So, here I am…waiting…to hear back from an editor about my manuscript. Book #1 of a planned five book series. Yep, here I am. Are you getting the feeling that I’m a little nervous? If there’s two things I’ve learned during this self-publishing journey, it’s that Editors are a necessity and you better put aside a hefty chunk of your budget for them. This isn’t actually a complaint. Editors are skilled professionals who’s talent significantly contributes to your book’s level of ‘professionalism’. You’ll want to approach editors who specialize in your genre too. For example, my book is set in late 19th century England. However, it is kind of an alternate England saturated with paranormal/supernatural elements. So, I wouldn’t have sent the manuscript to an editor who specialized in historical non-fiction. You can just guess the issues they would have with my story. Luckily, I knew a young editor who loves fantasy, paranormal and adventure stories so she now has the novel before her editorial eyes. Thank you, Rachel Walden.

However, before I sent her the current draft, I had two critique partners run through the manuscript an number of times (10?) picking out spelling and story mistakes for me to correct. NEVER send an editor your first draft. Never, never. Most editor have a fee based on word count or the estimated time it will take them to go through your story. So the more work they have to do the more $$ it will cost you. Naturally, this is not an issue for millionaire authors – which is not me, in case you were wondering.

The Different types of Editing:

Depending where you are with your novel will also affect the type of editing you require. Yep, there are about 5 different types and they come with different costs. Developmental Editing is the most in-depth and expensive with Copy Editing less costly but it doesn’t go into story structure and character development. It’s up to you, if you’re a budding author, to decide what you need and can afford. The other types include Editorial Assessment, Proof Reading and Fact-Checking. Websites like Reedsy and Fivver are great places to check out for editorial services and they’ll give you a good idea of the price ranges of the different types of editing. Reedsy also has a good blog post that defines the different varieties of editing. Find it here. This is where the biggest chunk of your money is going to go so take the time to find an editor that you feel would be the best match for you. You can also check those marketplaces for cover design and marketing services but that’s another blog.

So, that last piece of editing advice I would pass on is to be open to the suggestions that your editor gives you. It’s a waste of everyone’s time and money if you pull a “Grande Artiste” attitude to some cogent and constructive criticism and think you’re the “Special/Chosen One” that is above petty critiques. Yah, not so much. Just remember, anything that can make your novel better, the better it is for you. Not to mention your sales.

On the Illustrative side of things:

I’ve rendered another Dragon for the Holidays illustration. Yep, we’ve got ourselves a theme. You can remind yourselves of our other dragons by finding them in the Gallery. With the arrival of April and Easter we present to you the SillWill Studios “Easter Dragon”! Given current world events and the well-known Ukrainian Easter eggs, I couldn’t avoid being influenced for this latest design. Easter and its association with Spring is a time for hope and renewal. Something we all need these days. You can find our hopeful dragon on t-shirts to tote bags, coasters to coffee mugs and other quality products in our Redbubble Shop

So, I’ve recently been involved in the tenth (?) round of editing my novel – insert big sigh – and one thing you realize when involved in that particular exercise is that there’s always loads that need to be cut. You may think you’re a genius but – you know – not really. I have discovered that I tend to be what’s politely called “a little wordy”. My greatest step toward correcting this aspect of my writing was first, to divide my novel into two and then to get other eyes on it to dispassionately point out mistakes and areas to trim. It’s an illuminating experience but necessary. These could be Beta Readers or Critique Partners. They’re invaluable. The next step will be to find a professional editor – one of the biggest expenses in the self-publishing game.

Now, due to the fact, I originally approached this enterprise back-to-front, I probably would have have thought of this point much earlier. However, it is absolutely essential to do some editing yourself before submitting your manuscript to an editor. Mainly because they charge according to word-count and secondly, if you submit your first draft, any editor will immediately peg you as a blatant amateur and take a pass on your manuscript. Editors will give you a idea of their fees before you submit to avoid any surprises. Then, it’s a matter of deciding on the type of editing you’re looking for: Line Editing, Developmental Editing, Copying Editing and Proofreading.

Of course, you can declare your genius doesn’t need to be “edited” and is fine as it is and throw it up on the web and sit back and wait for the money to come rolling in…. To which, I can only say, “Don’t give up your day job.” The self-publishing world is a dynamic and constantly changing world and if you want to go this route just be prepared for that. Millions of books are published EVERY day and it takes a polished, professional product to stand out. Plus a fair degree of marketing. More on that in another blog.

However, as with any “Rule” you must know when to abide by the current advice and when to break free. Rules are guidelines after all, not dogma that can never be questioned. Just be prepared to face criticism if you try to avoid certain steps and end up releasing a seriously flawed product. Criticism on the internet can get fierce and vicious. If you have a thin skin, you may be vulnerable to a traumatic experience.

An interesting side effect of this process, has been discovering just how often I tend towards ‘excessive verbosity’. Sometimes I just love words too much. This might be overcompensation for my graphic novels where I didn’t have to describe how a character looked, you could see for yourself. The mood I could illustrate with a gesture or a tilt of the head, I was required, in prose, to evoke with words. And now, that’s led me back to editing. Even this many times around I see scenes, paragraphs and words that are not truly necessary to the story.

Sometimes I take a break from editing to do rough sketches of scenes, settings and characters from my novels too. This little sidestep can relieve some of the anxiety that editing induces. In my last blog, I included a small sketch of the cottage in the woods where some of the action takes place. This time I’ve included a sketch of a drawing room in a fancy manor. It’s not quite as gothic as I portray in the book but the large family portrait is a symbolic note that has a presence in that particular setting. I think I may need to do another sketch that conveys a greater sense of the size of the room. However, those two couches witness a lot of amazing things…Just saying.

In addition to working on my novels, I took the time to add to our Holiday Dragons with this design for a special St. Patrick’s Day Dragon named, Lucky. With his four-leaf clovers and pot o’ gold he’s ready to share his good fortune whenever you bring him home on any of the quality products from our Redbubble shop. Move over Leprechauns. The St. Patrick’s Day Dragon is sharing the gold at the end of the rainbow!