Cover to Cover

What First-Time Authors Need to Know About Editing (Listen to This Book Before You Publish Your Book)

By: Sandra Wendel

Narrated by: Benjamin McLean

Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's Summary

“Irreverent.” “Funny.” “Essential.”

Listen to this book before you publish your book.

You just wrote your first book. And there you are. Stark naked. Vulnerable. Wondering what to do next to get your masterpiece published.

This is the one book you need to read and follow if you’re writing a book for the first time. Why? Because you’ve never written a book before. This is new territory.

To write a successful book, you need to find and work with an editor who shares your passion for your work and your message and who will help you make your book sing. And sing a smash hit. A blockbuster of a message, clearly and carefully constructed so readers love you and your work and leave you five-star Amazon reviews only because they don’t have more stars to give.

This is a toolkit for tinkering under the hood of your working manuscript so you, the author, can take your work as far as you can before an edit and production such as cover design and not dump a half-baked chocolate cake on some poor schlub of an editor to “fix”.

Don’t make first-time author mistakes. No matter what you think, you do need an edit. Not the English teacher next door. You can’t self-edit either. A professional editor knows how to navigate those thorny commas and can solve your organizational questions. An editor can guide you through the murky waters of modifiers and passive sentences, correct typos, and get your book manuscript polished and on its way to production.

Even if you slept through English class, never turned in book reports, and don’t know a thing about publishing the book of your dreams, your name is on the cover and you don’t want to be embarrassed. Turn your vulnerability into confidence with these insider secrets to publishing success when working with an editor.

No, this is not a grammar book (ick) or a guide to self-editing (can’t be done well). This is not a dry, boring book about usage or sentence structure.

Although the author, a veteran nonfiction editor, specializes in memoir, true crime, business/leadership, and self-help, her advice holds true for fiction writers as well.

Get your questions answered (and more):

• Why do I need an editor? How do I find an editor? What do editors do? And how much do they cost?
• What are the levels of edit? Developmental? Line edit? Copy edit? Proofreading? How do I know what level of editing my manuscript needs?
• Will an editor tell me if my manuscript sucks?
• Why do words make a difference? Which words do I overuse? Which words should I never use?
• How do I know when I’m done writing?
• How can I work with a cover designer and audiobook engineer?
• Can my local bookstore help me? Do I need beta readers?

BONUS: Checklist for Authors to Fine-Tune a Manuscript Before Editing Begins

BUY a copy today, because you need to know these insider secrets to work with an editor on your way to publishing success.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Sandra Wendel (P)2021 Sandra Wendel

A Great Partner for First-Time Authors

Many times first-time authors will sit on a manuscript because they are worried that someone will judge their work as lacking and rather than share their experience, they keep revising it themselves. In Cover-to-Cover, Sandra outlines the ins and outs of working with an editor and understanding how this partnership will allow the author to not only move forward but enjoy the satisfaction of having a book that they can be proud of. While it would be nice if all editors were ethical and provided only exactly what the author needed, that is not the case.

In the book, Sandra outlines a number of ways to not only work with editors but avoid bad ones. As Sun Tzu says, "Every battle is won and lost before it's ever fought." In this case, the battle to get the book done with an ethical and competent partner begins by asking the right questions and knowing what to watch out for. The first-time author will invariably make mistakes and it's clear that Sandra understands this niche group, their needs, and their expectations and helps guide them to a successful finish with a completed book finally in hand. The chapter I found most helpful was the price chapter, it wasn't as much how much the editor charges, but how they charge, is it by the project, page, or word?

The narration was clear and engaging demonstrating a command of the material as if it was their own and the type of passion in voice and diction that one would want from a project that has come at the end of months of work from years of experience. Overall, it allows a first-time author to become not only a capable student of the craft of writing but to know when to bring in the editor to help take the project home. Note: I received a free book and voluntarily chose to review it.

How to Edit - Get it…

With a keen interest in all things literary I’ve volunteered to edit a book being written by a close friend, her fourth, and obviously want to be of great help and service to her.

Well, we’ve been working together for a few months now and she has sang my praises that I’m exactly what she needs. I’m thrilled of course, but how would I know?

A week ago I came upon this book, Cover to Cover, and it seemed to be exactly what was looking for to reinforce and fine tune my approach to editing. I immediately bought the audio and Kindle versions and just finished it on Audible.

An absolute must read or listen to, as it clearly explains the small details of being an editor that have so much impact down the line. Like being a fresh set of eyes for the author and asking questions on items that are unclear and need more explanation, for example. And a ton more. Plus, the later chapters on the state of the art of publishing and doing it yourself were invaluable. I’m going to insist that my writer friend get this book as well and read so we can go forward on the same pages so to speak…

Great resource for writers.

Great information for writers. I think this would be very helpful to beginner and intermediate writers. But experienced writers might also pick up a few new tips.

The narrator did an excellent job, clear voice and easy to follow.