Book Editors
Friday, January 7th, 2011
 Good writing is never effortless. Few writers can take the ideas floating around in their head and present them on the page in an artistic, consistent and readable way the very first time. Any writing that appears as if the author beautifully rendered their thoughts directly onto the page is probably the writing has been the most heavily edited, picked over, pared down and reshaped.
In the art of writing, getting your thoughts down is only one part of a much longer process. It’s a big part, but if you stop there, your book has a good chance of being consigned to the slush pile (along with all the other brilliant but unedited stories). Agents, publishers and readers demand their stories are presented in a certain way: with good grammar (even if you break the rules now and then for fun), with correct spelling and punctuation, and with a clear, logical flow. This takes time, revision and effort.
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Tags: editing, editors, Technical Editing
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Tuesday, December 28th, 2010
 If you are like most writers who are serious about their craft and about getting published, you probably want to make sure that the manuscript you send to a publisher is the very best that it can be. Whether it is an academic work on the feeding habits of arthropods or the latest and greatest romance novel, there are resources that you can use to help finalize your manuscript.
One tip to help you get started editing your work is to get away from your manuscript for at least 24 hours before you begin reading back over it to find and correct mistakes and to make clarifications. This will help ensure that you are reading your manuscript with a fresh eye.
While you are reading over your manuscript, it is to your benefit to use the “Spelling and Grammar Check” feature under the “Review” tab of Microsoft Word. This feature will help you find spelling and grammatical errors that you might have missed otherwise. By left-clicking on this feature, you may set your preferences under the “Proofing” section. Keep in mind that while using this automatic check on your paper will help you find some errors, you always have to keep the context of your words and your intended meaning in mind when judging whether or not to make the corrections that this feature suggests. (more…)
Tags: editing, editors, firstediting.com, professional editor, Technical Editing
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Friday, December 24th, 2010
 Throughout your school career, you will have to write numerous papers. It isn’t easy, after compiling all the pertinent research, making your outline, and writing the actual paper, to remove yourself from the process in order to self-edit your work. Unfortunately, it must be done, as every writer (no matter how seasoned) makes mistakes. Especially when you have a grade riding on the outcome of your work, it is important to go back over your completed paper with a cautious eye to ensure that your submission is of the highest caliber. Follow the steps below to self-edit your academic writing, and this professional editor guarantees that you will see an improvement!
First and foremost, utilize your computer’s software, for example Microsoft Word’s spell or grammar check. It won’t catch everything, but it will catch the glaring errors in both spelling and usage. It is available to you and costs you nothing; take advantage of it, and your academic writing can only improve.
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Tags: editing, firstediting, firstediting.com, Professional Editing
Posted in Book Editing, Book Editors, Editing Books | 8 Comments »
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010
 Essay writing is a complex task, and even more so if you are writing in ESL (English as a second language). Even native-English speakers need professional help to make sure their essays are in perfect condition. Few writers know how to get all the grammatical, stylistic and formatting rules right in their early drafts. The good news is that ESL editing is available to help ensure your essay not only meets the submission standards but is written clearly and concisely.
There are certain steps an ESL writer can take to ensure their essay is well structured and covers all the important points that need to be made before ESL editing. It is vital that your editor understands the basic points of your essay and your intentions so they can work correcting the details according to your writing goals. The best way to make sure your editor is well prepared to polish your work is to check your work and ensure it as clear as you can make it before your hire.
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Tags: editing, Editing Skills & Services, editors, Technical Edit
Posted in Book Editing, Book Editors, Editing Books | 7 Comments »
Sunday, December 5th, 2010
 So the degree-culminating paper is done, after months—maybe years!—of work. Now you’re ready to kick back and relax a bit before submitting it to your prof—after a thorough proofreading, of course.
But wait—should you just rely on your word processing program’s spell/grammar check, or do you need to spring for a professional academic editor? Technology’s come a long way, after all, and those programs are pretty advanced these days: They claim to find all your errors…
Of course, for questions about how to conform to style guides, there are some super online resources out there: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ and http://www.mla.org/ , for example, or http://www.docstyles.com/ for a site that covers practically every academic style guide you might be likely to use. It’s easy enough to use these resources to find the answer to any style questions you might have, like how to cite that unusual source or how to format a long quote. And there are some programs out there that claim to format to various style guide specifications, too, if you’re really brave. (Note that none are recommended; read on for an explanation.) (more…)
Tags: editing, firstediting.com, Standard Editing, Technical Editing, writing tips
Posted in Book Editing, Book Editors, Writer's Tips | 6 Comments »
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