If you're self-publishing, you need to have your work edited. Hindi pwedeng ikaw lang ang gagawa. Bakit? Kasi kahit magaling na editor, hindi alam lahat ng rules (we consult style guides and Google a LOT). If you thought of this too much as writer, you'll never get anything done.
Types of editing you can get:
1. DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING/SUBSTANCE EDITING
Sa traditional publishing, ito ang role ng editor. Ito yung editor na babasahin yung kuwento mo at magko-comment tungkol sa SUBSTANCE NG STORY. Maganda ba ang pace? Ang pag-develop ng characters? Do events flow logically or follow a good progression? Sa ganitong editing, maaaring makakuha ang author ng note from the editor to revise certain scenes or add more chapters. Then copy editing and proofreading starts, when the story has been revised and approved na.
Medyo mahirap makahanap ng ganitong editor kasi konti lang ang may experience sa developmental editing (at mahal sila, dahil worth it naman ang expertise). Kung maghahanap ka ng developmental editor, hanapin mo yung may experience, at tignan mo yung books na ginawa na niya, kung gusto mo yung kinalabasan.
Ito malamang ang dahilan kung bakit may mga manuscript na nire-reject ng trad publisher. If you have events in your story that don't make sense, and the editor decides that it'll take too much time to revise, the publisher might just say no.
I work with this kind of editor at my publisher, and marami akong natutunan talaga. Kapag ganito ang editor mo, mapapansin mo na lang that with each book, kumokonti ang revisions. Sana ay ibig sabihin noon ay you're improving as an author haha. (I thought so at least.)
Kung gusto mong maging developmental editor, read up on books of the same genre, read reviews to know what readers react to, and practice. :)
2. COPY EDITING
Madalas ang copy editor ay hindi na magpapa-revise ng mga events at chapters sa story, pero trabaho pa rin niyang mag-FACT CHECK.
Pwede mo bang gamitin yung brand name na yan? Tama ba yung lyrics ng song na ni-quote mo, at may permission ka bang gamitin yon? Posible bang mangyari ang event na ito sa lugar na iyon?
Minsan kailangan mag-revise ng author kasi hindi pumasa sa fact-check yung scene.
Kasama na rin dito ang usual na grammar at spelling.
3. PROOFREADING
Usually grammar at spelling lang ang chine-check dito. Many editors start out as proofreaders, so if you get someone to proofread lang, don't expect the kind of expertise that the first two kinds of editors usually have. Also, minsan, kahit experienced editor siya, at proofreading lang ang hiningi mo, eh di proofreading lang ang gagawin niya.
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As a self-publisher, you are responsible for the quality of your book, so even the editing has to go through you. Pero hindi dapat ikaw yung gagawa. Still, it's your decision kung susundin mo ang recommendations ng editor mo. I personally don't follow ALL of my editor's choices when it comes to story revisions, but I do that knowing that I am taking a risk.
The problem with editing Wattpad stories is that the "first draft" was already seen by many people, na in traditional publishing ay hindi nangyayari. Tuloy ang developmental editor nagkaka-bagong problema: paano kung yung gusto niyang ipa-revise ay isang scene na gusto ng mga readers ng kuwento? Do you keep the scene even if it doesn't help the novel? Do you recommend a different ending if happy na ang readers with the ending?
Dito papasok ang kung ano ba ang goals mo as self-publisher:
Do you just want a print "souvenir" of your story for your readers? If yes, then don't change too much of what they love. Ang consequence nito is you might not improve or grow so much as an author, kasi you won't hear from experienced people what you need to hear to make the book better. (I suggest though kahit ito yung goal mo, magpa-FACT CHECK ka pa rin, because it affects your credibility as a writer when you get your facts wrong in a book.)
Do you want to publish your story because you want this to be the start of a career as a novelist? If yes, then be a novelist. Learn how to write novels. Work with editors who edit novels. And adapt your story as needed to be a GOOD NOVEL, and not just a "story that was popular on Wattpad." You might gain an audience outside of your usual readers, pero baka hindi kasing gusto ng readers mo ang version na ito, for sentimental reasons. But this is a risk that you take in the hopes of improving as a writer.
BINABASA MO ANG
Publishing and Self-publishing: Advice for Writers
Non-Fiction[FILIPINO/ENGLISH] Advice for writers based on my experience self-publishing (more than 20 novels as of now) and traditional publishing (more than 10 novels with a traditional publisher, and consulting for other fellow authors). Read and learn, but...
