* This phrase comes from a longer 1934 letter Hemingway wrote to his friend F. Scott Fitzgerald, advising on the revision process for Tender is the Night. He emphasised rewriting extensively, as in his own work like A Farewell to Arms, which he revised at least 50 times.
If you’ve written a book and you’re wondering whether it’s ready to publish, the answer is almost certainly: not yet. Every manuscript, no matter how well written, needs a professional edit before it goes anywhere near a publisher or a publishing platform. This page explains what the editing process involves, what level of edit your manuscript might need, and how to get started.
I specialise in working with authors who need the services of an English-language book editor, both in South Africa and internationally. My job is to turn your manuscript into a masterpiece, whether that means a light polish or a thorough overhaul.
If you’d like to know more about my background, you’re welcome to read more here.
Many people think that editors are proofreaders who fix spelling, grammatical and punctuation errors. Although this is part of what a book editor does, an editor’s role is far more intricate than simply being a grammar Nazi. An editor is the glue that brings the right elements of a book together, the broom that sweeps out the cobwebs, and the polisher that turns something that may have initially been substandard into a work of art.
Whether the language your book is written in is your first language or not, sending your book to print without first having it professionally edited is a gargantuan mistake. Many writers will submit their unedited manuscripts to publishers before they have been thoroughly checked by a professional book editor or proofreader and then wonder why they don’t receive a response.
The same goes for self-publishing. Many indie authors do their own editing and proofreading (often due to financial constraints), and my only advice here is: JUST DON’T.
You might be so excited to submit your manuscript to a publisher or upload it to Amazon that you skim over your content and only realise much later that there are glaring errors or huge gaps in the story line. As an indie author, it will probably be a reader who gives you a bad review, bringing the matter to your attention (and that of the reading public) in a most unwelcome (and irreversible) way. A bad book review can tarnish your book and your credibility as an author forever, especially if it has been posted on Amazon or Goodreads.
Since the advent and mass-adoption of large language models and generative AI (think ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and CoPilot, among others), many authors are turning to these tools to improve their writing. While they can do wonders to ship a poorly constructed sentence or paragraph into shape and find and fix common grammatical and punctuation errors, giving these tools free rein over your manuscript without understanding proper prompting can result in your book being turned into a generic, boring, personality-less work that reads like it was written by something without a pulse.
Here are some of the common tell-tale signs of generative AI involvement:
The list goes on and on. It won’t be long before readers will be able to instantly spot a book written by or edited using generative AI tools. At this point, and if they haven’t already started snoring, they’ll likely promptly put the book down, questioning who – or what – wrote it. Readers of the future (and increasingly, readers of today) are looking for natural and authentic writing, full of all the nuances of what being human is all about, not superficial trope that is the end result of something that has been plugged into and dehumanised by a generative AI chatbot.
So, as a general rule of thumb (and if you want your book to read like a real, living human being wrote it), be very, VERY careful when using generative AI to edit your manuscript.
"Writing works best when it’s simple and direct. This doesn’t mean that you can’t be subtle, and clever, and elegant. It does mean that you can almost always prune and trim your text, thereby exposing the beauty that lies at the heart of it."
I offer three different types of editing, each one requiring different levels of involvement from a time perspective. The level of editing I will perform on your manuscript will depend on the finished product that you hand over to me. A well-written manuscript or document may only require the polish of a copy-edit (or a proof-read if it’s already been through the magic of an editor’s pen), but it might be the case that you’ve put your thoughts out there but there is plenty of work still to be done. I don’t judge, I simply edit.
LET’S TAKE A LOOK…
Let’s tell your story better
This is the most thorough edit I offer, and it works across three levels at once. First, the big picture: whether your book holds together, whether there are gaps in your reasoning, evidence or story, and whether details stay consistent throughout, from names, dates and figures to the wider structure of your book. Second, sentence by sentence: tightening clumsy phrasing, improving rhythm, and making sure your voice comes through clearly on the page. Third, technical correctness: spelling, grammar, punctuation and syntax, checked and corrected throughout.
This edit covers structure, prose and technical accuracy in one continuous, careful read-through of your manuscript. It can be quite ruthless and may require full or partial rewrites, either from my side or yours. Stock up on tissues.
Let’s make sure everything works from a technical perspective
Even the most proficient writer can miss basic mistakes. Grammatical errors, typos, missing punctuation marks, and inconsistencies, whether in capitalisation, spelling, numbers, fonts, hyphens or quotation marks, or in small details like a character’s name, a date or a physical description, are often overlooked in the rush to get your book off to the publishers.
Copy-editing involves checking that your content is correct and in line with industry standards, and that your message is consistent and accurate throughout, before sending it off to a proof-reader for final checks.
You might still need a box of tissues handy, but less so than with a substantive edit.
Let’s sweep out any gremlins that might be lurking between the lines
Proofreading is the final stage of editing and involves carefully reading the work word for word and making sure that textual and visual errors that were missed at the line editing and copy-editing stage are identified and corrected. No matter how proficient your editor was, don’t assume that they would have picked up on every little error.
Neglecting to have your book proof-read before publishing is a disaster waiting to happen. One little typo that your copy-editor might have missed can instantly take your book from high-class to substandard. And trust me, no amount of tissues is going to be sufficient to mop up that ocean of tears. That said, once your manuscript has been thoroughly proof-read, you can breathe a sigh of relief, send it off for publishing, and uncork that bottle of bubbly.
With me as your editor, I will determine the level of editing required, haul out my gigantic fine-tooth comb, make the changes or adjustments your book requires and give it the sparkling polish it deserves.
For me to determine whether I can take on your book or not, I will ask that you either email me your complete manuscript, or the first three chapters and the final chapter. Editing a book is a time-consuming process, depending on the level of complexity of the subject matter, as well as the quality of the writing, and I cannot determine the type of edit your book requires without first seeing your manuscript.
PLEASE (I ask with great big crocodile tears in my eyes) DO NOT SEND ME YOUR FIRST DRAFT. If your manuscript is little more than an initial word-vomit of unconsolidated thoughts and ideas, I will politely send it straight back to you. Rather spend some time refining your manuscript until you are confident that you are getting your message across in a clear and cohesive manner.
Once your edit is complete and your book has been proofread, I can guide you in terms of the next steps (i.e. getting your book published), especially if you are looking at self-publishing your book locally, internationally, or both (click here if you’re curious…).
If you’d like to work with me as your editor, I’d love to hear from you. Please complete the form below. It will be sent directly to my email inbox at phillipa@phillipamitchell.com and I will respond within 48 hours. A copy of this form will be sent to your email address once you hit the submit button.
Alternatively, you can contact me directly by email by clicking here.
