Edit/Proof: Your third step to getting published

In PublishMe's six-step process, the essential knowledge you need to become a truly successful self-publisher is accessible easily and provided freely. Self-publishing is where you are in control of the publishing process. You make all the decisions and keep ownership of the process throughout. The copyright for the work stays with you.

You may be reading through the PublishMe '6 steps to getting published' to learn enough information to get started on your project or just to learn about the editing process or you might already have a work completed and ready to sell.

It will be helpful to read through each step no matter where you are in the self-publishing process or what you hope to achieve. If, however, your goal is to sell into libraries, bookshops, online shops or internationally we strongly advise that you thoroughly read, all the steps and the free downloads with detailed information. Having a good understanding of the information and the process will assist you in making good decisions along the way.

3. Edit and Proofread

The process of editing and proofreading to a high standard is one that requires particular sorts of skills depending on the genre, quality of the work, the target audience and the self-publisher's final goal. It is a very different process editing a children's picture book, for example, than an academic reference book, and equally a very different process editing a substantial adult novel than either of the other two.

John Rutten: I Like Surprises
"I've found the website extremely helpful. I found it useful in defining the audience, working out what the purpose of my book was. I particularly found Step 3 which is all about editing and proofreading your book, very helpful because I used it as a checklist to run through my book. Step 1 to 6 I found great. They're easy to download on pdf."

It can not be stressed enough how important it is for you to be clear about the goals for your self-published work, the audience it is for and how you intend to promote and sell your self-published work (if you do wish to). All these impact on the decisions you make about the level of editing and proofreading your work will need. Once you know what is required for a certain genre or specific end goal then these can be weighed up against your budget and available time and you can decide how best to proceed.

Some examples to illustrate the point:

A picture book that you wish to self-publish for your children or grandchildren will need limited editing and proofreading (although even in this scenario it is desirable to have the text correctly spelt etc). You will probably be able to do this work yourself.

A picture book that you have aspirations to sell to the wider public, into libraries and bookshops will need careful editing and proofreading. The pictures as well as the text need to be checked thoroughly to ensure they reflect the text and the general mood of the story. The relationship between the pictures and the text is vital. Thorough planning in the early stages of the process is very important.

A family history will need editing for general readability and accuracy and a proofread by family should be sufficient. However if your goal is to write a novel that you wish to sell widely then it is important to meet acceptable publishing house standards and professional editing and proofreading services are strongly recommended prior to layout. A further proofread should happen again once you have your proof copy.

What is the difference between editing and proofreading?

Editing is the process of preparing language, images or sound for presentation through correction, condensation, organisation and other modifications including style and appropriateness of the language for the audience and the genre.

Proofreading is generally associated with the written word. It is the process of close reading the text to detect and correct any errors such as spelling, syntax, punctuation, usage, typos and formatting.

Once you Join and you are a PublishMe Member, go to MyPublishMe, click the Free Downloads tab and download Editing and proofreading your book which includes the intellectual properties that a real publishing house utilises to edit and proofread a work.

Editing and proofreading your book
This information will assist you in understanding what is involved in the editing and proofreading process so that you can groom your own work ready for self-publishing, or give you the necessary knowledge to enable you to communicate with the editor and/or proofreader you contract to help you, and at least ensure that any work is done to an acceptable market standard.

Service Providers

To access skilled assistance, the service providers who have registered with PublishMe offering editing and proofreading are available by clicking Profiles, then the Editing tab – then select from the following: Editors, Indexers, Manuscript Assessors and Proofreaders.

The team at PublishMe can coordinate these services for you, or you can contact and contract any of the service providers on the site directly or contract your own.

NOTE: All service providers are expected to operate fairly and state clearly what skills and experience they have within their field. To PublishMe members looking to contact a service provider, we encourage you to download the free PDF books available on the Download tab. This will give you an overview as to what to expect from the providers. Make it clear what service you require and ensure your expectations are understood. We encourage you to have any contracts viewed by an independent person with contractual knowledge so you are fully aware of what is entailed. The agreement is purely between the author and the service provider. PublishMe cannot be held responsible for the quality of service providers – work and how they conduct their arrangements with authors, but we do welcome feedback on your experience!