Join me in welcoming author and blogger Karin Beery as she shares her insight into editing your own novel.

The world changed in 2020. With weeks and months of time spent at home, people were forced to find ways to occupy themselves, and I’m convinced that anyone who’d ever said, “I’m going to write a book someday,” finally did. That was good and bad news for publishers, readers, and freelance editors.

Good news—lots of submissions, possibly including the next big hit!

Bad news—lots of submissions, often including raw drafts.

Raw drafts are manuscripts so unpolished that it would take multiple rounds of editing to make the stories shine. Publishers aren’t interested in them, so they immediately send rejections. Readers won’t finish them or, if they do, will leave bad reviews. Freelance editors should be able to fill their calendars with them, but the amount of work needed to fix a raw draft can cost thousands of dollars that most authors don’t have.

My goal as a freelance editor has always been to help authors produce better books, but that’s hard to do when a manuscript needs more work than an author can afford.

That’s why I wrote How to Edit Your Novel: Practical Tips for Strengthening Your Story.

As an author, I know how expensive it is to hire editors. I taught myself as much as I can by reading books, taking classes, and attending conferences. But even when I believed I knew the difference between showing and telling, editors would reject my story because there was too much telling. After studying fiction writing for years and still finding mistakes in my own manuscripts, I know the frustration and disconnect that happens.

Having worked as a freelance and acquisitions editor, I also know what kinds of raw manuscripts authors are submitting. They have fascinating ideas, but their stories lack the most fundamental elements that engage the reader and keep them turning pages—relatable characters, engaging plots, and strong fiction-writing techniques.

Having received an unbelievable amount of raw manuscripts in the past few years, I’ve transitioned many of my clients from editing to coaching services because their stories weren’t ready for editing. Instead of overwhelming them with the unexpected number of comments and edits needed to fix a raw manuscript, we talk one on one about their weak fundamental elements and how they can strengthen them.

The response has been phenomenal.

Instead of frustrated, dazed authors who don’t know how to process the massive amount of work in front of them, the authors are excited and re-energized by the idea of re-working their stories into books readers will love.

As an editor, I have a finite number of hours each day to help authors. With How to Edit Your Novel, that number is infinite.

I can’t (and won’t) promise that the advice in this book will guarantee a contract or amazing reviews, but I do guarantee that learning and applying the strategies in How to Edit Your Novel will help you produce a stronger, cleaner manuscript.

About Karin:

Author of hopeful fiction with a healthy dose of romance, Karin Beery also owns Write Now Editing, helping authors turn good manuscripts into great books. She lives in northern Michigan with her husband and pets. When she’s not writing, editing, or teaching, she and her husband drink too much (decaf) coffee, put up their Christmas tree the first weekend in November, and do their best to live every day for the Lord. How to Edit Your Novel is a 2024 Selah Award Finalist.