Authorship Made Easy (IEB) – Page 10

STEP THREE: Let go of perfection. Don’t edit or revise too much as you go along.

Some authors feel that everything should be absolutely perfect before it can be submitted. This is absolutely not the case.

• Every Cognella text will go through copyediting by a professional copyeditor prior to the publication of the version of your book that will be nationally released. The role of the copyeditor is to catch and correct every spelling, mechanical, syntactical, and grammatical error in the materials. The copyeditor will also make sure everything aligns with the style guideline that’s been selected for your ebook (Chicago Manual of Style, APA, etc.).

• Trust your copyeditor to do great work regarding your project—they are professionals. If you must, you can give your submission—whether it be a chapter or a full manuscript—one quick polish. Anything else will take time away from continuing to develop content. Focus on your content. Once the ebook is done, let the copyeditor take care of the final polishing. You will have the chance to review and approve all of the copyeditor’s suggestions.  It’s important to remember that your copyeditor will not be an expert in your content area, so their work will focus on grammar, mechanics, and style guidelines for things such as citations.

• Some authors spend so much time polishing one chapter that they don’t move ahead with the next! Unless you are making major content changes, save rewriting and revising until late in the process. Even small edits can be a waste of time if that particular sentence or paragraph is cut when you finalize your materials.

STEP FOUR: Decide what you want your project editor to look for and share the information.

What should you consider when you submit materials? Your primary concern, and that of your project editor, will be the quality and clarity of the content. Express your concerns and your enthusiasms:

• Are you worried about the clarity of a paragraph, chapter, or section?

• Do you feel like something might be missing?

• Are you really excited about something?

• Is there something you want to add or remove from the ebook?

• Do you need advice about where to put something in the ebook?

• Do you need support developing an interactive component or exercise?

Let your project editor know. Your project editor is your second pair of eyes.

There are some other important things to keep in mind when you submit any material to your project editor:

• Your project editor is a publishing expert, but not an expert in your academic discipline.

• Your project editor is not offering corrections. Your project editor is asking questions and offering suggestions.

• Your project editor will not fuss about where you put a comma or copyedit your work for spelling and grammar. Your project editor will provide resources to help you generate content.

• Your project editor will read from the perspective of a student, which can give you invaluable feedback about the clarity and comprehensibility of that content.

• Your project editor can help you navigate every aspect of publishing your ebook, from punctuation to continuity between ideas to organization. Your project editor cannot address specific content-related issues.

• Your project editor will request peer review, if you would like to have your content read by an expert in your content area prior to publication.