So you finished your book, but it doesn't end there (does it ever?).

Shh... It's okay. You aren't alone. Stop pulling your hair out and continue breathing... Steadily. Don't hyperventilate, please.

There goes an old saying... don't eat the entire elephant all at once -- chew it in bite-size chunks. Putting aside the fact that we probably shouldn't ever consider eating an elephant, the anecdote still stands. Don't force yourself to juggle too many things at once.

You may or may not have heard writers discussing their plans to query, or their pains in editing their novel, or planning their next novel. The important thing to realize is that there are, in fact, stages to writing. And whether you're super organized, or unorganized (lol, me), it's a good idea to know what the process looks like after you've finished your book. 

The first stage is ✨editing✨. Sounds simple, right? No. It's really not. Because there are multiple kinds of editing. And I'm talking about you editing your work. Not hiring an editor. In fact, let me answer that third question in the chapter title: there is absolutely no need to hire an editor for your manuscript before you send it to agents. It's costly, it is unnecessary, and your work is going to be changed a lot later if it gets into the hands of the publisher. It just is, and that's something you have to accept. >> Now, once you've secured an agent (which is you have, congrats x1000), you are not off the hook. You as the author are very much involved in the publishing process, and why wouldn't you want to be? It's your work, so anything that happens to it should be made known to you, no?

Let's get into the nitty gritty, shall we? Here are some of the types of editing (in the order in which you should do them, and also in the order publishers do them. Big brain 😉):

There's developmental editing, where you ignore conventions and specifically fix plot holes, character arcs, cohesiveness, and storyline. You should definitely do this before sending it to an agent. Making sure the story makes sense and flows from chapter to chapter is super important. It will make or break the book, and it will also make or break the deal with a potential agent. 

There's copy editing, which is the tedious application of grammar and syntax that looks at individual lines of text and corrects typos, conventions, punctuation, and all other small details. In this case, Grammarly and other AI programs can be helpful, but they simply cannot do the full job for you. Your voice is your voice, and grammar is not always followed in literature (that would be boring, no?). So relying on Grammarly can often mess up your meaning and take away nuances in your writing that you ought to keep.

There's line editing, which is more for comprehension and flow. Of course, with good grammar and conventions, your flow will improve. But language, clarity, and readability are all quite important. Going in and fixing wording, etc. will be beneficial to you when you query the book. Also, reading your story aloud is seriously so helpful. Hearing the words is surprisingly the best way to catch when something sounds weird. Do it. Trust me. It will save you.

While all of these steps are important, proofreading is often overlooked. You've probably already read your book 10 times now, and it's blurring together and boring and nothing seems right anymore or fun or interesting and you just want to throw the manuscript in the trash... (pls don't). But proofreading your work to make sure everything sits nicely is very important. This step can also be helped by beta readers, which is the subject of the next part of this chapter. 

Yay! You've edited your draft. Now what?

Let people ✨read your work✨. This might be obvious to you, or maybe you're pretty private about your work, and you just want to be a fly on the wall and live under a pen name. Honestly, all the power to you. But I have to emphasize that letting others read your work is a must. 

Send it to people you know and trust, or spend a little money to hire a professional beta reader (yes, they exist, and they're worth more to you at this stage than an outside editor!). I've personally used Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to find other readers and writers who are looking to provide feedback for free, too. You just need to know where to look. You're not on social media? That's fine... I have a great solution. (Those of you I've spoken with will roll your eyes because I practically praise this platform lol).

CritiqueMatch is literally a golden nugget of a site. (And it's free!!) Finding beta readers and critique partners on CritiqueMatch is like online dating, but instead of weird let-downs and meeting people for video chats, you're agreeing to befriend those with a similar background in writing (from complete novice to published author and everywhere in between) and with similar tastes in books as you. Also, everyone on the site is looking to improve, so their feedback is usually very helpful. You also get ratings on your critiques, which can leverage your reputation and increase your partnerships. It's all in all a great site and I always recommend it to those looking for fresh eyes on their work. Can't recommend more. 

Wattpad. Inkitt. Other sites where you can post for free, people can read for free, and you can find community. If you post your work on any online sites, you're getting eyes on your work. Joining Wattpad book clubs like Dreamland, hosted by Cross-Warrior (hoi!) and a bunch of lovely individuals who run the club, is also helpful since it's based on a give-and-take model that seeks to help authors improve their writing and get their books read.

If you're like me and you've just finished your first draft, and you can't fathom not sharing it with the world even though it's messy and incomplete and rough, hi 🤭. I think that's a great idea to share the rough and the ugly with people. It helps you improve, and you may also get inspired by people's comments, too. Drafting typically comes before editing, but not everyone writes multiple drafts, and not every story needs multiple drafts. The editing process usually occurs while others are reading your writing, because they will also catch little things that you might've overlooked. Hence my enthusiasm about beta readers and editing on your own ;)

Also, agents will be impressed if you have had your work read. Sensitivity readers are also super helpful for more difficult topics. It shows you're serious about your writing if you take the time to have outside eyes looking in before you submit it. 

If you have any questions about this chapter, feel free to ask them in the Q&A chapter following this section!