Dear Author: Checklist for sending your manuscript to agents or editors
Dear Author, are you reading to send your manuscript to your editor or potential agent? THINK AGAIN!
Sorry I’m being as dramatic as an Archer Clan Vampire, but this is your double-check checklist of things to search for within your writing before you send your manuscript to your editor, or agent! It would be a great idea to use this list before sending your manuscript to any beta reader.This list can help you get a lesser rate on editing services (you need that) or make you look more polished when you pitch your manuscript to an agent living on 5th avenue, New York, New York. This post is so early, because I want to catch people who might be querying agents.
Does this replacing editing? Hell to the no. Why is that even a subheading? I am passionate about editing, and will speak more about it in the professional services section, along with it’s biggest con.
Control search for spell check.
I hadn’t done this for 3 years in my first book, and thought everything was all clear, but, pressing f7 in my Microsoft word document would have saved me two errors. That is two too many when you’re an Indie. Please, just do it before you send even if you think you did.
Control search for elipsies, AKA: …
Your ellipses… should begin immediately after the previous word with no spaces, appear as three periods in a row, space, and then the following word. Making sure there is a space between the end of the ellipses “…” and the following word “… following”, will save your editor and YOU tons of time later.
Control search for hypens and dashes
When your book is formatted you will quickly realize if you have inconsistencies between your dashes and hyphen and words (extra spaces or not enough). On a word processor, it is easy to miss. When words are justified and put into a manuscript, inconsistencies in dashes stick out like the sorest thumb. You need to decide if you are using a small hypen “-” or a dash “–-” to separate word phrases, and if you want spaces in between or not. I go for long dashes and no spaces to keep the flow. I’ve also seen (in publishing house produced book) a singular hyphen set with spaces on both parts of the phrase “like – like”. Whatever you decide, stick to it. DOUBLE CHECK that there is or isn’t a space after the last hyphen, because it is incredibly hard to see with normal spacing, and once it’s formatted you will notice the inconsistencies.
Wendy Janes also has a fabulous list of checks here: http://completelynovel.com/articles/five-proofreading-checks-you-need-to-run
She discussed double words, and searching for words that might be typed wrong, so that they are still a real word an spell check does not find them “eyes” and “yes” are an example.
So why do we have all of these weird misspelled words and mistakes when we are educated writers and intelligent humans? I must mention Gestalt Psychology and perception. Our brains will essentially fill in the missing words.
This is clearly a triangle, right? This is how your brain works when you are trying to proof or edit your own work. For more information on Gestalt Psychology, this is a fun resource: http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/gestalt.html
Good luck, writers!
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