Freelance editors should be familiar with the self-publishing process so they can advise authors and understand their own place in the system.
If you an author wants to self-publish their novel, the biggest piece of advice I give them is to think like a business owner. Why? Because publishing is a business – if the goal is to make money.
Once the author has finished writing their book, they have to shift their mindset. Instead of thinking about their novel as a piece of art, they have to start seeing it as a product. It still is a piece of art, of course, but when a novel is published, it becomes a product that needs to be sold.
I know that sounds a bit icky, but that’s the reality we’re living in!
In order for something to sell, it has to be of a certain quality. It has to be good enough to compete in a professional marketplace. As well as that, readers deserve a quality product if they’re parting with their hard-earned cash. If an author self-publishes, quality control is in their hands.
Writing ‘The End’ is not the end!
In an ideal world, the self-publishing route would go something like this:
- The author finishes their novel to the best of their ability.
- They send their manuscript to beta readers to get general feedback.
- If it becomes apparent that the foundations of the novel (plot, characterisation, pacing, theme, etc.) need more work, the author sends their manuscript to a professional developmental editor.
- They redraft based on the feedback until the foundations of the book are solid.
- They send their novel to a professional line and copy-editor. This may or may not be the same editor as before, depending on the services they offer.
- The author addresses any issues the line and copy-editor raises, and goes through the manuscript to check they’re happy with the edits.
- The author hires a professional typesetter or book designer to create the interior of the book. Who they chose will depend on whether they’re planning to publish hardcopies or an ebook (or both). Both types of designing require different skills.
- Around this time, the author also hires a professional book cover designer. This might be the same company that typeset the book.
- Once they’ve had the book’s interior designed, they send it for proofreading. Again, this may not be with the same editorial professional as before, but I recommend the author goes with someone new so a fresh pair of eyes is looking at the work.
- The author addresses the issues raised by the proofreader, and the novel is ready to be published.
As I said, this is in an ideal world. In reality, this process can be extremely expensive. There are certain steps in the process an author could handle themselves, depending on their skills and network.
Working with a budget
Instead of hiring a developmental editor, an author might have a great network of beta readers who can help get the foundations just right – or they might decide to enrol in a novel writing course. Instead of hiring a designer, they might be a graphic designer by trade, in which case they might be able to design their own cover (though they’ll need to understand the psychology of cover design).
Keep in mind that if an author doesn’t have a decent cover design, they might as well burn their manuscript now because very few people will decide to buy a novel if it doesn’t look the part.
In general, though, I would always recommend an author hires a professional line and copy-editor. Line and copy-editing will make sure the sentences are polished, correct and flow beautifully – and the editor will correct grammar and punctuation errors and catches most typos, too.
Keep all this in mind when talking to prospective clients. There’s no one-size-fits-all route to successful self-publishing, so advise appropriately!
