When you complete your first manuscript, you’re likely anxious to get through the editing process so you can work toward being published. Editing is an essential part of creating written work as it makes your manuscript clearer, removes errors, and improves your work so it’s better received by your readers. It’s not advisable to rush through the editing process. A thorough edit increases your chances of success as a first-time author. However, there are some steps you can take to simplify the editing process and reduce the time your editor must spend on your manuscript.
Use online tools to find mistakes
You can complete the first round of editing yourself by using an online editing tool. These tools are available for free, or you can pay for a subscription to get a more thorough editing experience. An editing tool doesn’t take the place of a human editor, but it can catch simple mistakes like misspellings, grammar errors, incorrect punctuation, and formatting issues. Going through this process before sending your work to an editor can save time and money, plus it allows your editor to focus on the more important areas that need to be tweaked.
Seek meaningful feedback
Before sending your work to an editor, have someone else read over it. Family, friends, and colleagues can read your work first to give you insight into what changes you may consider making. Be sure to choose people who will be honest with you, as constructive feedback, even if it’s negative, is essential if you want to make your manuscript better.
Going through editing can be one of the most stressful steps when trying to get your manuscript published. It can also take a lot of time. To reduce the time required to edit your work, you can do a pre-edit using online software, which can catch many mistakes. Asking for feedback from someone you trust to give an honest opinion can also help you make changes to your work before you send it off to your editor.
