The End of the Second Edit

Hurray! I have finally reached the end of the second edit of my novel. At the start I had 80,000 words and 39 chapters, now I have 92,000 words and 50 chapters. I realised as I went through that I still had many sections that were just the bare bones of the plot which have now been fleshed out. After reaching those critical words, THE END, I went out for a walk. I felt a bounce in my step, I felt as if I had finally written a book. It felt good.

It’s taken nearly two years and a huge amount of hours, while simultaneously dealing with a lot of real world events. I hope the next book, if there is one, won’t take as long. The next stage is to send it out to some trusted readers. I have four good friends lined up. Three to read it as consumers and one who says he’ll proof read and make plot/character suggestions. He recently wrote and self-published a book so it will be natural for him to be in that role. I have managed to do a lot of proof reading corrections along the way but I’m sure there could be some that I missed. 

Hiring a Professional Editor

I also realise that having a professional third party analysis at this stage would be a good thing. I thought I should prepare myself, so I took a deep breath and researched how much it might cost to hire someone to do this. I receive regular emails from ‘Writers & Artists’ and this week’s email featured their Manuscript Editing Services. This is what it said:

“The Full Manuscript Review editing service provides a straightforward report on your manuscript, offering a full read-through from an editor who will objectively assess your use of dialogue, structure, style, pace, plot and characterisation. After receiving your report, you will then have the opportunity to speak to your editor in a 30-minute phone call. 

As well as discussing your manuscript further, your editor will also offer suggestions on reasonable next steps for your manuscript. Do you need to re-work sections in order to move forward? Is it ready for the consideration of literary agents? This service has been designed to ask you to consider its overall shape and structure at a key stage in the writing process. Just how ready is your book?”

I thought it sounded pretty impressive but what is the cost?

For 60,000-79,999 words, £600

For 80,000-99,999 words, £750

For 100,000-120,000 words, £900

For more than 120,000 words there’s an extra charge of £12 per 1,000 words.

The Final Polish

They also offer a Final Polish Service editing service. “This service has been devised for writers wanting to ensure their manuscript is as good as it can possibly be before looking to approach literary agents or self-publish. 

One of their experienced editors will read your manuscript in its entirety, line-by-line edit 50% of the text (addressing punctuation, grammar, spelling, as well as highlighting errors and/or inconsistencies in a detailed mark up on your original manuscript, offer 1-2 pages of notes alongside two revised/clean versions of your manuscript, purged of errors and inconsistencies. They will then become available for a 30-minute follow-up call in which additional guidance on overall structure and how to maintain consistency will be discussed.

The purpose of this service is to concentrate on addressing punctuation, grammar, spelling, and highlight errors and/or inconsistencies. This is known as copy-editing; a line-by-line approach that is a time-consuming process. The editor only edits 50% of the manuscript  because the vast majority of errors and/or inconsistencies made within a manuscript are often made within the first half and continue to be made throughout. When the editor submits their edited documents, you will be asked to arrange a date and time for your 30-minute call, using the editor’s availability calendar, which must take place within two weeks of your edits being uploaded.”

Adding The Final Polish more or less doubles the cost. After payment, you need to submit your full manuscript, taking into account the word limit you selected upon purchase. In the case of fiction or narrative non-fiction (such as memoir or biography). Your manuscript needs to be submitted with a one-page Synopsis.

The Synopsis

This is what they ask for. A Synopsis should: 

• Be no more than one A4 side. 12pt font size and leave margins at the edge of the page.
• Comprise the complete summary of the plot and give an overview of the structure. Concentrate on the plot-points that drive the main protagonist(s) through the book, including the ending, don’t worry about spoilers!
• Introduce your main characters, with the first mention of their name in CAPITALS.
• Be easy to follow, written in the same order as the narrative unfolds. Only refer to the essentials of the manuscript (do not including every single scene) and pinpoint scenes in which you have the maximum amount of dramatic tension. 
• It should not offer intrigue, be written as a piece of prose or contain stylish writing. It demands a different type of writing, it’s only required to be a technical document for reference, use simple sentences and allow the story and character arcs to do the talking for you.

 This is the link I followed to obtain the above information.

https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/editing-services/full-manuscript-review

General advice for the Synopsis seems to be “make sure you write in the third person, present tense, using simple, declarative sentences.” This reminds me of how I used to write Treatments for TV programmes for submitting to Commissioning editors. It’s not a natural way of writing. To make it easier I imagined I was writing an Audio Description of what was happening on the screen. 

I did a quick Google search of other professional editing services and the rates are more or less the same as the quoted above but that doesn’t alter the fact that it’s too much for me right now. I’ll just hope that the trusted readers will provide some similar feedback for free.

The Log Line

Other sources suggest that it’s also a good idea to start your Synopsis with a one line summary that says clearly and simply what your novel is about i.e. present your main character(s) and setting then state their central conflict. It’s sometimes referred to as a Log Line.

One example is from Abi Dare’s Bath Novel Award 2018 winning manuscript The Girl with the Louding Voice:  14-year-old Lagos housemaid refuses to accept her fate – she wants an education and to get a ‘louding voice’.

It almost reads like a Headline in a news paper. As a consumer, I’m used to reading Log Lines in TV guides as a summary of television programmes and films but when it comes to writing one for my book it’s proving hard. It’s too easy to make it very dry and flat when you really want an emotional hook to stimulate interest.

Moving to the Next Stage

A few months ago I had the chance to submit the first three chapters of my novel to a Literary Agent. She also asked for a Synopsis and I introduced my submission with a Covering Letter. The agent was very encouraging but said she wasn’t taking any more submissions during the summer holidays. My next move will I be to contact her and ask if she would consider reading the whole manuscript now. If she insists on it being read by a professional editor first I’ll ask if she can recommend one. 

I’m still in contact with some of the writers who were on the same of CBC writing courses as me a year or so ago. It’s interesting to see their progress. One person has just finished their fourth draft and is sending her manuscript to agents, another one is starting her second draft. I’m finding it very helpful to stay in touch for many reasons: they offer support and encouragement when the going gets tough; you can see their own timelines and realise that your own progress is not so unusual and they share facts that they discover about the publishing world. 

I hope the information here has been helpful and good luck with your own writing project. One of the writers from my courses suggested that I should suggest a month for my trusted readers to get back to me, so I hope that I’ll be able to write about their reactions in my next blog. It’s a slightly scary prospect but very necessary. Fingers crossed they like it.