This series is directed towards first-time self-publishing authors who may not have start-up funds set aside. I will ALWAYS recommend investing in your books. The education, advertising, and professional editing/covers are worth every cent, but I also realize that it isn’t always possible. So here’s how to start following your dream without having to spend a penny because the beauty of being self-published is the amount of control you have over your books before they become widely popular. Good luck! DISCLAIMERYou are ALWAYS going to have preconceived notions when you edit your own book. It’s human nature. Whether you’re your own worst critic or you think you’ve just written the next Game of Thrones, when we authors edit our own stories we will either be too hard on ourselves or refuse to see what needs to be cut or added. These methods will help minimize this, but take into account that there will still be some remnants of these tendencies in your book. Self-Editing is NOT a replacement for hiring a professional, but sometimes we can't pay the required fee. So we do what we can with what we have. As long as you hire a professional later down the road when you can." The very first step to editing your book is to TAKE A BREAK. Give it a couple days, if not a week or two, for the dust to settle. Work on a new book idea, take a vacation, read. In fact, reading is at the top of that recommended list because then your get out of your own head and into the head of another author. It separates you from your story and puts you in the mindset of editing as if your book were written by someone else. After you’ve had a breather, come back and read your story. Just enjoy it. Don’t put any marks or notes or highlights or anything on it yet. Read it as if you’re just picking it up from the library or scanning through on Amazon. This is why I recommend writing in separate portions (each scene or segment in a separate file/notebook) and NOT reading your book as a whole until this point. It allows you to have the rawest of points of view possible when you come back and read everything together for the first time. Take another breather. This one can be shorter, but no shorter than a full 24 hours. Mull over what you read for a moment and then move on. Read another book. Make lunch. Play with your dog/cat/kids. Tomorrow, the real work begins. Write your book in separate segments so you won't read all of it together until you start the editing process." The first time you really dive into the editing, pay attention to the big picture. Write down ALL plot points as you read (because even the best-laid plans get sidetracked) and divide them into main- and sub-points. Get rid of anything ACCIDENTALLY not resolved in this book (exceptions to this would be if they will be resolved in a sequel) and ensure your major plot flows. Are you able to pinpoint the Hook, Setup, Inciting Event, Buildup, First Plot Point, etc of your story? Are they all connected and relevant to your Climax? (Seriously. EVERY MAJOR POINT should foreshadow your Climax in some way, shape, or form) Are you missing anything? Are any of the longer sections too long? Set your book aside for another day. Now we’re going to go into the details. Go through your manuscript again and make a list of every single character mentioned. Read the book over and over as if you were each character. What are they doing during each scene? Are all their lines of dialogue in-character? Do the accents flow? Take another break. Now read your story out loud. How does it sound? Do you trip over words or does it run smoothly out of your mouth? Make any necessary adjustments. Take another break. Now take your story sentence-by-sentence and read it backwards. This helps to separate you from the story and catch any lingering typos or grammatical errors. You’ll also be able to ensure all of your sentences make sense. No more characters biting their tongues while they laugh, etc. Pro Tip: Always have an editing treat and plenty of water set aside for yourself. Don't forget to stand and walk around once every hour, too. Stay healthy." This next break will be another long one. Get your story out of your head for a while. A good full week or two. Then come back and read it again, making any other necessary adjustments. If you have access to a few Beta Readers, enlist their help. I’d recommend no more than five. Take note of their feedback, sit back for another 24 hours, and read your book again.
That’s it! You’ve finished the most difficult part of publishing your own book! At this point, you should finally be ready for Step 2 of Self-Publication: Formatting. But first, go celebrate! You've earned it.
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