Sherry_Wong
·
Feb 07, 2023
The China China trilogy has taken me 16 years to finish. During this time, the manuscript has gone through friends, critique groups, copy editors, manuscript evaluators, and finally, a developmental editor/mentor. I have done all I could. However, if I hadn’t sold the books yet, there must be rooms for improvement. For this reason, I hired Elizabeth to be a beta reader last summer. Based on her feedback, I decided to hire her as a developmental editor for Book II and III. I find she is competent, insightful, thorough, and sensitive. She not only pointed out the flows but also provided ways to improve it. Also, she has never forgotten to point out the merits.
During this time, two publishers approached me for my first book. So, I didn’t have to spend money on the first book's developmental editing, right? Even if there is room to improve, the editor at the publishing house will do the job.
However, I had one issue with the last chapter of Book I. Also, how do I know if the editor at the publishing house will be as good as Elizabeth? When I found I still had time to do another round of editing, I decided to hire her again, while wondering if I had spent too much money.
What a humble experience when I received her feedback!
Put it this way, I have never regret it. I have accepted 99% of her feedback and am able to bring Book I to a whole new level, just as the other two books.
Thank you, Elizabeth!
for
Developmental editing - The House Filler