Pub Talk: The order of edits

Hi, guys! How the heck are you? Before I get into my second ever Pub Talk, a couple of announcements. I got my release date! It's September 24, 2013. :) :) :) Things could still change because, well, they tend to, but for now it's official!

And I got my official author picture! (Check out the sidebar.) Huge thanks to the uberly-talented Erin of Erin Summerill Photography.

Now let's talk the kinds of edits you get after getting a book deal. There's so many different kinds, they can get a little fuzzy. I'm going to say when I got each of mine, too, just in case you're curious. Of course, every single publisher is different and every book is different. Even other debut authors with Random House with fall 2013 release dates have slightly different schedules than I do. But I think it's good to hear numbers from different authors, just so you can see the range. Plus: interesting. (Or is that just me?)

Content edits
What are they usually called?
First round edits, second round edits, etc. Sometimes Editorial Letter. (As in "Oh, my gosh!" *waves letter* "I just got my first editorial letter!" Or as in, "Yay." *gnashes teeth, pulls out hair puts on a smile* "Fourth round edits. Party.")

Who:
These come from your editor.

# of rounds:
I've heard as few as one and as many as five. I had four.

What are they like:
It kind of depends on your editor. Most write a letter and talk about the things that could be made stronger in your manuscript. (I've heard of one who doesn't use letters at all, but writes every suggestion on the manuscript itself.) They aren't "fix this problem this way" kind of suggestions. They're more like "Here's a problem. How would you like to fix it?" Which is nice, because then you can figure out best how to address the issue, so it can still be done in the way you want. But.... then YOU have to figure out how to best address the issue. (This is where the hair pulling, teeth gnashing comes in.) The awesome thing about it, though, is that you can run ideas past your editor. And editors are crazy smart.

When did I get mine:
1st round: February 2012. 2nd round: May 2012. 3rd round: June 2012 4th round: June 2012. Mine took a total of 4 1/2 months to complete.

Line edits
What are they usually called?
Um... Line edits. Or sometimes they're just included in the "edits" umbrella. Or sometimes they aren't called anything at all.

Who:
These come from your editor.

# of rounds:
Pshaw. Idk. I had four. Each editor is different. A lot only do one.

What are they like:
This depends on your editor, too. Mine likes to print out the manuscript, then mark on it. I got a marked up manuscript with each editorial letter. Some like to do it with comments in a document in Word. Some don't do any line edits until after all the content edits are done. Some may not do it at all. If there are huge changes (like huge chunks being rewritten or changed drastically) in first round edits, it's unlikely line edits will come with it, because it'd kind of be pointless. They're fairly easy... Or at least that's what you go along thinking as you're cruising through your manuscript at a fast rate, then you hit something that's SO not easy. It'll be things like awkward wording, word reps, things that are unclear, or questions that affect other parts of the ms (the screeching stop kinds of things ;)).

When did I get mine:
1st round: February 2012. 2nd round: May 2012. 3rd round: June 2012 4th round: June 2012. I did mine in the same 4 1/2 months as content edits.

Copy Edits
What are they usually called?
Copy Edits, plain and simple.

Who:
These come from your COPY editor. Not the editor you've been working with. Sometimes the copy editor works for your publishing company, and sometimes they're a freelance copy editor.

# of rounds:
As many as it takes. Basically they come to you, you make changes, they go back to the copy editor. There will sometimes be further questions on the things you fixed, or grammatical fixes that need to be made on things you changed. It goes back and forth until everything's all sparkly.

What are they like:
In general? I don't know. I've only ever seen my own. (Which I started on yesterday! Yay!) I'm going to assume that it's a fairly consistent thing, though. I got my manuscript as a Word document, with Track Changes turned on. The CE (copy editor) checks for grammar, punctuation, things that don't match the house style, awkward wording, and CONSISTENCY. This one is huge. They check to make sure that if you say it's May 15th, or, say a Tuesday on one day, that your timeline actually matches that. Or that your description of this character that was on the page for two seconds matches what you said about them 57 pages earlier. Things like that.

So, basically, there's changes (which you can STET, which means to leave it the way you had it) grammar-wise, and there's queries. (Which is funny, because query really means something completely different to us than it does to a CE!) You answer the queries, and make the appropriate changes if needed, until it comes back with no more queries.

The weird/scary/exciting part:
After that first round of copy edits, your ARCs are printed, based on the changes that were made in that round. Sometimes, with all the changing / changing back that goes on between you and the copy editor, mistakes can creep in. Yes, it's terrifying to know that it's a little out of your control that errors can sneak their way into your ARCs! Luckily, the CE is totally on your side, so hopefully there aren't many.

When did I get mine:
1st round: September 2012. Hopefully mine will take three days, because that's how long I have. Eek!

First Pass Pages
What are they usually called?
Pass Pages, or sometimes Galleys

Who:
I have no idea. And now I feel bad that I have no idea.

# of rounds:
Usually one. But if there are many changes, there may also be Second Pass Pages.

What are they like:
The manuscript comes to you, printed out, looking just like it will look in book form. It will have whatever the title page is going to look like (probably in the same font as your cover), the dedication, acknowledgements, etc. will all be there, the fonts and typesetting is all done, page numbers are there, and chapter headings will look like they're going to look. This is your LAST CHANCE to make changes. But.... they can't be too big of changes. Preferably not anything that's going to change what page the text is on. Usually, it'll just be a last chance to make sure that there are no typos or wording changes that need to be made before it goes to print.

When did I get mine:
I haven't yet.

And then, you celebrate, because all edits are done! Well, that is, until you dive into the next book. ;)



P.S. It's Jessie Humphries at the B-Word's birthday! If you get a chance, head over and wish her a great one.

Hi! **waves sheepishly** I'm not dead.

image by dev null
via Flickr Creative Commons

And I haven't been an absent blogger because don't I love you, or because I haven't missed you all like crazy, either. After being gone from blogging for what felt like the entire summer, let's update each other, shall we? If you want me to start, keep reading. If you'd like to start, feel free to scroll right down to the comments first.

I made it through content and line edits! I did round one edits in the spring, but my editorial letters for rounds 2, 3, and 4, each complete with line edits all came during the summer. It was tough, but I'm done! And right now, my manuscript is in the hands of a copy editor.

My kids made it through what has arguably been the MOST BORING SUMMER EVER. (Apparently stressful deadlines for me = no fun for them.) And they went back to school today! I now have kids in three different schools, with six different drop off / pick up times. 7:45, 8:15, 9:05, 2:15, 2:45, 3:30. Crazy much? Maybe just a little. Benefits to having the most boring summer ever? My kids are actually, for the first time ever, mentally ready (and possibly even a little bit excited) for school to start. Huzzah!

I recently okayed my author bio, wrote my dedication, and worked on my acknowledgements. :'o) I haven't finished them, though. Holy hardness-- they're tough! So much more difficult than I anticipated. Oh! And I made a book trailer! Aaaand I can't show you for like ten months. But it's awesome! (You're just going to have to trust me on this one for now.) It was crazy time consuming and had to happen right during crazy deadlines for edits in order to be used at list launch, and possibly made me a little crazy,  but it's done. And my agent is going to use it to pitch my book to foreign editors, which makes me crazy happy. Plus, in ten months from now when I'll probably be crazy busy, I'm going to take a few minutes to sit down, kick my feet up, and be so glad I'm not in the middle of making a book trailer.

I actually worked on book 2 this past weekend! I went to a writing retreat and got SO MUCH DONE. I'm still living off the high from accomplishing so much. Especially because I'm generally a slow drafter, so what I got done in 2 1/2 days amounts to 7 good weeks of writing. For a moment, though, I didn't think it would happen. I was wandering outside the resort, talking and plotting (because I plot best when I wander. And it's even better when I do it chatting on the phone with someone than when I'm just talking with myself...), and I saw this:

I took this with my phone, standing directly in front of our place, looking at the Park City mountain that's so very close to us. That stuff in the background? Those aren't clouds! They're the first billows of smoke from a massive forest fire. I thought for sure we'd be evacuated. The writing gods smiled down on us, and we forged on.

I swear, guys, I am back, and I plan to blog like I love it again. Because I really do. I figured I'd do a few industry posts, too. I think it's so good to know what you're getting into every step of the way, and the best way to do that is to read about the same things from different people. Things are just so vastly different between publishing houses, between genres, age groups, editors, authors-- it's good to hear all of it. So I think I'll post this week on List Launch--- the thing I knew the least about when I got my book deal. Plus, I think I'll post on how to have a successful writing retreat, because it could've just as easily become a chat-a-thon as a write-a-thon.....

So tell me what you've been up to this summer! You don't have to write a post-length comment, of course. It is, after all, my fault I haven't been around to see what you've been doing. But if you do decide to leave a post-length telling of your summer, I am so VERY okay with that.

Auction: **TODAY ONLY!**

Hey, guys! How the heck are you? I’m doing GREAT! I finished second round revisions on Friday (which feels SO unbelievably good!), and now I’m on vacation with my family. Right now, I am probably.... playing a board game, or swimming in the pool.

BUT, I’ve got to tell you something! Have you heard of Crits for Water? It is an amazing three month even that Kat Brauer organizes every year to auction off critiques to raise money to get drinkable water in third world countries. It’s made an incredible difference! The extra cool thing is, in these villages that have been helped, the kids no longer have to walk for 4 or 5 hours a day to haul water into town, so they can now go to school. It’s one of those charities that just makes you warm all over.

This year, a critique of mine, along with two other Luckies, is being auctioned! I was so excited when Kat asked me to participate!

Now obviously I really want you guys to consider going to bid on my critique. I’m a little weirded out by selling myself, so Infomercial Announcer Dave has graciously offered to do it for me. Take it away, Dave!

And up today, we have a critique of 2500 words! Peggy will give suggestions on how to make your manuscript stronger, and let you know where it’s strengths are. (If you're looking for positive affirmations and only want to hear the strengths-- Peggy looks like a fairly nice person. I bet that could be arranged.) 

And for the icing on the cake, you get critiques by two authors! The second is by the lovely and talented Caroline Carlson. These two authors will not collaborate on their critiques, so if one author suggests something, but you wonder if it's something that's just that one author's preference or a broader issue, you can also see if the other author had the same suggestion!

Aaaaand for the sprinkles on the icing, the fabulous Stephanie Kuehn will also critique your query and synopsis, getting you ready for submission! All for the same auction bid!

Need further convincing? I have four of Peggy’s critique partners here, to let you know what to expect from a critique. Come on down, CPs! Tell us what you think!

“Peggy is an exceptional critiquer. Not only is she prompt, 

but she is also dedicated, honest, and positive. I can always

count on Peggy for direct feedback expressed in a way that

helps me make my story better.”

~Jessie Humphries

“Peggy Eddleman has a great sense of story and character, 

and her critiques help me take my story where I really want

it to go without losing any of my own style.”

~Jason Manwaring

“I've worked with Peggy Eddleman for the last few years. 

She's helped me mold my writing and develop my skill. In 

fact, she once critiqued my query letter, giving me key tips

 that landed me a half dozen requests for my manuscript. 

Her skill in finding what isn't working with a manuscript is 

worth gold.”

~Erin Summerill

“In short, Peggy is my refiner's fire. I can give her the most 

polished material, read and approved by several, and she 

manages to spot the real problems and brings them to my 

attention, in a feel-good way. She's knows her stuff. Any 

aspiring or accomplished writer would do themselves well 

by having her critique their work.”

~David Powers King

So head on over to Crits for Water right away! The auction ends TONIGHT. Yes, folks, Monday night at midnight, EST. So hurry! 

Here you go, Peggy. The mike is yours.

Thanks, Infomercial Announcer Dave! And if you want to see what crits are coming up for auction, go here. Not only can you get a great crit, but you are HELPING VILLAGES GET WATER. One of the most basic needs in the world, and you can help them get it. How freaking cool is that?

A Package, An Offer, An Embarrassment

Three things today.

#1
While at that writing conference last weekend, I got a package in the mail! It was my edits from my editor. She printed out my entire ms and wrote notes all over it in her cute handwriting. So cool! And it came with a nine page editorial letter. And lemme tell you. My editor is a freaking genius! I'm not kidding. I won't lie to you, though. Getting a list of suggestions from a genius is a little intimidating / overwhelming. I've been told it goes away after a few days.... I'll have to let you know on that one. ;)

#2
I may have mentioned before that I took a college writing class from Brandon Sanderson. Brandon is incredible, and is hands-down the author I have learned more from than any other author. Or possibly from all other authors combined. Not only is he brilliant, but he knows how to teach what he does in a way that makes so much sense. He's every bit as brilliant a teacher as he is an author. Anyway, he invited me to come talk to his class tonight about my publication story! I get to go into the same room I learned so much in, and stand at the front and speak to writers who are experiencing the magic I experienced in his class. I'm a little [read: a lot] giddy.

#3
I love conferences. It's quite possible that after having so much fun for days, by the last day the fun spills over. And it's quite possible that the fun might cause me to embarrass myself.

I had to leave early on the last day of LTUE. As I told my conference buddy Erin Summerill goodbye, we realized we hardly took out our cameras the whole conference! So she came up with the idea to photo bomb famous authors [sneak up and pretend you're in a picture with them when you're really not]. "Great!" I said. (Fun spilling over, and all.) So, we ran around to find as many famous authors as we could.

First, we ran into Bree Despain [The Dark Divine], who is amazing and lovely. We told her our plan, and she played along. (Note to self: if you tell them your plan first, you embarrass yourself less.)

Then we ran out in the hall, in a hurry because next panel was starting soon, and we had to make sure we found people. Aha! Brandon Sanderson was standing in the hall, speaking with someone. Click!

Yes, it's blurry. That's what happens when you are laughing so hard when you click the button.

Then Erin spotted L.E. Modesitt Jr. at a signing table, chatting with a girl.

A little about L.E. Modesitt Jr. He's the author of over 50 books, twelve of which are in my hubby's all time favorite series. I love his books, too, and I was so excited to meet him three years ago. He is a classy guy. He always wears a three piece suit, looks impeccable, and I'm not sure, but in my mind, he's been knighted and you should bow down to him. Three years ago, it took FOREVER before I got up the guts to talk to him. He's an incredibly nice guy, though--- I really had nothing to worry about. It's just that he's so regal! And even if he looks like "Sir" should precede his name on his covers, I still managed to burst out "You are so cool!" three years ago when he gave me a gift to give my hubby.

That was nothing compared with this year. I snuck behind him for an unplanned-with-the-author photo bomb.

He noticed Erin taking the picture, though! He stood up in his chair, quick as can be, and offered to take a real picture with me. The girl he was chatting with scooted out of the picture, and Erin snapped a new one, with me laughing so hard I could barely breathe.

And after the picture, I realized I had been RUBBING HIS BACK THE WHOLE TIME. It's just that his jacket was so soft. And then I realized the picture was over and I was STILL rubbing his back. In an effort to explain myself, I said, "Wow. Your jacket is SO SOFT!"

A little cough, and a quick sit-down. "It's cashmere."

I looked at my hand and thought, Oh, my gosh, Peggy! Are you seriously still rubbing his back?! Even after he sat down?! Move your hand! Move your hand!

"Do people rub your back all the time at signings when you're wearing this jacket?"  

Nice one, Peggy. And seriously? STILL with the rubbing?

He cleared his throat and just looked down at his pen on the table. "Um, no."

REMOVE YOUR HAND! And possibly think about running away!

That time I actually did listen to the voice, and somehow managed to stop rubbing his back. Note to self: When the fun spills over, look for taking pictures like these instead. You embarrass yourself less.

A bunch of us at lunch on Friday, including Rob Code, Julie Daines, Elana Johnson, Nichole Giles, Rachelle Christensen, Jaime Theler, Erin Summerill, me, and Leigh Covington.

Erin, Melanie Fowler, Chantele Sedgwick, Ruth Josse, Katie Dodge, Shallee McArthur, and me.

Me, J.A. Bennett, and Shelly Brown

Chantele Sedgwick, Ruth Josse, and Katie Dodge

Taffy Lovell, Erin Summerill, Melanie Fowler

Me and Erin

Moral of the story: Go to conferences. They're fun.
Alternate moral of the story: Watch out for writers en masse. They become crazy.

How do you know when your manuscript is ready?

Soon after I got my book deal, several people asked me to do a post on how to know when your manuscript is ready. How to know when you are DONE! When you've crossed the finish line!

I’ve put this post off because.... well it’s HARD. And totally subjective. And one person's take. This isn't researched in the sense of me spending a month combing through everything on the subject and giving you a comprehensive report. (Wow. I gave myself a headache just typing that!) However, it is researched in the sense that I spent the last four years gleaning everything I could, and found what works best for me.

Will it work for you? Idk. Probably parts will and parts won't. Most of it you probably already do. Either way, here you go. Peggy's Guide to Editing and Revising. :)

I am DONE. Why oh why should I keep going through it and through it?

There are lots of reasons why you should work hard to make your MS shine! Reasons I may be just a little passionate about.

• Because nobody is brilliant enough to get all the depth needed into a manuscript in one pass. (I know you're brilliant. Incredibly brilliant! Even so, it still can't all happen in one pass.) There are so many things you need to focus on in a book. Making sure the characters are fully formed. That the setting feels real. That the plot has the high points and low points in the right places. That the conflict is engaging. That pacing is good. Using varied sentence structure. Not using passive voice. Making sure the voice itself is compelling. Along with about a million more things. Don't panic! There's no way anyone can keep all those things in focus while drafting. And herein lies the beauty of revisions. They let you get to all of those things, dealing with as many or as few at a time as you'd like.
• Your [current or future] agent has strengths. Editing might not be one of them. They may be good at negotiating contracts. They may be good at foreign rights. They may be good at brainstorming with you. They may be good at keeping you updated. They may be organized. They may be a good editor. THEY WILL NOT BE ALL OF THESE THINGS. They shouldn't be expected to be all these things, so don't expect your agent to be able to tell you everything that should be fixed for your book to sell well. That might not be their strength. And that's totally okay, because you'll be head-over-heels in love with whatever their strengths are!
• All the work it takes to get your ms ready? That work has to happen sometime. If you put it off until an editor or agent asks you to do it, it still has to be done. By you. No one does any of it for you. And if you wait, it has to happen on a schedule. Do it now, and it happens on your schedule. :)
• If you get impatient with revisions and query too soon, an agent / editor might pass, when maybe they would have said yes if it was in better shape. And that chance with that agent / editor is gone. Sad, sad day.

Things to do when revising
(Revising to me means changing content.)

• Think about every single piece of advice that you hear in the context of the book you're working on. You read a lot of blogs, right? Maybe even read a lot of books on craft? Go to conferences? Think how you can use what they suggest to make your book stronger. Then add in those layers into your manuscript. Add that depth to that one character. Spend some time thinking about how changing your book based on those suggestions will help it. Do this enough times, and your setting/characters/plot will feel like they're a real place / real people / could really happen. The more layers you get, the more people will be invested in this world you created.
• When you read through your ms, if you ever think, “I don’t know how they’re going to take this part,” change it. That's the little warning light in your brain, blinking, letting you know that there's a problem with that section. Keep going through your ms until you don't have any more parts you wonder about.
• Read it through and see if it reads like a published book. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that it's supposed to be rough until an agent and an editor works their magic on it. Think about the last "just okay" book you read. There were things that you didn't love, or that weren't done well, right? Each time you ran into them, you pushed them into a little container in the side of your brain and kept going because of the parts you liked, right? But if there were too many things that bugged you, your little container got full, and suddenly you cared a whole lot less about finishing the book. Agents / editors are the same way. Try your best not to give them things that are going to go into their container.

Things to look for when editing
(Editing to me means grammar stuff.)(These are some things that are my biggest pet peeves, or things that I think can make writing SO MUCH STRONGER.)

• Don't use was ___ing (or were ___ing. Or am ___ing) unless you have to. As in, don't use something like "We were running down the street." (Or "I was running down the street," or "I am running down the street.") Just use "We ran down the street." (I ran... I run...) Why? Because was ___ing is less concrete. Notice how "We were running down the street" feels more like you're watching from a distance and they're kind of floating down the street. With "We ran down the street," you can feel the pound of each foot on the pavement. Contrary to popular belief, it does NOT make it feel more "in the moment." I just doesn't. Is there ever a time you should use it? Yes. When something is actually in the middle of happening. For example: "When we walked outside, the sun was shining." You can't really change it to say "When we walked outside, the sun shone," because then it sounds like it JUST started happening when they walked outside. Basically, if you change it, and it changes when something happened, leave it. Otherwise, get it out. :)
• Inanimate objects can DO things. This is a HUGE one! Using "was" or "is" isn't all that desirable, is it? As a reader, it makes it feel like you're being told everything, instead of seeing it. So, instead of saying "The building was at the end of the road..." Use "The building sat at the end of the road..." Instead of "The clock was in the middle of the wall..." use "The clock hung in the middle of the wall..." Easy peasy. Yet makes a huge difference.
• Walking to the door, she opened it. Okay, um... You can't open the door at the same time that you're walking to it. Be careful with these! It's a rare case when it's a good idea to start a sentence with a word that ends with "ing."
• Almost never use filters. I think (or he/she thought), I knew (or he/she knew), I saw (or he/she saw). Or smelled. Or felt. Or any other filter words. Use these, and the reader stops feeling like everything is happening to them, and starts feeling like they are watching the things happen to your character. It’s no longer personal to the reader. Why? Instead of imagining how something feels, the reader has to imagine how it feels to that character, then think about how they feel about the character feeling that way. There's a filter there. THINGS GET TRAPPED IN FILTERS. That's kind of their job. Don't use filters! There are very few cases when you need to point out that the character hears/sees/thinks/feels/knows/smells something. Most of the time, that's understood. If you come across any of these, take it out and see if it still makes sense. Chances are, it will.
• Use economy of phrasing. It's amazing how complicated we make sentences the first time around. Take a look at each and every sentence and see if there is a simpler, more concise way to say it. Your job is to never confuse the reader. (Withhold things from them, sure. Use red herrings, absolutely. But never confuse. Especially in the wording of a sentence.)
• Look for pet words you overuse. For me, it's "just" and "that." And I am TOTALLY FINE with them going in the first draft. Everything flows better when I do. But when it comes time to edit, it's time to take them out! Actions can be overused, too. Glancing, shrugging, eye rolling... Just keep an eye out of anything you overuse. 
• Change your font. Sounds weird, I know. But somewhere toward the end of revising, change the font. If you've been using Times New Roman, change it to something like Arial, or vice versa. You'll be amazed at the things you'll catch when you aren't staring at the same font that you've stared at for the past gazillion revisions! Then when you're done, you can go ahead and change it back. :)

What if I’ve been changing it for forever? I could always revise more and make it better.

• This one's hard! I say if you get down to the point where you are fiddling with wording over and over, and you're only making minor tweaks, it's probably time to call it DONE.

Are you sure? Are you sure I'm ready?

Two things. 

• Don’t confuse hope and desire with being ready.
• But don’t confuse fear of rejection with not being ready.

Your gut will tell you when you are there! Listen to it. Then summon all the bravery and confidence you can muster and move forward with it in whatever direction your headed.

What's been the hardest thing for you when you're editing / revising? And do you have any more suggestions to add? We really want to hear them!