Book editing can be tasking, requiring careful attention given to detail, as mistakes observed afterwards can ruin the whole book project. Every step of the editing process must be handled by professionals if the desired result must be achieved.
Some authors, in a bid to reduce cost, end up letting inexperienced, self-acclaimed editors handle their books, who end up making a mess of their entire project.
In this blog, we discuss some common mistakes made by authors while their book is being edited.
- Grammatical Mistakes:
Grammar is at the centre of every editing process of a book. When words are wrongly placed and used inappropriately, it will make the book difficult to comprehend for readers and distort the message of the book. Some of these grammatical mistakes include:
- Wrong word uses or confusion
- Vague pronoun references
- Faulty sentence structure
- Unnecessary shift in verb tenses
- Fused (run-on) sentence structure or sprawl
- Lack of pronoun/antecedent agreement
- Sentence fragments
- Misplaced or dangling modifiers and
- Incorrectly used pronouns
These mistakes can be avoided when a professional editor, one with a proven track record, is tasked with editing a book project.
- Punctuation:
The use of proper punctuation can make or break the flow of information as intended by the writer. It helps readers know when to pause or stop and when a question is being asked, and this keeps sentences from running altogether, which only creates confusion.
Let us observe the following sentences for example;
- “Let’s eat, Grandpa” vs. “Let’s eat Grandpa!”
- “A woman, without her man, is nothing.” vs. “A woman: without her, man is nothing.”
- “Are you going to eat that.” vs. “Are you going to eat that?
The usage of the right punctuation mark in the right place can change the meaning of a sentence and, by extension, the whole book’s point of view.
- Typos and Misspellings:
I think we can say that misspelt words and typos are the most common mistakes that many authors make in their books. Typos are common in manuscripts, so it is important to proofread your book several times before completion. It could be that your fingers were just on the wrong keys, or you typed too fast. It is common to see dropped letters, missing or misplaced apostrophes, and switched letters. Oftentimes your typo will be a real word that you didn’t even intend to use. Read through your book at the editing stage to find these mistakes.
Look for things like:
dropped letters like “an” vs “and” or “the” vs “they”
missing apostrophes, as in “its” vs. “it’s”
- Too much Dependence on Software/Tools:
Editing and writing software and tools and built-in spell checks are excellent. However, they cannot replace the in-depth evaluation and writing critique you want and need from a professional human editor.
To ensure your responses are correct and accurate, you will need a professional editor with experience in your subject and/or genre.
The use of artificial intelligence is awesome, but it cannot be compared to the effect of a human professional.
Professional editors focus on your high-level content, structure, cohesiveness, and presentation. Meanwhile, the grammar checker highlights the technical corrections for easy review.
- Self-editing:
Engaging the services of a professional editor before publishing a book is not negotiable, as it allows your book to experience an objective view before it is published.
Many authors rely too much on themselves and their knowledge to edit their work. While that is good, the result cannot and will not be completely objective enough to meet the standard your book should have.
Conclusion
Book editing is all about bringing perfection to your book project. Making sure that the best eyes are given the task must be a top priority on every author’s list of things to do before publishing.
The mistakes mentioned here in this blog are common among authors and require attention from those seeking to become a global brand.
At Pen-Impact, we can step in and help you with your book writing, editing, and publishing. Reach us today via info@pen-impact.com