"If I had more time, I would've written you a shorter letter": The importance of editing!

My secrets & tips (P.S.: If you finished your first draft, congratulations! You have about a dozen more to go!)

“If I had more time, I would’ve written you a shorter letter.”-Blaise Pascal

That, in a nutshell, is the secret to a great book: Editing.

Editing is a mysterious, often misunderstood practice in writing and publishing. Many people think your editor edits. Or that a copyeditor edits. Or a proofreader edits. They do. But the ultimate editor — the one that will decide how good or bad a manuscript is — is you.

Nearly every single day of my life, I am approached by someone — online, via email, in person at a book event, even at the grocery store or dentist — who will gleefully tell me, “I finished my book!”

I will congratulate them first, because typing “THE END” is something too few ever achieve. They will then usually follow up with, “I’m ready for my book to be published!” I will gently ask if this is their first draft. Ninety-nine out a hundred times, the writer will respond, “Yes!”

“Congratulations!” I write or say. “You have at least a dozen more drafts to go.”

Writing is only the beginning. The even harder work comes with editing. And you must. You must edit, over and over and over again, sweating over words, sentences, paragraphs, chapters. I typically write a book (under contract) in four to six months; it takes me even longer to edit that book. If you write and think you are done, you are sorely mistaken.

How do I approach editing? VERY differently from many authors.