 So you've written the first draft of your non-fiction book. Congratulations! Getting to this point is no small feat. But now what? At this point, you have probably spent so much time thinking and writing that it's hard to have any perspective. You might be thinking: Is this even any good? How am I supposed to know? What do I do now? I can't even look at this book anymore much less start editing it. My brain hurts. HELP!!!! Here's my advice: Back off. The best thing that you can do for yourself and for your book at this point is to step away from it. Take a much-needed mental break for perspective and to recharge your batteries. But that doesn't mean that work on your book has to also take a break. While writing may feel like a solitary process, getting a book to the publication finish line is not. Right now is the time to (temporarily) place the book in an expert editor's hands. Below are the ways I keep up the momentum and move the book-writing process forward while you recharge. Assessing Your Manuscript For authors who want to know what their draft manuscript needs to be publication-ready, I offer an editorial assessment with a one-month turnaround. First, I ask you to fill out my Ultimate Book Planning Guide to give me a clear idea of your dreams and goals for the book. Then, I review the manuscript to identify areas of alignment and misalignment. I create a report that notes the areas for revision—structural, thematic, and writing—and provide practical, step-by-step advice on how to implement those revisions. The goal is that you will be able to address any structural, writing, and theme-related issues with the first draft on your own—after you take that well-deserved mental break, of course. But wait... What if you don't want to do the revisions on your own? What if you're at a point where you want an expert editor is to bring the manuscript home? I can help with that too. Finalizing Your Manuscript For authors who want to know what their draft manuscript needs to be publication-ready and want help in making the revisions, I assess the manuscript, create a revision plan, and work with you to implement it. As above, I ask you to fill out my Ultimate Book Planning Guide to understand what you are hoping to achieve with this book. I review the manuscript to identify areas of alignment and misalignment and I note the areas for revision. Then, I work with you to create a revision plan, dividing up the work according to both of our strengths. Usually, that means you work on content-related edits (you are the content expert, after all) and I take on the developmental, substantive, and Iine editing. The goal is that you will have a polished, final draft that reads beautifully, is structurally and thematically sound, and is ready for copy editing.
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