I would suggest as a first step you find a writers’ group. I don’t have personal experience with one, but they are a great way for aspiring writers to get feedback on their work. The group members can also be a good source of information regarding hiring editors, finding an agent, self-publishing, etc. You can find one by searching “Writers’ group near me” (or look for one that meets online if that’s preferable) or asking the staff at your local independent bookseller.
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OK, I will try that. Thanks!
I just watched a writers workshop broadcast and the instructor said everyone should have their work professionally edited. My understanding is that editing costs can vary greatly but I haven’t looked into yet as I’m not ready. Hopefully someone else has a better sense of that.
Have you considered publishing in your native language?
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Yes—hire an editor. Freelance editors charge by the hour—prices typically range from $30-50 per hour. I am a retired editor and worked in textbook publishing. Having a good editor is invaluable.
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Yes, I have plans to publish it in my language. I want to complete my series first and then I will translate. I tried Google translate and it did s pretty good job, since I have a better command of my language, I can correct it after google does the translation. It was very funny to see how my writing in English when translated by AI came across! It made my novel sound so different than what it is! It added too much spice to it! as it did literal translation! I could not read it! It made my novel look like M and B!
I understand. I had my first chapter reviewed by a professional sports writer who had editing experience. He gave me very valuable suggestions as well as much-needed encouragement that I had a style that can be improved further. I believe I have come a long way since Dec 2020, and that’s when I started writing.
Any idea if I want my 340-page novel edited, how much it might cost?
I took your suggestion and I have emailed my local writing group. Looks like they have a winter social coming up. It is scheduled in a local pub, planning to attend. Thanks!
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If I am unable to find an affordable editor. I am considering just using the paid version of Grammarly. My novel has too many run-on sentences.
It is so sad, my daughter is the chief editor of her school newspaper and does a pretty good job of editing. She writes beautifully. Since my novel has many chapters which have romance, I am feeling uncomfortable having my seventeen-year-old edit it.
I’ve just recently become aware of Substack. For those with more experience, would a presence on Substack be useful/worthy of time for an aspiring novel writer??? I believe there are a lot of free resources.
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LOL. My D is typically my first reader, even before my H, and she couldn’t read my last book. She got three chapters in and said she felt uncomfortable because she kept seeing me in the protagonist ; ). I have a friend who is a writer and an English teacher and I’m going to ask her if she would read it instead (not edit just give me some general feedback) when I’m ready. I’m still doing my own edits at this point.
I think anything writers can do to get their writing out there is helpful. Medium is also a great place to publish articles/stories of any kind. Starting a free blog, etc…it’s all good.
Something that has become more important in the last several years is a presence on social media. I mentioned Instagram in a previous post, but I should have included TikTok as well. There is a huge community known as BookTok that is very active and has helped elevate self-published novels to become bestsellers.
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This is, for me, the main drawback of putting my writing ‘out there’. I admire those who can write a revealing memoir or spicy fictional scenes. My tolerance for self-revelation is so low that in my book, I agonized over an admission that I like Burger King Chicken Fries…
I’m right there with you! The only pieces that I have written publicly were anonymously in a forum. I have four novels completed that are sitting on my hard drive. They feel like such a labor of love that I don’t want to put myself out there to be critiqued.
My current book, I believe, is the best one so I’m trying to push myself to at least show it to a friend. If I’m being honest, I’m going to be devastated if she doesn’t like it. I’m on personal edit #4.
I tend to write travel based fiction that I would categorize as “vacation reads”. Something I would want to read when I’m trying to relax. I do have a memoire that I’ve written but that is more for my family after I’m gone, then for publication. I also have a second memoire going now about the transition to the empty nest.
I’m frankly terrified of the next step as I write for myself and the idea of self promotion/marketing is a big turn off. I would want someone else to do that part ; )
A writers house is starting in my town soon and I’ve participated in a number of online workshops and I think there will be benefit to in person meetings once they start. Maybe some day I’ll have the courage!
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Totally agree on the self-promotion aspect. My book was published by a traditional publishing house, but they are a small outfit that does little in the way of marketing - that’s pretty much left up to the author. I didn’t write my book in order to get rich (thankfully!) so I have only done what felt comfortable, which for me was limited to a book signing, reaching out to my local newspaper to pitch an article, and a few other outreach efforts that felt tolerable.
This being CC, I should mention that another avenue for aspiring authors is college programs that can give some great support and feedback. I checked into UCLA Extension’s offerings and they looked fabulous; the same for the creative writing certificate program at Simon Fraser in Canada. These are online but local colleges would be worth checking as well.
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It’s hard to say what the cost for editing your manuscript might be. Editing is very individualized and depends on your manuscipt (whether you need just a little editorial help or much more). The cost also depends on the experience of the editor. Since I retired, I’ve participated in a few writing workshops. (I’m interested in creative non-fiction.) I found a great organization with excellent instructors. The group is in Boston and it offers onlline and in-person resources. There’s a ten-month “novel generator” course that might be helpful for you. There are many other offerings as well. Here’s the link: https://grubstreet.org
If I were you, I’d definitely join a writing group. Getting fresh eyes to read your manuscript can only make it better. You might even find a group of writers who specialize in your particular genre.
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I hesitated a long time about posting in this thread! It’s very difficult for an introvert to put anything out there, especially something that means a lot and can be too revealing. I have had a couple of books in the works for a few years now but my writing has just stalled. I’m one of those who over edits (I always think there is a better way to say it than the way I’ve written it!) and my first readers/editors feel too uncomfortable to read what I’ve written to critique! My D (an excellent writer herself) is usually my very first reader but she feels daunted by the task. I think she too sees too much of me in the writing and feels awkward about it.
OP, I think that it is great that you’ve successfully written a book that you’re proud of and that you’re happy about the direction of the book. Writing in a second language is tough, and then too idiomatic English varies so much from region to region! It would be best to find a professional who will help edit your writing especially If you’re planning to market the book in the US as well as in India.
One of the best, lower cost resources would be to find editors from your local writing groups. The Writer’s organization in my area offers this service to members for a discounted fee. I’m not anywhere near that stage so haven’t personally made use of it yet.
A small success story about a friend of a friend. She had a publisher interested who wanted some small but significant changes made. She is a very good writer, runs a writers blog for children’s books and had finished the first level of editing through people in the publishing industry but she found this too difficult. She reached out to her friends (around the globe) and through them she found a small group of interested readers to give her book a fresh critique. It gave her the impetus she needed and she was able to turn the story in the direction that the publisher wanted. The book has been published and has had modest success.
Perhaps this is something that could help you as well. Good luck!
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I have a lot of experience in this world. First off, every writer needs a writing group and/or a professional editor before attempting to publish.
To be published traditionally, you need to have an agent (99% of the time). Check out Writer’s Digest for lots of good info: Get Published – Writer's Digest Shop
If you can’t get an agent (and this will probably be the case), consider self-publishing. If you go this route, be sure to have a professional cover designed and professional layout. Nothing hurts the self-pub market reputation than poorly designed, amateur-ish books.
You’ll need to do your own marketing as traditional pub houses don’t allocate any money to new writers or most writers not named James Patterson. One well-known author told me she spent $10,000 on her own for her first book for a publicist. It worked because she now is a best-selling author.
If you just want to have your book printed for yourself or family/friends, then you can use the self-pub tools. But don’t think you are going to make a living or even much money doing this. Writing is truly a labor of love for 95% of us.
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Just to add to this excellent advice…there are a couple of other options:
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There are smaller publishers that do accept queries directly from authors without agents. An example of this would be many university presses.
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Hybrid publishers fall somewhere between self-publishing and traditional publishers. One I know of is She Writes Press (not an endorsement, but I know someone who used them).
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My father has published several this way (Amazon).
Additionally, I believe Barnes and Noble do it, too, or at least they did a few years ago.
Wow, never heard of it. Will look into it.Thanks!