FTP Sign-in Home / Indie Publishing / Let’s Get Started / Editorial LET’S GET STARTED Editorial Achieving acceptable levels of quality and accuracy is harder than it first seems. There's a lot to think about, you get distracted and one pair of eyes is not enough SFEP SOCIETY FOR EDITORS AND PROOFREADERS A well edited book shows your readers that you care. It is a critical part of the publishing process. The indie publishing industry has been recast, reshaped and recreated, re-sculpted by publishers and authors themselves who recognise the importance of quality for their readers. As the market has flourished we have seen the creation of campaigns such as Ethical Author – an author programme facilitated by the Alliance of Independent Authors, whereby authors are encouraged to recognise the importance of having courtesy for their readers. It is clear that this sector of the publishing industry has seen major changes, not only in quality but also in attitude. Do I need an editor? Only you, as the publisher of the manuscript, will know exactly what you need. Editorial isn’t our expertise but we have professional editorial contacts that we can put you in touch with, so please contact us if you would like more information. See below for the three major steps of the editing process 1) Structural/Developmental Editing This is foundational editing, looking at the narrative including tempo and characters, and the consistency of the story. This is sorting out the fundamentals of the manuscript. 2) Copy Editing When copy editing, an editor will check the use of the words in the line to make sure that the construction of sentences is correct, phrasing is clear and there are no glaring narrative errors. 3) Proofreading Proofreading will check basic grammar, punctuation and spelling, fine combing every word so that your manuscript is as error free as possible. Sometimes typesetting services will also offer proofreading. For a handy guide about tidying up your word document for editing or proofreading, check out The Author’s Proofreading Companion from Louise Harnby. Popson Street, Bungay, Suffolk, NR35 1ED CONTACT 01986 893211 sales@clays.co.uk LINKS Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Modern Slavery Act FOLLOW US © 2021 Clays Ltd. Registered in England & Wales No. 342498 Registered office: Popson Street, Bungay, Suffolk, NR35 1ED