Are you ready to edit the first draft of your book but can’t afford an editor? Editing is among the most expensive and crucial parts of producing a good book. Well, outside of marketing, anyway. However, it’s possible to edit your book without breaking the bank.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Having another set of eyes going over the manuscript can ultimately lead to a great story. It’s always better to hire a professional to help you do that.
Yet, you can still publish a good manuscript on your own if you invest time into the process.
This isn’t a get-published-quick scheme. If you’re looking for instant gratification, you’re better off looking elsewhere. These are methods that can save you thousands of dollars but will require a great deal of effort.
6 Ways to Edit the First Draft without Hiring Professionals
Editing services can cost anywhere from $4,000 to $10,000 depending on how much you need. There are varying levels of editing according to professionals ranging from basic proofreading to developmental edits.
I’m not sure how many of these extra services you need to produce a good book, though. Some of them just seem to be a bit superfluous to me.
Keep in mind that when I say “editing,” I’m not talking about grammar and spelling. A lot of that should have been taken care of as you write the first draft of the manuscript.
I’m talking about the flow of the story development, strong writing, redundancies, continuity, character and plot arcs, and more.
So, how do you save a bit of money on the editing process?
1. Step Away for 4 to 6 Weeks
One of the best things you can do is to step away from your novel for a month or so. The more time you spend away from the manuscript, the more refreshed your outlook.
When you come back to the story, you’ll find all kinds of issues ranging from character development to plot holes. Stepping away and giving yourself a break will also give you time to consider possibilities for the story.
Think of the saying, “Hindsight is twenty-twenty.” This means that you’ll always see alternatives and better solutions when looking back at a problem. Walking away from the manuscript for six weeks delivers a similar effect.
2. Read the Story Aloud
One of the most effective things I do when fine-tuning the story is to read it out loud. This is especially true when it comes to writing good dialogue. If the story doesn’t sound right, I re-write the scene.
I started doing this while producing the videos for Despair on YouTube and Wattpad. By reading the story aloud, I was finding all kinds of small discrepancies that both myself and my editing friend missed.
Imagine you’re reading your manuscript as you would an audiobook. In fact, go so far as to act out the scenes as if you’re a voice actor. Even though you may feel a bit silly, it will help you get a feel for the flow of the book.
3. Get Beta Readers
Using beta readers can be extremely beneficial whether you’re editing the book yourself or not. They can help you see all kinds of faults in the story and character development that you might not have considered.
Not only did beta readers help me realize a major flaw in one of the main characters, but certain scenes got a bit more…life…than they did in the original. And Kingmaker turned out to be a far better tale because of them.
Now, you don’t have to make changes according to all of the input from beta readers. After all, you are the one who will edit the first draft of your book – you have the final say. However, understanding how your audience may perceive the story is ultimately beneficial.
4. Collaborate with a Friend
There are a lot of collaboration tools online for authors. If you have someone who is an avid reader with a bit of editing skill, you can always use them to help you tighten the manuscript.
For instance, Reedsy Studio recently added collaborations that work similarly to Google Docs. Your friend can leave notes, rewrite scenes, and help you edit the first draft using their own Reedsy account.
Of course, you can also use Google Docs, which is what I was using for the longest time while working on Despair. Unfortunately, Google has been banning certain texts and locking documents regardless of the context of the story. So, that’s something to be aware of if you’re writing controversial scenes.
5. Read and Re-read the Manuscript
When publishing the last couple of books, I’ve read and re-read the manuscript more times than I can count. That’s because I want to produce the best story I can while showing people how I view it in my head.
In reality, the editing process takes me longer than writing the first draft. I’d estimate it takes me about three to four times as long, actually.
During the re-reading, I’ll act out some of the scenes to ensure they’re realistic with the flow of the story. I write very cinematically and often view the book as what it would look like on the big screen or as a mini-series.
6. Edit with AutoCrit
I am pleasantly surprised with how well AutoCrit works as an editing platform. All the AI does is point out the faults in the manuscript, such as redundant phrasing, repeated words, strong writing elements, and more. Then, you have to decide whether they need fixing or not.
I spent $180 to use AutoCrit for an entire year. This means I could easily edit several books for a fraction of what a human editor would cost. However, AutoCrit isn’t going to point out that certain scenes are light on the details or if the story itself is engaging or not.
There are a lot of benefits to having a human editor. Nonetheless, any editing is better than none. And if you don’t have a few grand at your disposal, AutoCrit can help make a world of difference when you edit the first draft of your book.
Just remember that you never want to adjust every element any automated program points out. Artificial intelligence isn’t going to understand nuance, style, and methods for emphasis – such as repeating certain words for effect.
Why Hire Professionals to Edit the First Draft?
Although there is a lot of emphasis on AI tools as of late, they’ll never be able to replace the power of a human. Professional editors will spot things that AI won’t be able to grasp, especially when it comes to making emotional connections with your readers.
Tools like AutoCrit only use word choices and combinations thereof to find problematic writing. It’s up to a human to tell you if the story is any good or if you need to embellish certain parts to get that emotional connection I mentioned.
As an author, you’re trying to entertain or educate, depending on what you write. Artificial intelligence isn’t going to give a rat’s ass about those elements and will only focus on the words themselves.
Despite the hefty cost of some editors, they are often worth the investment if nothing more than to ensure a good flow for the story. The problem is finding ones that are good at their jobs. I’ve seen manuscripts edited by some “professionals” that read as though they were drunken, one-eyed pirates.
Always research the professional you’re going to use to edit the first draft of your book. You don’t want someone who will wind up butchering an otherwise good tale.
It’s also important that you find an editor who works within your genre. They already have an idea of what would make a good book from that perspective and have a greater chance of helping you put together something grand.
In other words, you wouldn’t want a romance editor diving into a dark fantasy. Well, unless there was a romantic scene that would benefit from a professional opinion.
Besides, if someone isn’t interested in the genre, they’re less likely to put in 100%.
How Important is Editing, Anyway?
A lot of authors have said they would rather read a good story riddled with grammatical errors than something that was perfectly structured but a boring read. It’s quite a common theme among several people I know.
Editing does more than just give you time to tighten up the writing, fix grammatical mistakes, and improve the flow of a story. It gives you a chance to produce a better plot, improve character development, and eliminate elements that are irrelevant.
No one publishes a first draft. Or, at least they shouldn’t. With how easy it is to publish nowadays, anyone can slap anything together and toss it up on Amazon.
Editing is where the four and five-star reviews will come from, though. And since the vast majority of people read reviews before buying a product, it’s critical to put out the best book possible.
Aside from marketing, editing is perhaps the most vital part of publishing a book. Marketing will get it in front of people to buy, but editing is where they’ll either like or hate the novel. And the last thing you want is to start developing a reputation for producing poor-quality work.
Yes, writing and publishing a good book is subjective. But you still want to engage those who are more likely to buy the rest of your books should you publish them. You don’t want to let your audience and fans down.
Don’t Get Sucked Into Instant Gratification
The Internet has promoted an unhealthy ideology: instant gratification. A lot of folks want to publish the book immediately without editing in the hopes of reaping the money so many influencers tout.
In reality, though, it can easily take months if not years to publish a book lauded by many. Creative works shouldn’t be rushed just because you want to see your name in print tomorrow morning.
Readers and critics will point out how a manuscript felt rushed or how it was poorly structured. And as I said earlier, that will lead to bad reviews. In turn, that leads to fewer sales and less recognition as being a decent author.
Even using tools like AutoCrit, something that can quickly find faults in your book, can take several weeks or months to fine-tune the manuscript. It’s not about pumping out as many books as possible but publishing something that will connect with the reader to the point where they want to buy more of your works.
Not everyone can crank out as many books as Stephen King or Nora Roberts. Situations, skills, and latent talents are different across the board. Progress at your own pace and give your readers the best version of your book.
Professionals Are Always Better to Edit the First Draft
It’s always better to have a professional go over your manuscript. There is only so much you can do on your own, and you may be missing opportunities to make the story better for the reader’s experience.
Humans will point out whether scenes make sense, what sections need more detail, if character and plot arcs are logical, and much more.
However, if you don’t have the money and are determined to produce a book, any editing is vastly better than none at all. Take your time and focus on the story you want to convey.
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