Some Great Self-Editing Tips

This week, Joanna Penn brings us a great interview with writer and editor Kris Spisak, and it's just packed with invaluable tips on bringing your novel writing up to the next level. I know I link to quite a lot of Joanna's stuff, but she just brings in so much high-quality content that's too good not to highlight. Plus, as someone who is both an author and an editor, I had a particular interest in this post.

"When you're talking about editing, I like to look at it in terms of three different levels. You have your macro edit where you're really looking at your entire story structure. Does your entire plots make sense? Does your story begin in the correct place? Does it end in the right place? Are your characters fleshed out as much as they need to be?"

Of course, we all deviate from these rules a bit. For example, I find myself almost incapable of doing a first big read-through while leaving punctuation and sentence structure alone. Authors who have worked with me know I'm obsessed with grammar, commas, and overused words, and get so distracted by any typo I see that I must fix it at once. But this doesn't mean I'm missing the big picture. When I see something that doesn't work at the core level, I suggest that the author does some revisions (or, in case I'm working on my own novel, I go and do some rewrites myself).

Joanna and Kris also speak in detail about the importance of having more pairs of eyes on your work. It is absolutely invaluable. I remember when I worked on my first draft of Wild Children, I sent it to my priceless friend and alpha reader, Anna Mantovani. She said she is missing a detailed and fleshed-out villain in the novel - which propelled me to create the character of Alexander Dahl and, later, his daughter Priscilla, who became a core character of the two sequels. None of that would have been possible without an insightful reader who gave me her honest opinion.

And also this:

"So many times people think, ‘Oh, it's a talented writer. He was born that way, she was born that way,' but here's the big secret. No one is born an amazing writer. Everybody has to learn. Everybody has to practice. Everybody has to put in that time."

Certainly, writing is a form of art. But it's also a craft. Nothing is just born out of thin air; every talented and successful person, in every field, has had to put in the work. Without it, without growth and improvement, there's stagnation. I hope it never happens to me. I love learning, and I love working with authors who are ready to learn and improve as well.

Just make sure you don't miss this fantastic interview. It might well be the best thing you've read this year.

How much should you work?

Recently, I had the chance to stumble upon this great article, which confirmed something I have been thinking for quite a while. 

"We are not here to work to work to work to die.

We aren’t.

There was a stage in building my business where I hustled and built connections with publications that had large followings and an audience so that when my work went viral, said audience followed me which now leads to revenue with cultural influencer jobs, clients, public speaking opportunities etc. etc. however, I truly believe that I chose to struggle unnecessarily for a few years of that.

I chose that because I grew up wired to believe that good people couldn’t have lots of money, and that artists had to starve and work a second job."

I actually found this article while Googling "tired of hustling"... and for good reason, it seems. I think this lady is insanely lucky, and things certainly don't work this way for everyone, but there is still a lot of truth in what she says. 

I work as a freelance editor, proofreader, and copywriter, besides authoring and publishing my own books. When I first started freelancing, I was unfamiliar with the platforms, didn’t know anybody, had no experience, and had to hunt and hustle for every project. Thankfully, I am not in that place anymore, and usually have more incoming work than I can reasonably commit to, so I have to be choosy and know when and how to say no. 

It isn’t always easy when a client asks specifically for you and you value that professional relationship, but I do have one principle to guide me: I chose to freelance and work from home, rather than opt for more traditional employment, because I wanted the freedom and flexibility to be with my children. I wanted to be there to teach them, take care of them when they are sick or need me for other reasons, and to have a flexible schedule that would enable me to set work aside for a while and just go out to enjoy the sunshine on a nice day.

The problem is, when you are an independent entrepreneur, you don’t have set hours. You don’t just punch a card and you’re done for the day. There are always new projects to check out, books to work on, clients to communicate with, emails to send, research to do… And it’s quite easy to get caught in all that, so that you get annoyed with life for getting in the way of work – which is not very reasonable.

My top tips for maintaining a healthy balance are as follows:

1. Know and accept you will never be able to do it all or to please everyone. There will always be projects and clients you miss – but the good news is, life is dynamic, and there will also be new ones.

2. Be realistic. How many hours a day can you reasonably commit to? Without overworking and compromising the quality of your work? Without snapping at your children? Without pulling half- or all-nighters?

3. Be your own boss, but as if you were the boss of someone else. I mean it this way: if you were employing someone, and that someone had no time for lunch break or recreation or adequate sleep hours, would you consider yourself a very good employer? Would you expect high productivity and quality work from a harassed, overwhelmed employee? You see my point. Treat your body and mind with kindness and respect, and you will enjoy a routine that is both more peaceful and more productive.

Can editors be affordable?

"How are indie authors supposed to be able to afford editors?" - this is a question I have encountered numerous times on social media lately, sometimes accompanied by "I have a budget of 300$ for this. Is it enough?" And someone somewhere in the comments usually suggests, "there are plenty of affordable editors out there".

As both an indie author on a budget and an editor doing my best to offer my clients quality service and fair prices, I understand both sides of the equation, and I will look at them both here. First, let's try to do some math and figure out whether editors are overpriced and what a reasonable fee would be.

While editing, I put in close to one hour per 2,000 words, on average. Does that sound too long? Consider that this includes corrections, comments and suggestions for the author, and often revision. How long would it take you to revise your own book? An editor would likely spend more time on it because they would see more stuff that needs to be addressed.

So that comes up to 50 hours of work per a 100,000-word novel.

How much would you say an editor should earn per hour?

If I charge a 1,000$ for the editing of a 100K book, I earn roughly 20$ per hour. It is modest but something I can live upon. Many people, however, expect to have their epic novel edited for 500$, or worse. That would mean the editor earns 10$ per hour or less.

You won't find someone experienced for 10$ an hour, because people who charge so little don't tend to stay in the field. They are unable to support themselves and their families. They quit in burnout and frustration and go flipping burgers, because it's more financially rewarding.

So that's the editor's side of the story.

Authors, on the other hand, are often told, "Save up for self-publishing. Don't even think of releasing a book before you have a 2,000$ budget for editing, cover design, and marketing."

The sad truth, however, is that many self-published books will never make enough to pay off a 2000$ launch budget. Even if they are well-written, well-edited, and have a great cover. Many wonderful books just don't make it, and it's really hard to predict which ones will.

For an author who is struggling financially, pouring that much money into a single project can be devastating. They can literally discover they had taken food out of their children's mouths for nothing. I understand perfectly well that authors aren't simply being cheap. People are struggling to put food on the table.

Sometimes you get lucky and can find an editor who's really good but just starting out, and they'll work on your book for 500$. Or maybe you happen to be a brilliant cover designer and can arrange for an exchange of favors with an author-editor who needs cover design. But otherwise, yeah, when you say that you can't afford an editor, I hear you. I couldn't have afforded me if I had to pay myself to work on my own books.

There are no easy answers to this conundrum, that's for sure.

So what I suggest might sound harsh, but if you can't afford an editor, you can't. Revise the heck out of your book, invest in programs like ProWritingAid, and arrange for swap reads with other authors. Try your best and save up what you make from this book for editing the next one. It is not an ideal solution, but it's better and fairer than trying to find someone who will work for 5$ an hour.

Covid-19 and the future of the indie book industry

Well, it happened. The world has, quite simply, done a backflip on us. What is going on right now could very well belong in a dystopian novel - whole countries on lockdown, health care systems collapsing, stocks plummeting, countless people losing their jobs.

Indie writers, editors, and other people who work from home have been lucky in many ways. We have never been tied to an office, so we didn't have to worry about it closing, or about social distancing at work. We can work from our laptop anywhere.

Of course, this doesn't mean we haven't been affected by what is happening in the world. Social media is full of posts and memes by writers who lament that they aren't as productive as they thought they would be - and that's even without children suddenly being home 24/7. Even for home educating families, it's quite an adjustment. It means no visits to Grandma, no help from anyone outside the house, no play dates. Each nuclear family is isolated and, as we are deprived of our usual means of recreation and social connection, it's no wonder our productivity has taken a nosedive.

Another question is how the book industry in general, and indie authors in particular, are going to be affected by the inevitable economic shifts that we'll be stuck with long after the acute stage of the crisis is over. Now, the following is just my opinion, so you are welcome to take it or leave it.

One immediate factor is that while people are at home so much more, they have more time to read. So apparently that's good news for us. But authors have been reporting a significant reduction in sales, and that's understandable when you think about it. While people are losing either their jobs or their financial security, their disposable income - real or perceived - takes a cut. People will naturally buy less things they don't need, and this includes books. I can tell you that I, personally, think twice nowadays before spending 2.99$ on an ebook. It's sad but true.

Another aspect is that authors who have relied on face-to-face meetings with readers, book fairs, etc - for example authors of illustrated children's books, who still receive a large part of their income from selling paperbacks - have suffered due to cancelled book fairs and book tours. Those authors have undoubtedly taken a harder hit than those of us who are used to making most of our sales from ebooks.

So are we going to be hit by the upcoming recession as well? Probably, but humankind has survived a lot worse - and storytelling, in some shape or form, has always been around. So I believe that there will always be a market for a good story. I look forward to exchange of ideas within the #WritingCommunity as we all pitch in towards helping each other get through this unexpected crisis wave.

The Bloodthirst Gene: Frozen World 4, New Generation

What better way to get through the coronavirus craze than by releasing another postapocalyptic sci-fi novel?

The Bloodthirst Gene, now available on Kindle and in print, is volume 4 in my Antarctic sci-fi Frozen World saga. It's a New Generation novel and has enough background so that even readers who hadn't caught up with books 1-3 in the series yet can dive straight in. A good fit for lovers of indigenous culture, genetic-involving apocalyptic scenarios, and giant prehistoric winged reptiles.

"Could the genetic makeup of humankind be altered in a way that eradicates violence, aggression and warlike tendencies, eliminating armed conflict and creating a utopian society?

It sounds almost too good to be true. And perhaps it is, because messing with genetics can get risky."
And get this: for the past two books, I've been trying to wrap the series up, but I just can't, as there are too many ideas swirling in my head. So yes, there will be a Frozen World 5 book, though I can't say exactly when that will be just yet.

Why I'm happy I stopped querying

I used to send out queries to literary agents every month. Then I gave up.

That's it in a nutshell, but of course, it's a longer and more complicated story. I have had about 250 rejection emails, cumulatively, over several projects. There probably isn't a single agent in each project's genre that I haven't queried. I have had some limited interest but no takers.

As I wrote in my blog post of 2018, I know it sounds very unfashionable, with all the positive upbeat advice out there: "Never give up! You never know when it happens for you! The next query might just be the one!"

Well, folks, I do give up. Mind, I don't give up writing, publishing, making it as an author or earning money through my books. I give up the uphill task of researching agents, sending queries, waiting (or giving up on waiting) for feedback, and receiving another form rejection or, at best, an "I like your style, but it won't sell" type of message.
I had two choices... No, make it three: keep querying and hope to land a book deal one day; become discouraged and give up writing; or keep working on writing and getting my books out there myself. I chose the last one.

Upon thinking, I realized that the indie publishing model is my preferred modus operandi anyway. I wasn't seeking approval stamps or literary recognition. I like having total control of my own work. I like how quickly an indie book can be produced and hit the market (because you bypass all the stages when you're negotiating with someone else for approval).

Over a year after I had sent out my last query, I can definitely say I'm happy with my decision. Time is a very precious resource for me, and I freed up a large chunk of it once I decided to focus solely on the indie author path. Now I can concentrate on writing the next book, and the next one, and on finding my audience. I have started making some money from my books, and it flows directly to me, and much more quickly, too, than if it had had to pass through more hands.

I have had my Wild Children series placed with a small publishing house, and while I loved working with my publisher and really appreciated the thorough, professional attitude, I realized that I have a lot more fun (and am much more motivated) as a solo venture. I'm pleased to be an indie - or, as some say, an author-entrepreneur, and am excited about all the possibilities this opens before me.

As for 2020: onward and upward!

Writing through plotter block

Everyone knows what writer's block is; and although I have repeatedly stated that I don't really believe in it, and that I'm ALWAYS ready to write once I've gotten a couple of little people off my back, 2019 has challenged this statement somewhat.

It was a busy year. I have edited over a million words (in the course of my work as a fiction editor), or about the equivalent of a dozen full-length novels - a novel a month. Thankful as I was for not being out of work a single day that year, there were moments when I wish I could slow down.

It is no wonder, then, that working on the fourth book in my Frozen World sci-fi series, my own book often got whatever dregs and scraps I was able to piece together at the end of a day. Even beginning to write, though I got the premise and title more or less figured out as soon as I finished the latest book in the series, was a stretch.

I have been a plotter for a very long time - from about the moment when I realized that having an outline may well make the difference between finishing a novel in a reasonable time and muddling for years through a series of plot holes big as the moon's craters. So, of course, my credo became, "I'm not even starting before I know how I will finish!"

The problem is, in this case waiting to have the perfect worked-out plot resulted in me sitting before that plot outline, staring at it evening after evening, closing it in frustration, and ending up writing nothing at all.

At all. For a very long time.

I knew how the story would begin. I knew more or less where it was heading. But some parts were blank.

And eventually, I threw in the towel and just started writing.

It was the best decision I could have made. It alleviated my frustration and helped keep my creative juices flowing. It helped me focus. It enhanced my productivity - by challenging myself to produce 1,000 words a day, rain or shine, I was forced to figuratively take a sledgehammer and hack away at the plot block wall until it crumbled, because the show had to go on. So far I have written 35,000 words of this new book and hope to finish the first draft in February.

My takeaway? Don't get hung up on a system, even if it's a good system and has served you well. If it's hindering you from actually writing, make a U-turn and try something new.

Write. Take time off, but also write. It gets easier once you're in the habit of productivity, I promise.