This blog tour is presented by http://www.patriciasparticularity.com/
The next stop on the tour is: Feb. 29th: Review and Giveaway @ Reflections of a Bookaholic
Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.
It is my pleasure to feature a guest post from J.F. Jenkins about finding reliable editors and the publishing process.
Editing, Publishing, Oof!
The hardest part about writing a book is editing it yourself, and every book needs to have some editing done by the writer. However, you aren't going to catch it all, so it's important to have multiple sets of eyes comb over it too. The thing is, a lot of times these other eyes are painful to the ego. A good editor is going to tell you things that might hurt like what's not working with your story. I don't know how many times I've read a comment by an editor, rolled my eyes, and then said: “well they're stupid” but did the change anyway because I knew deep down they were right.
Still, if you want people to like your work and not spend time marveling over the grammar and spelling mistakes, then an editor is necessary. Both before and after finding your method of publishing. You want to submit your manuscript as edited as possible any time you seek out a publishing avenue. The hard part is finding good people who will edit for you.
Friends? They might not have the skills, but more often than not they don't have the time. A lot of time I ask for help and get the: yeah I'll do it. Three months later, it's still not done. You could easily hire someone to do it, but is that person reliable? Do they know their stuff? What kind of money are they even asking for? It can get expensive. This leaves a writer in a tough position. And ultimately it's a decision you, the author, need to make based on what's best for you and what you want to do. Because you'll come back to the editing scene after you figure out how you're going to publish.
An author wants to believe their work is perfect, but knows it's not. They want everyone to love the work they put into it. Unfortunately, in the publishing world there is a lot of heartbreak and rejection. Some of my books that I've had published through Astraea Press have been rejected by agents for various different reasons. Usually, it's “not the kind of story we're looking for”. And it happens. The publishing world is changing, and there are lots of ways you can go about getting your work published.
Once you do figure out what's best for you and your story, you get to go through more editing so you can get your work as perfect as possible. Most publishing houses now offer a staff who's willing to do editing, so that helps. If you're self-publishing? You'll need to hire someone, find a few good friends, or go through your manuscript so many times you're sick of it.
It's a long tiring process. I've shed many tears over it in the past. Especially when an editor has told me a complete overhaul is needed. They're not afraid to ask for it. But in the end, all of the work is worth it, because the better you feel about your book when it goes out, the more other people are probably going to like it too. It might not be completely perfect, but you'll get it as close to it as possible.
J.F. Jenkins lives in Minneapolis Minnesota with her husband, son, and two cats. She graduated from Bethel University in 2006 with a degree in Media Communication with minors in both writing and film. When she is not busy writing, she spends her free time playing games, reading, and spending time with her family.
J.F. Jenkins lives in Minneapolis Minnesota with her husband, son, and two cats. She graduated from Bethel University in 2006 with a degree in Media Communication with minors in both writing and film. When she is not busy writing, she spends her free time playing games, reading, and spending time with her family.
I have the opportunity to offer both books 1 and 2 for giveaway here at The Wormhole!
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