostensibly fact-based, therefore implying truth. Most often inaccuracies result from laziness—not intent.

The best way to avoid mistakes is to double-check—make that triple-check—the spellings of names and places. You may also want to consider reading the manuscript out loud to help catch errors. Misspelled names erode author credibility. That goes for dates as well. If you make a historical reference and the date is wrong, someone will notice. And if that someone is antagonistic, he could spread the word about your gaffe.

The Internet is unforgiving!

Here’s how to help bulletproof your work:

• Double-check spellings of all proper names.
• Double-check accuracy of dates and places.
• Don’t sacrifice clarity for style.
• Learn the basics of libel law.
• Work with an editor familiar with libel law.

Entire books have been written on the topics of plot development, storytelling, and libel laws. In fact, some writers spend two years in college creative writing and journalism programs studying these subjects. I mention them here to simply alert you to what to expect during a structural edit and what to ask yourself before that process begins.

The down-in-the-weeds version of editing is what is called a copy edit. Some call it a line-by-line edit, and still others say word edit. This second-level of editing typically comes after the initial line edit. A line edit is what is a “scrub.” The copy editor goes word by word line by line to vacuum the manuscript clean of typos, misspellings, extra spaces, incomplete sentences, and grammatical inconsistencies.

But the biggest job of all is making sure the manuscript complies with one of the major style guides. There are a few, but the best-known are The Chicago Manual of Style and The Associated Press Style-book. Both set forth a litany of rules for things like use of italics, capitalization, numerals and titles, etc. The Chicago Manual of Style is cumbersome—no, make that a pain. The 16th Edition is 1,026 pages. This is why copy editors are paid.

When discussing copy editing with a publisher, here is what you should expect:

• Grammar, spelling, punctuation check
• Style guide compliance
• Scrubbing out typos
• Fixing any lingering issues of clarity

A few words of advice for working with a copy editor: Love them, and appreciate them. They are nitpickers by trade and, as such, can be annoying at times. But they can save you from much embarrassment. They’re your safety net. They catch the lingering issues you and your line editor have missed. And, believe me, there are always lingering issues. It’s not at all unusual for a good copy editor to vacuum up 200 to 400 “typos” and mistakes in a 75,000-word document. So, just as with a line editor, it’s imperative that you work with an experienced, diligent copy editor.

Quick story: I make it a habit of checking out book that people show me. I always check the imprint and publisher. After that I start flipping through the interior pages; usually it doesn't take me too long too kind simple errors, without taking the time for a careful read. Many people spend more than $10,000 on editing, cover design, and layout with a big self-publishing firms. I usually walk away without mentioning those issues because they are so excited about their book, I really don't want to spoil their day. But I often walk away thinking I could have helped them avoid these embarrassing errors. These instances, and many like it that I have witnessed, are what gives book publishing a taint. I am constantly disappointed.

What are Digital ARC's and Printed ARC's

Digital ARCs (Advance Review Copy)

Once the layout is approved by the author and the publisher, a Digital ARC will be sent to the author. Digital ARCs are pdf files of the interior with the front and back cover book-ended at the front and back. It is the complete book. The author will send the digital ARCs along with query emails asking for endorsement quotes and/or reviews. The author should also ask for readers and endorsers to report any errors they find in the book draft.

Printed ARCs

The publisher will issue printed ARCs either before endorsement quotes and final corrections are made, or after the book is in “final form.” Printed ARCs may have errors that will be corrected later, and are understood to be ADVANCE copies of the book, to be used for promotional or editorial purposes. The publisher will not replace printed ARCs, as they are intended for review, so the author should think carefully about when they want to receive their printed ARCs.

The publisher will correct any undisputed editing errors or omissions caught in a printed ARC, regardless of whether the errors are caught pre or post-publication. The goal is always to create and produce an error-free book.

Discretionary changes requested by the author after the book has been sent to the distributor must be approved by the publisher, who will decide whether to charge the author for the changes.