Friday, June 5, 2015

#SpankAtoZ E is for

Editor!

A few weeks ago I began a new job as an editor for Blushing Books. I've had an opportunity to read several good books and work with some new authors. It's been a lot of fun and I'm learning a great deal.

I thought I'd share a couple things that I've learned and maybe the information will be useful to you too.

Tip One: 

Further vs. Farther

Not sure which to use? Here's an easy trick, farther starts with FAR, so remember that it has to do with physical distance.

Ex: My feet hurt so bad, I couldn't walk any farther.

Further has to do with metaphorical distance.

Ex: I will not discuss this further.

Tip Two: 

Ellipses

Ellipses are three dots (...) used to replace words, usually in a direct quote to indicate that some words are missing.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag...and to the republic for which it stands..."

Often, I use ellipses to indicate a pause in speaking or stammering. In general, that's acceptable, but a dash is generally more correct.

An important thing to remember is that there's no space before or after the ellipses.

Wrong: "Um ... what do you mean?"

Right: "Um...what do you mean?"

Hope these tips are helpful.

One of the things I've realized is that editors only have a limited amount of time to work on your book. If they are spending all their time fixing little things like spaces or commas, then they won't have as much as time to spend on the bigger things that will make your book better. So, get these little things right and your editor will be able to spend their time polishing your manuscript to perfection.




5 comments:

  1. These are great tips Celeste, thank you for sharing.

    Hugs
    Roz

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  2. It is so true what you say -- the little things can be distracting from the bigger problems that need to be fixed.

    One thing I've learned after working with several publishing houses is they have their "house style." If you work with more than one publisher it can get a challenge to keep it straight.

    I often use ellipses to show that someone is trailing off as they speak. I'll use a dash to show that they broke off.

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  3. It's so important that an author polishes her manuscript BEFORE submission to the publisher. As you point out, correcting the things an author should have done herself is counter-productive to the editorial relationship. When I beta read, I am frequently astonished by how often words are misspelled--with the red squiggly line beneath them! I mean, come on, at least check your spelling.

    Good post, Celeste!

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