Love Thy Editor
Today, we have a guest post from Nikki Jefford, the talented author of the Spellbound Series (Entangled & Duplicity)
That wasn’t a manuscript – that was a landmine! (Sayeth Nikki every time she gets back a manuscript that’s been copy edited or proofread.)
Which is how the 11th commandment came about: Though Shall Not Publish Without Thy Editor.
With Entangled (Spellbound #1), I thought my manuscript was starched clean by the time it went to my copy editor. Even after being pre-proofed by a grammar whiz, the book was LITTERED with grammatical debris.
I have since updated my writerly commandments to include a 12th: Though Shall Not Publish Without No Less Than TWO Professional Proofreaders.
One copy editor can’t be expected to find every last mistake in an entire novel. After Entangled was published several friends pointed out remaining errors – the equivalent of walking around, big grin on my face, with broccoli stuck in my teeth!
I thought I had it all cleaned up until last month when I printed a copy for a final polish as I prepare for a print run. Even then I was ashamed to come across a place where I’d typed “project” instead of “protect”; “heart” instead of “head”; and gas “petal” instead of “pedal.” *Groan* In one scene, Gray was wearing a blouse only to mention feeling hot in her sweater several paragraphs down. (Did I miss a costume change somewhere?)
In an older version of the book, Raj and Gray were standing together in the hallway when there’s a small earthquake. I removed that in a later draft, but not the reference to it that was brought up when Gray runs into Raj at the cemetery after dying. *Double groan*
Second Times a Charm!
I had no idea who I was going to get as my second proofreader for Duplicity (Spellbound #2). I wanted a person who had read the first book AND was a professional editor.
The stars aligned at just the right moment. A new review of Entangled appeared on amazon (just as I was scratching my head over what to do) and I followed it to S. M. Boyce: author and copy editor extraordinaire.
I hired Boyce as the final proofreader for Duplicity and, lucky for me, she stepped in and offered some copy editing suggestions. I am especially grateful for her help with chapter two, which was a particularly tricky part of the story when the duplicate Gray is introduced. Naturally it would be chapter two that gave me trouble, this is Duplicity, and everything in twos is trouble!
In closing, no matter how many comrades you run your book past DO NOT, under any circumstances, throw it into the trenches to be blasted by reviewers before a copyeditor has prepared you for battle.
Enter to win the SPELLBOUND SWAG PACK (International)
Evil Eye Amulet and Bracelet: In Duplicity, Gray wears an evil eye pendant, also known as a nazar, to protect herself from a spell that’s causing havoc over the witches and warlocks in her coven. The evil eye (a Turkish amulet) is used for both luck and protection against envy.
Two Headed Quarter: Two Grays are better than none and two heads are better than one, especially when flipping over who gets to choose which movie to watch with a trick coin. Adrian returns in Duplicity and opens a magic shop.
Entangled bookmark
Ends June 8, 2012.
Don’t miss the Cover Reveal of book three, Enchantment, at designer Najla Qamber’s review site: Unputdownable Books on June 7th.
http://unputdownablebookies.blogspot.com/
Fun Extras:
Grab Your Copy of Entangled:
(Entangled is available for ebook at amazon. It will return to Barnes & Noble and Smashwords once KDP select ends July 15, 2012.)
Grab Your Copy of Duplicity:
Amazon (U.S.) | Barnes & Noble
About:
Nikki Jefford is a third generation Alaskan who found paradise in the not-so-tropical San Juan Islands where she is, once more, neighbors with Canada. She has a B.A. in journalism from the University of Alaska Anchorage and was a reporter before returning to her first love: fiction.
After a whirlwind romance in France, Nikki married Sébastien in March 2000. They reside with Cosmo the wonder Westie.
Find her at:
