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Lesson Nine: The Other Eye
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While I wish I could write without err, whether grammatical or spelling, the facts fly in the face of such a whimsical daydream. The blatantly honest editor has grown in my esteem over the last two years, to a place where I resent not the advice… at least, not usually.
We use four beta-readers now, and not just in the US; they constantly edit not only ourwork but each others' edits, and thus most--if not all--the mistakes are eventually located and scoured from the surface of our books. Over the last year alone the books for sale on our website have undergone four separate edits for the little things that were missed.
What do you look for in an editor? The first criterion is the most basic: money. Editors can be professionals that one can hire and get all the pivotal advice and corrections done in one swift go. In reality, however, most writers cannot afford such services.
Another wonderful facet of the online community is the amount of free advice one can collect, simply by posting sample chapters online, or engaging the services of a good beta reader; many of them read through material for no other pay than the act itself. Sites like fictionpress.com and writerscafe.org harbor sections and groups devoted to matching writers and books with betas.
The other highly important quality of a good ‘Other Eye is honesty. Therefore, most of your friends and family are disqualified for consideration… unless you have an exceptionally honest friend/family member who does not spare your feelings by ‘glossing over’ things which should be addressed. If using ‘free’ services, then multiple betas/readers/editors is advisable, especially choosing betas in a wide range of ages, educations and backgrounds; this enables you to glean useful information about which demographic your book most appeals to.
Take the humble pill as others look at your work; bite back the retorts that invariably bubble up as valid mistakes are pointed out. For, thus is the reason they edit and why writers seek out these opinions: to make the work as good as it can be.
Remember, if you choose to post samples of your work online for scrutiny or send it to a beta, register your work first with the US copyright office, and update these as new versions of your work ensue.
Lastly, contribute to the online community, especially if you have benefited from it. Join writers/ readers groups and help edit the work of others as time allows.
