Inventing Reality Editing Service

What are the steps in publishing process?

Q: How does the written work get moved from editing to publishing – how does that process work? I've heard conflicting stories. – J.U.

A: The details of the process are different for everyone, but every aspiring book writer follows the same general steps.

It begins with writing a manuscript, which then is revised over successive drafts. These revisions might be done with the benefit of an editor, a beta reader, a writers group, or a friend or a family member who reads over the manuscript.

Once the manuscript reaches a version that the writer considers “final,” then a publisher is sought. There are two routes to getting published – the traditional, corporate method and the indie, self-publishing way.

If using the first method, the writer will seek a literary agent. If successful in obtaining one, the agent then will try to place the manuscript with a publishing house. Should the agent succeed at that, the publishing house then will assign an editor to the manuscript and take care of the cover design, formatting the book, printing, and distributing. Usually the publishing house will do a minimal amount of marketing as well.

Sometimes the writer will forgo the literary agent and simply seek a publisher. This often is the case with small university publishing houses.

If self-publishing, the author must do all of the steps that a publishing house would undertake. These steps can be contracted out (and most writers contract an editor and a cover designer), but most print on demand companies, such as CreateSpace and Smashwords, have made the process fairly simple. At the very least, the process becomes easier after you’ve done it once.

The basic self-publishing process is: edit the manuscript; format the manuscript (i.e., put it in the form in which it will appear when printed) for paperback, ebook or both; write the cover text and author’s bio; design a cover; select a print on demand house; upload the formatted manuscript, cover, and information so a web page can be made for your book; review and approve the uploaded manuscript, cover and information so that book can be printed; and market the book.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Chattanooga, Tennessee, or a small town like Jot-Em-Down, Texas, I can provide that second eye.

Five Great Quotations about Readers

“If a story is not about the hearer, he will not listen. And here I make a rule - a great and interesting story is about everyone or it will not last.” - John Steinbeck

“...no reader ever asks a question. A writer must force his favors upon his readers.” - Jan Neruda

“The paper is patient, but the reader is not.” - Joseph Joubert

“A writer only begins a book. A reader finishes it.” - Samuel Johnson

“Only a generation of readers will span a generation of writers.” - Steven Spielberg

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Provo, Utah, or a small town like Dismal, Tennessee, I can provide that second eye.

 

Writing Inspiration: Apply some techniques

Even the great masters had to learn their craft. Pick up a book about the craft of writing from the library or a bookstore. Apply a couple of the techniques described in the book to your writing. Are the new passages you’ve written more appealing?

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Fresno, California, or a small town like Frizzleburg, Pennsylvania, I can provide that second eye.

 

Appeal to sense of sound in your fiction tale

When writing descriptions, one of the five senses that you can appeal to is sound.

We’re surrounded all day by sounds, though most of it is tuned out. When we do hear something out of the ordinary – an alarm, the crunch of metal when cars collide, the annoying repetition of a water drip – it stands out.

Likewise, most authors use sound in the same way in their stories: the sensation is often implied but only used at a moment when it can most contribute to raising dramatic tension or add to a description of an important object in the story.

Matthew Johnson does this in his short story “Lagos” (which appears in the August 2008 Asimov’s Science Fiction). The story, about a Third World worker named Safrat who vacuums other people’s houses by telepresence, never describes the sound of the vacuuming in the opening paragraphs, but as we learn about a day in Safrat’s life, the reader almost can hear the changing whirs as the type of vacuuming performed changes. It isn’t until the 13th paragraph arrives that the sense of sound is directly appealed to, when Safrat laughs when her brother tells her in her sleep – in the language of the wealthy people whose houses she vacuums – about taking a vacation. The sound points toward the poignant irony of such a dream. As the story nears its climax, the number of times the sense of sound is used increases.

One way to insert sound into your story is through the use of onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia occurs when words are spelled like the sound they make, such as buzz, whoosh, beep. Again, such sounds shouldn’t be inserted into a description for the sake of having sound in your story but instead to generate dramatic tension or to show some important characteristic of an object.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from an urban area like California's Inland Empire or a rural area like Loving County, Texas, I can provide that second eye.

Writing Inspiration: When are you creative?

When are you most creative and most productive as a writer? Write a description of that place, noting the time of day, which of your senses are appealed to during that span, if you use pen and paper or keyboard and computer.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Honolulu, Hawaii, or a small town like Beaver, Oklahoma, I can provide that second eye.

A friendly argument: Amity vs enmity

Some writers have a real love/hate relationship with this pair of antonyms.

Amity is the feeling of friendliness that one has: Having known each other since kindergarten, Brook and Kieran enjoyed great amity toward one another.

Enmity is the hostility and animosity you feel toward your enemy: Greece and Turkey have long experienced great enmity toward one another.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Fort Myers, Florida, or a small town like Knock 'em Stiff, Ohio, I can provide that second eye.

Writing Prompt: Write humorous scene

Suffering from writer’s block or need to add some spunk to your writing? The problem may be that you need to change up your routine.

To that end, try this tip: Laughter, arguably, is the best medicine. If feeling blue or overwhelmed, counteract those feelings by writing a comedic passage, perhaps for your book.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Tucson, Arizona, or a small town like Zap, North Dakota, I can provide that second eye.

Writing Inspiration: Collect great quotations

Do you dream of becoming a writer but find yourself questioning your own ability to write? You night just need a little encouragement. Collect quotations that inspire you to write. Each time your inner critic speaks up, read five of those quotations.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Rochester, New York, or a small town like Beech Bottom, West Virginia, I can provide that second eye.

Five Great Quotations about Revising

“Easy writing makes hard reading.” - Ernest Hemingway

“I think of rounds of editing as hammer time. Then, when they interrupt my writing, I can say... *shakes head* Nah, I just can't do it. Although when I come across a brilliant line, I do think, Can't touch this. And when I'm worried I'm overwriting a scene, I think, Hammer, don't hurt 'em.” - Brent Weeks

“Be grateful for every word you can cut.” - William Zinsser

“Writing is really rewriting - making the story better, clearer, truer.” - Robert Lipsyte

“What I had to face, the very bitter lesson that everyone who wants to write has got to learn, was that a thing may in itself be the finest piece of writing one has ever done, and yet have absolutely no place in the manuscript one hopes to publish.” - Thomas Wolfe

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Augusta, Georgia, or a small town like Funk, Ohio, I can provide that second eye.

Writing Inspiration: Apply what you liked

Re-read a story or a chapter of a book that you’ve really enjoyed. As reading, think about what made the passage beautiful. Apply those literary devices to your writing.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from an urban area like Akron-Canton, Ohio, or a rural community like Toadlena, New Mexico, I can provide that second eye.