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Blog by Tess – Why Editing of a Book is Necessary Part Two

Teresa (Tess) Riddle

This is part 2 of Why Editing of a Book is Necessary. Just as writing a book is time-consuming, so is editing.  I’m not one who likes to edit books, but the task must be done. Let’s continue the discussion.

What About Editing I Talked About Last Blog

  • Editing the first chapter of a book.
  • Editing Grammar.
  • Examples of Homophones.
  • Self-Check Grammar. (Exception to the rule when using a Bible program.)

In today’s blog, I’ll talk more about editing.

When editing chapter face pages

When my husband and I are writing each chapter of our books the preface that we follow is that the face page of each chapter (also known as chapter’s first page)) is always on the odd page.  The last page of the chapter ends on the even page.

Adding more pages

This is a tough one to follow. I sometimes find it frustrating when I must add more pages to a book because a publishing company wants a certain number of pages before they’ll publish the book.

We use KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) and they require seventy-nine pages for the print book if you want a spine (also called a ‘gutter’).  This is different that eBooks, but a print book needs a spine if you want people to find your book.

Sometimes you need to go in and add more pages by simply adding more content to each chapter.

For example, in the latest devotional book I’ve been working on, I was short a few pages. I went back and added more content and extra KJV Bible verses. Now my book has a total of eighty + pages.

More on the other side of this break.

T&R Independent Books brings you this blog post to keep you informed on the issues of today. Authors need to stay informed so that they can relate to their readers facts as well as entertain them with their imagination.c

It’s Your Business is a free video service to help authors learn how to set up their business. We provide free video training where you learn why you, as an author, are already a businessman or businesswoman. You also learn basics for structuring your business. Along with these videos is Learning to Write with the basics you need.

To discover how you can be the writer you want to be, write to us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will respond with a free copy of our Guide to Writing.

Check us out and get your career moving.

Now back to the article.

A second editing

My husband is in the process of doing the second editing of my book. He put it on KDP to make sure that it matches up with the criteria that KDP wants.

When he’s done editing, he’ll turn the book over to me so I can do another editing of the book. I’ll want to make sure I haven’t left anything out.

Editing the cover of the book

I love the picture that I chose for the book cover, but don’t like the white lettering background. I’m going to change the lettering to a brighter color, one that will grab peoples’ eyes when they take that first glance at my book.

I’m hoping to see my book in the publisher’s hand by the end of next week, but we’ll see what happens. I want the book published yesterday, but when writing a book, we don’t always get what we want.

 God expects us to put our best effort forward, whether it’s in writing a book, serving Him, or whatever. As a writer, we should always strive to do the best work that we can.    

Have a wonderful week.

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/Tessriddle.

Don’t forget to comment below. We are always interested in your opinions. And to make sure you get our blogs, simply check the box that says, Notify me of new posts via email.

Company information:

T&R Independent Bookstore is a division of T&R Independent Books founded in 2014 by R. Frederick and Tess Riddle. TR Ministry, aka Ministry Services, is both a charge and an exciting outreach to the Christian Community.

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Blog by Tess – Why Editing of a Book is Necessary

Teresa (Tess) Riddle

Just as writing a book is time-consuming, so is editing a book.  I’m not one who likes to edit books, but the task must be done.

Why is editing a book so important?

The first draft I do on a book is not usually my best. It’s usually off the cuff. I find that each time I edit a particular chapter, the better I can structure my sentences and paragraphs in a way that will keep my readers interested in the book.

Editing the First Chapter

That first chapter is important. We want to catch the interest of the reader within the first couple of pages of the first chapter. When I’m looking for books to read (library or at a bookstore. etc.) I often put the book I picked up back on the shelf because the writer didn’t catch my interest in the first few pages.

Editing Grammar

We must make sure that our grammar and spelling errors are cleaned up.  The English language has words (Homophones) that sound alike but are different in meaning or spelling.

Examples of Homophones

AcceptExcept  IEye ThereTheirThey’re
AffectEffect  MerryMarry ToTooTwo
AloudAllowed  PearPair Read Red
AreOutHour SeeSea Sell Cell
BearBare  SonSun    
BreakBrake  WeatherWhether    
BuyBybye WhichWitch    
CapitalCapitol  PrinciplePrincipal    
FlowerFlour  WonOne    
HereHear  WrightRight    

More on the other side of this break.

T&R Independent Books brings you this blog post to keep you informed on the issues of today. Authors need to stay informed so that they can relate to their readers facts as well as entertain them with their imagination.

It’s Your Business is a free video service to help authors learn how to set up their business. We provide free video training where you learn why you, as an author, are already a businessman or businesswoman. You also learn basics for structuring your business. Along with these videos is Learning to Write with the basics you need.

To discover how you can be the writer you want to be, write to us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will respond with a free copy of our Guide to Writing.

Check us out and get your career moving.

Now back to the article.

Self-Check Grammar

It’s important to self-check all grammar and spelling in the book we’re writing. Sometimes the program we’re using will skip over words or sentences.

Exception of Rule

Now the exception to the rule is this:  If you’re using a Bible program (King James Version, for example) to cut and paste verses into your document, you don’t need to edit it. In the case of the KJV you want to retain the language and the spelling for accuracy. 

Have a wonderful week.

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/Tessriddle.

Don’t forget to comment below. We are always interested in your opinions. And to make sure you get our blogs, simply check the box that says, Notify me of new posts via email.

Company information:

T&R Independent Bookstore is a division of T&R Independent Books founded in 2014 by R. Frederick and Tess Riddle. TR Ministry, aka Ministry Services, is both a charge and an exciting outreach to the Christian Community.