#Book Editing

Some common mistakes I see while editing! If you've made some of these errors, don't fret—that's what us editors are here for! 😊 . . #freelanceeditor #copyediting #copyeditingservice #proofreadingservice #bookeditor #bookediting #proofreader #bookeditingservices #indieauthorsofinstagram #fantasybookeditor #fantasybooks #lineediting #bookstagram #fantasyauthor #indieauthor

don’t do this!! 🚨✋ the biggest mistake I see writers make with editing? STARTING WITH LINE EDITS. 😭 so many times, I see writers finish their draft and immediately jump to fixing typos, polishing sentences, and tweaking dialogue. ✍️ but the truth is: if you’re fixing sentences before addressing big picture issues, you’re wasting time! ⏳ the order in which you revise your book matters! here’s the editing order I suggest👇 1️⃣ - developmental edits (plot/character) you’re fixing: 📌 major story structure issues 📌 character arcs 📌 plot holes 2️⃣ - structural edits (pacing/scene level) you’re fixing: 📌 chapter order 📌 scene flow 📌 emotional beats 3️⃣ - line edits (sentence level) you’re fixing: 📌 prose 📌 dialogue 📌 grammar 📌 punctuation when you revise outside of this order, you run the risk of wasting time editing full scenes/chapters that may not even make it into the final draft. 🚮 make sure everything serves the story FIRST; then you can comb through and fix all the smaller details. 🔍 i created a free revisions checklist to help you tackle one layer of edits at a time! comment REVISE, and i’ll send it over! 💌✨

Self-editing your fantasy novel can be scary… But it doesn’t have to be✨🧚🏼 Pause to screenshot OR… 💫Comment READY and I’ll send you my free self-edit checklist so you can revise with purpose 🫶🏼Send to a writer friend before you go—they’ll thank you later 🧚🏼And make sure you follow @ladner.editorial for more writing advice, editing tips, and overall Manuscript Magic™ #fantasyauthor #bookeditor #writingtips #writersofig #writingcommunity

EDIT YOUR BOOK. PLEASE!! Beta readers, critique partners, friends, editors, whomever!! Someone else needs to look at your book before you publish it! ✍️📚 #authortokfyp #author #authortok #authorsoftiktok #publishingabook #bookish #bookedit #editing #writershelpingwriters #authorshelpingauthors #firstdraft #writertips #betareaders #critiquepartner

#writingabook #writing #booktok #teenwriter #howtowriteabook

2 rewrites, 8 rounds of edits, and almost 4 years later, we’re on the absolute final round of editing my YA fantasy at last!!! #celinesbooks #bookstagram #writer #writertok

Writing a book starts off as magic. You’re in love, flying through that first draft, high on vibes and potential. And then suddenly… it’s draft seven. You’ve rewritten the same sentence twenty times, your laptop is one sigh away from being launched out a window, and your brain feels like a microwaved 🥔 Now I’m in the query trenches and genuinely considering flipping my desk, my laptop, and maybe even my soul. Do I want to give up? Yes. Will I? I don’t know. But I do know I’m not alone. So if you’re right there with me — deep in revisions, burned out, questioning everything — this is your sign: Let’s just keep going! Together? One word at a time? Even when it sucks? We got this (probably). #writingabook #aspiringauthor #WritingLife, #WriterProblems, #EditingStruggles, #QueryTrenches, #AmEditing, #AmQuerying, #WritingMotivation, #WritersOfInstagram, #IndieAuthorLife, #BookTokWriters, #WritersOnTikTok, #WritingJourney, #QueryingWriters, #WritingCommunity, #WriterSupport, #FirstDraftEnergy, #SeventhDraftStruggles, #WritersBlock, #AuthorLife writing a book, first draft, book editing, writer emotions, seventh draft chaos, query trenches, querying agents, am editing, am querying, writing struggles, author journey, indie author, book writing, writer motivation, creative process, writing burnout, how to stay motivated, writer inspiration, book publishing process

Which phase do you prefer? Drafting or editing? I thought the love for drafting was universal (in the writer universe obvi) but it would seem some of you actually prefer...and.... enjoy??.....editing.......?!?!?! My brain: 🤯🤯🤯 I just ordered seven drafts and refuse to be done so I could have physical copies to mark up, do you have a fave editing book? Rec? Blog? YT? Etc?? Lmk 💜💜 Xoxo Rain 🌧️

Okay, I'm going to say something controversial: If you're drafting a novel or memoir in Word or Google Docs, you're making your life harder than it needs to be. I'm not saying those are bad tools. But they're not BUILT for writers. They're built for... well, documents. Scrivener is different. It's built BY writers FOR writers. And once you switch, you literally can't go back. Here's why: ORGANIZATION THAT ACTUALLY WORKS: Everything lives in ONE PROJECT. Your chapters, research, character notes, outline—all accessible instantly. No hunting through 47 Google Docs folders. SNAPSHOTS & VERSIONS: Write a scene, want to try a different way? Take a snapshot. Rewrite. Hate it? One click back to the original. No more deleting things because you're afraid you won't get them back. COMPILE TO ANY FORMAT: One manuscript, infinite formats. Finish in Scrivener and click "Compile"—automatically formatted for Word, PDF, ebook, print. No manual reformatting. SPLIT SCREEN EDITING: Reference Chapter 2 while writing Chapter 8. Side-by-side view so you can check consistency and catch plot holes. Impossible in Word or Google Docs. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING: Scrivener THINKS like a writer. It understands that a manuscript is a complex project, not a document. Every feature is designed around how writers actually work: research → outlining → drafting → editing → submitting. You're not fighting the software. The software is working WITH you. Here's the thing: Most writers who switch to Scrivener say: "Why didn't I do this sooner?" Because once you have all your research in one place, your chapters organized, your scenes color-coded, your character notes instantly accessible... you can't imagine writing any other way. It's not just faster. It's CLEANER. Your whole process becomes smoother. And when your process is smooth, your WRITING is smoother. Ready to switch? ✨️Comment SWITCH and I'll send you my affiliate link. Scrivener has a free 30-day trial (no credit card required) so you can test it out. After 30 days, you'll wonder how you ever wrote in Word. Comment SWITCH and let's make your life easier 👇🏽 #scrivener #WritingTips #WritingCommunity

The breakdown⬇️ **This is NOT me giving advice! Every author’s budget and set of priorities is different. This is nothing more than my experience — bc this is the type of video I wish I would’ve seen before I published my book** **With this series, I pursued self-publishing from the beginning. If you’re traditionally publishing, you shouldn’t be paying a dime<3** 📘WRITING SOFTWARE: I use Word because it also doubles as my formatting software for paperbacks & hardcovers. The baseline price is $109 but look out for sales!! I was able to get lifetime access for just $30 📘EDITORS: I personally choose to pay for line/copy edits and proofreading (done by two completely different people, to get more sets of eyes on the manuscript). If I didn’t have such an amazingly talented beta reading team, I would also consider paying for developmental edits. 📘COVER DESIGN: This price can range from around $50 to literal thousands. Look around on IG, on the web, and don’t be hasty. The cover is so important! 📘MAP: *not necessary!* I personally always knew I wanted a map at the front of my book. If this isn’t your cup of tea, no worries. It’s not a necessity :) 📘ISBNs: This also isn’t completely necessary — while your book will need an ISBN, most companies (Amazön KDP, Ingram, etc) will provide you a free ISBN. But to have the number match across publishing platforms, you’ll have to purchase your own from Bowker 📘ATTICUS: This is how I format my ebooks. There are other platforms out there, but I like this one! (forgot to include) 📘COPYRIGHT: In the US, your work is copyrighted from the second you write it. However… max protection is good. This costs $65ish 💸 I hope this helps if you’re like my past self and want a sneak peek into publishing costs! I could’ve done this cheaper, and I could’ve done it more expensive. Don’t take as anything more than one person’s experience. Thanks for reading :) • • • #authorsofinstagram #selfpublishedauthor #indieauthorsunited #writerscommunity #fantasybooks #debutnovel #youngadultbook #amreadingfantasy

DRAFTING TIPS 👇 1) Plot and brainstorm ahead of time. I let the story simmer in the back of my mind for a few months, and then I took a month to plot. My main plotting resource for this book was Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. 2) Choose your overall word count goal. I chose 80,000 words so I could pace myself and the story. I plotted out the exact word count I should be on for each major plot beat (i.e., hit the Catalyst at 8,000 words, All Is Lost moment at 60,000 words, etc.). 3) Set a daily word count goal. For me, that was 3,000 words a day. But it’s important to make this a REASONABLE goal for YOU. The goal is to FINISH, not to sprint through the process. 4) Plan in buffer days every week. Plan in breaks! I could have (technically) reached my goal of 80,000 words in four weeks at the pace of 3,000 words a day. But I knew I would burn out quickly without breaks, so I planned in a couple break days each week to either rest or catch up. 5) Schedule your days around your writing goal. It’s one thing to say, “I’m going to write x amount of words every day for x amount of weeks.” It’s another thing to actually make it happen. When will you write each day? I broke up my daily writing sessions—an hour in the morning before work, an hour on my lunch break at work, and a couple hours in the evening. That way, I didn’t have to churn out 3,000 words in one sitting every day. 6) Commit to finishing. Whatever you do, don’t stop. Finish that book. It’s called a rough draft for a reason. ☺️ Polishing will come later, but you can’t polish something that isn’t there. 7) Pray! Commit your story to God, ask for His help while writing, thank Him for the gift of writing—making God part of my creative process has been such a source of joy. ☺️ If you’re a writer, what tips would you add? ——— If you’re new here, hello! I’m Kimberly, an aspiring Christian author of clean fantasy and sci-fi stories that celebrate eternal truth. If you’re interested in a low pressure bookstagram account that shares clean, wholesome, and fantastical stories, follow along!

As a developmental editor these are some of the common areas I see writer’s struggle with. 1. Showing and Telling: Over-Telling: Too much exposition can pull readers out of the story. Over-Showing: Conversely, overloading with detailed descriptions can slow the pace. By balancing showing and telling you help keep the story moving and the reader flipping the pages. 2. Vary Chapter Openings: Avoid Repetitive Beginnings: Starting multiple chapters with your MC waking up can become a bit boring (Don’t worry, I’ve done it too). Diversify Openings: Consider beginning chapters with dialogue, action, or introspection to maintain reader interest. 3. Narrative Distance: Too much separation can hinder reader connection with characters. However, overly intimate narration may leave characters overly emotional or self-centred. Again balance is key. Also note point of view will play a role in narrative distance. Comment EDITING and I’ll send you a workbook to make revisions a little easier.⬇️ 📕 Hi, I’m Victoria — a writer and developmental editor passionate about helping sensitive authors bring their dream novels to life. Currently crafting my debut novel, With You I Glow — a heartfelt rom-com following Elle’s journey through anxiety, love, and loss in Ireland. #IndieAuthors #BookEditing #WritingJourney #developmentalediting #writersofinstagram