Is There A Book Doctor In The House?

I once heard this story from an author about how they sat down and wrote something that they thought was amazing. It was funny, smart, had a cohesive narrative, and best of all, it was very imaginative. He took it to his mother, expecting to be praised lavishly and told that his future as a writer was certain. His mother read it, turned to her son and said, “You know, I don’t think this is a good example of your talent.” Her son didn’t write for another decade, until he did and became a famous author. Anyway, what the point of this cute story, apart from fulfilling every teenager’s philosophy that parents don’t know anything?

Well, on the road to being a writer there are many people involved, and it’s hard to know who you need, don’t need, or can get away with not having on this journey to publishing. Here is a handy guide:

Mother

Or person that claims to love you unconditionally. This figure needs to, and usually does, give you nothing but support and affirmation. They are the reason why American Idol was able to milk those audition episodes for about 117 seasons. They love your book? Well, that’s nice, but time to test your writing with some more discerning eyes.

Beta Readers

These are your friends and family who like you so much that they want to help you in any way they can. Or, they are simply hoping you make it big and get to see their names in the acknowledgements. If they tell you “it’s great,” thank them and move on quickly. You need someone to tell you the ways you can make your work better, the elements that don’t work, the things you need to cut on or expand, as well as the encouragement that will help you keep going.

A Book Doctor

This is the person you can hire in the infancy stage of your book (usually before too many words are written down) to help you bounce ideas around. The book doctor can help with plot, structure, voice, and all around general advice as you decide what your story is and how you want to write it. This role is usually reserved for authors who are writing under a deadline, or people who have a platform and are trying to figure out how they can translate their experience and expertise into a book. If you have already put your words on a page and written your book, you can happily skip this step.

The Editor

There is an abundance of talented and experienced freelance editors out there who are ready to take your book to the next level. They can provide developmental edits as well as line editing. Developmental edits are most useful if you’re worried about structure, voice, and other foundational issues. There is no point doing a line-by-line edit if you’re just going to cut, rewrite and reorganize a significant portion of the manuscript anyway. If you think the basics are good and you just need a hand with the prose, that’s where a line edit comes in. They can help elevate your words on a sentence level, making sure you get your meaning across, have as much of an impact on readers, and most importantly, help strengthen your voice (not theirs).

Copy Editor

The line editor is going to fix grammar along the way in a line edit, but they have other things they’re looking out for. So if you are wanting to self publish, or submit the cleanest possible manuscript to agents, then a copy editor might be someone give your money to. They are the ones who will get into the nitty-gritty of the language, look out for any inaccuracies, and most importantly, clean up the language and make sure you sound super smart.

The Bottom Line

It can often feel a little confusing or somewhat overwhelming to think about what you need before you publish. Just remember, criticism is a good thing, and by being honest with what you think your book needs and deserves, you can ensure the people around you will help your book be the best it possibly can. Just watch out for those Yes-(wo)men.