I never thought this would turn into a how-to blog, but it does seem to be going that way - fingers tugging the mind! But if you promise to keep me on my toes, I promise to limit the how-to parts to just a few.
Most think that authoring a book is about writing it. That's only half the job. The rest of it is in the editing, designing, publishing, distributing, promoting, etc. And its quite an overwhelming world out there. And to bring clarity, it is important to discuss the most important of these first - the editor.
The first partner I searched for was an editor. A good editor serves the role of a partner to the book who not only knows the language the book is written in, but also understands the subject. For business books, if the editor is an avid reader of books, blogs and journals on the subject it adds even more value to the editing. The more the editor represents the prespective of the subject the better the editing.
In the case of Decoding Communications the reader is a typical communicator. A CEO-spokesperson, an agency professional, or a student. So I naturally needed an editor of all three profiles rolled in one. After several unsuccessful attempts, in 2011 beginning, I zeroed in on one. One who fit the profile quite well, and also did a good job of it. He was a little slow for an impatient me - but that was more because he was an editor-by-moonlight, than because of lack of will. But what he churned out was good, so I trudged along.
Chapter one was fairly swift, and the second came at the speed he promised. But as we went on to Chapter Three the flow became painfully slow. By Chapter 4, I had had several meetings with him urging him to speeden things up. But the exact opposite happened. He finshed fourth chapter and became totally incommunicado. Vamoosed!
Stuck mid-way.
You get comfortable with one style of editing, and as an author it is quite a challenge to adjust to a different style. So, having just 25% of your book edited, is like not having started at all. To maintain the style, structure and flow, you have to get the entire book edited all over again with the new editor. In editing, its all or nothing.
I started my search for an editor in the genre of my book again. I was looking for people who could edit communications, marketing or even general business as a last resort. No luck for 6 months - though I met a few, none passed my test of editing Chapter 1.
Then finally, I sent out one more last sms to an old friend, asking her to recommend an editor to me. She smsed back, "Ahem... Me? :-) ". That's how Pritsikha Anil became the editor of Decoding Communications.
Chapter check over, she went about the book's editing with energy and enthusiasm that completely rejuvenated me (and the book as well). Chapters going back-and-forth, ideas being discussed, and cuts and tucks adding to the final flavour of the book. And the final outcome gave me complete satisfaction as an author.
The book, Decoding Communications, is about thoughts and ideas. The editor is one such important idea stimulant for the book. Once you find a good editor, most of your post-production is automatically taken care of. If anyone is using this blog as steps to take for their own book, I would only suggest this - 'Choose your editor with the greatest care. Rest will take care of itself.'
Most think that authoring a book is about writing it. That's only half the job. The rest of it is in the editing, designing, publishing, distributing, promoting, etc. And its quite an overwhelming world out there. And to bring clarity, it is important to discuss the most important of these first - the editor.
The first partner I searched for was an editor. A good editor serves the role of a partner to the book who not only knows the language the book is written in, but also understands the subject. For business books, if the editor is an avid reader of books, blogs and journals on the subject it adds even more value to the editing. The more the editor represents the prespective of the subject the better the editing.
In the case of Decoding Communications the reader is a typical communicator. A CEO-spokesperson, an agency professional, or a student. So I naturally needed an editor of all three profiles rolled in one. After several unsuccessful attempts, in 2011 beginning, I zeroed in on one. One who fit the profile quite well, and also did a good job of it. He was a little slow for an impatient me - but that was more because he was an editor-by-moonlight, than because of lack of will. But what he churned out was good, so I trudged along.
Chapter one was fairly swift, and the second came at the speed he promised. But as we went on to Chapter Three the flow became painfully slow. By Chapter 4, I had had several meetings with him urging him to speeden things up. But the exact opposite happened. He finshed fourth chapter and became totally incommunicado. Vamoosed!
Stuck mid-way.
You get comfortable with one style of editing, and as an author it is quite a challenge to adjust to a different style. So, having just 25% of your book edited, is like not having started at all. To maintain the style, structure and flow, you have to get the entire book edited all over again with the new editor. In editing, its all or nothing.
I started my search for an editor in the genre of my book again. I was looking for people who could edit communications, marketing or even general business as a last resort. No luck for 6 months - though I met a few, none passed my test of editing Chapter 1.
Then finally, I sent out one more last sms to an old friend, asking her to recommend an editor to me. She smsed back, "Ahem... Me? :-) ". That's how Pritsikha Anil became the editor of Decoding Communications.
Chapter check over, she went about the book's editing with energy and enthusiasm that completely rejuvenated me (and the book as well). Chapters going back-and-forth, ideas being discussed, and cuts and tucks adding to the final flavour of the book. And the final outcome gave me complete satisfaction as an author.
The book, Decoding Communications, is about thoughts and ideas. The editor is one such important idea stimulant for the book. Once you find a good editor, most of your post-production is automatically taken care of. If anyone is using this blog as steps to take for their own book, I would only suggest this - 'Choose your editor with the greatest care. Rest will take care of itself.'
As an author, the editor is your first litmus test, and for a reader, it probably is the title... the title of your book intrigued me to follow your blog... And im looking forward to decoding communication in June 2012... :)... Good luck Chandra (when am i ever going to start calling you Mouli?? Never , i guess... :)
ReplyDeleteAn autographed copy please...:) ALL THE VERY VERY BEST TO YOU....
Hi Shaily,
ReplyDeleteThanks a heap for the follow. The reviews of the book are very encouraging and I am eagerly looking forward to signing a few copies.
Will send you a copy, and you can pick up a copy for your library as well.
Mouli (or chandra!)