Assuming you have created a manuscript – or any other kind of book – and are now curious as to precisely how to proceed with publishing it, stop! Did you re-read your book, straightening blunders and improving any poor areas in the text? Your reply to this is probably going to be yes. Have you read through your manuscript a few times? Again, you’ll probably say “you bet”. Have you hired someone who provides manuscript critique services to examine your work using a fine-toothed comb? The answer to this particular question for a lot of writers is a no. If you happen to be one of them and have thus far didn’t have any contracts with your work, it could be just where you’re going wrong.
The simple truth is, you could be the number one novelist on this planet, but because you authored the draft, you are absolutely not going to pick up on all of the weaknesses within the text. Don’t think you can simply trust in word processing software either; it may pick up on spelling slip-ups, but it doesn’t realise if you’ve overlooked a word, or place phrases in the incorrect sequence, or by mistake deleted a sentence. The really hard reality that many writers find challenging to confront is that they also can’t rely on their own sight to identify a lot of these common mistakes: as a writer, you are simply too close to your work in order to really stand back and review your manuscript without bias. You may read a sentence through while not being aware of that omitted word, since your brain knows what ought to be there and fills in the blanks for you. It is quite exasperating, but it really happens.
And there’s the huge, awful, novel-destroying errors that you may not see – or not like to acknowledge you’ve noticed: the chasmal plot holes, the monotonous dialogue, the fact that your antagonist is entirely out of character for the majority of of chapter five without any rationale. Having another person to read through your novel and make a note of anything they do not fully understand – or anything they think doesn’t add up – is going to be indispensable for you.
A great many writers use friends and relations to ‘proofread’ their manuscript, although what commonly happens is usually that the relative or good friend comes back to the author gushing about how really good it is, but not really addressing any of the issues in the manuscript or offering any sort of helpful critique. This may be because they don’t want to upset you, but oftentimes it’s mainly because they don’t know what they’re looking for – if they’ve never done editing before, how would they have any idea on how to proceed?
The best way to solve this is ask the help of an experienced proofreader to check your manuscript for you – yes, they will cost money, although that money won’t be going to waste. On the contrary, it can be the best money you spend on your novel, including everything else you dedicate to your marketing plan. An expert will have the ability look at work fairly, be truthful in their opinions, and – most importantly – they will are aware of what is required of drafts in the publishing world. They will are aware of the grammar rules you ought to be adhering to, they’ll know how plot as well as structure work, and they will be able to recommend where you can improve that you can never have considered all by yourself.
Browse around over the internet for reliable proofreaders as well as editors – many offer assorted services for various degrees of editing, and you’re bound to discover one that’s affordable.
Matty K's Ktoom 