8 Steps to Editing Your Non-Fiction Book

Non-Fiction Book Editing Process

Once you’ve written your book, it’s time to tidy things up a bit! Use the following editing process to make your book the best it can be. Note that typos can and do slip through, so if a reader points one out to you, thank them.

Then, because you’re publishing this yourself, if you feel it’s worthwhile, correct it and upload a new version. Otherwise, keep in mind that as long as you have done the best you can, that’s all you can do.

Tip: The more fresh eyes you can get on your book the better, however, it’s important to relax, and know that there is NO SUCH THING AS PERFECT...and that includes writing, editing, and creating a book!

Also, note that this workflow assumes that you have already ensured your content is up to date and that any links you’ve included work as intended.

Step 1: Read your manuscript out loud

You’re looking for flow. Do certain phrases or word choices make you stumble or cause confusion? If so, rephrase them to make them clearer. Use tools such as Grammarly or ProWritingAid to aid in the process if needed.

Step 2: Correct grammatical mistakes

Non-fiction books are expected to be of high quality in terms of both appearance and readability. While you might be forgiven one or two typos, readers may be led to assume that the author is not professional if there are numerous grammatical errors in the book they are reading.

An example of a grammatical error:

“Its obvious that…” instead of “It’s obvious that…”

Tip: Contractions are a common grammatical mistake that people make...even pros who have been at this for many years!

Check out the following website to help you spot potential errors in your manuscript.

https://www.grammarbook.com/english_rules.asp

Step 3: Correct Syntax Errors

Syntax refers to the way words are put together. In other words, how sentences are structured.

If you follow the rules for proper syntax your sentences will be easy to understand and your reader will understand your message clearly.

Common syntax errors:

Missing subjects:

“Upon review, errors were found in the report.”

Correct:

“Upon review, the accountant found errors in the report.”

Vague references:

“When the band member finally spotted his fellow band member, he was relieved.” (who was relieved?)

Correct:

“The band member was relieved when he finally spotted his fellow band member.”

Step 4: Correct Punctuation Errors

Common punctuation errors:

Missing commas:

“In any event what I know can work in this instance is…”

Correct:

“In any event, what I know can work in this instance is…”

Unnecessary commas:

“There was no solution to be found, because we were missing the most important part.”

Correct:

“There was no solution to be found because we were missing the most important part.”

Step 5: Correct Capitalization Errors

General guidelines for capitalization:

• Proper nouns; people, organizations, and places
• People’s titles when included with their names
• Initials and acronyms
• Brands
• Government departments and institutions
• Holidays

Step 6: Correct Hyphenation Errors

Some examples of when to hyphenate:

• Multiple words that are grouped together as a single modifier to a noun (e.g. “This is a best-in-class category.”)
• Multiple words that refer to time and that modify a noun (e.g.“That thirty-year-old man is a great carpenter.”)
• Numerical fractions when spelled out (e.g.“One-quarter, two-thirds, etc.”)

Step 7: Eliminate Unnecessary Adjectives and Adverbs

In non-fiction, it’s best to minimize the use of adjectives and adverbs.

Want to know if your sentence needs either of these parts of speech? Remove them from the sentence. Does it change the meaning of your sentence? If so, keep it. If not, you can safely remove them.

Examples:

Adverb

“If you believe that you are being absolutely clear, but you fail to account for the reading level of your audience then you have failed to communicate your message.”

Better:

“If you believe that you are being clear, but you fail to account for the reading level of your audience then you have failed to communicate your message.”

Adjectives

“She had no meaningful prior experience starting a company.”

Better:

“She had no experience starting a company.”

Step 8: Proofread Your Manuscript

Now that you’ve gone through these steps, read through your manuscript to check for typos and inconsistencies such as two different spellings for the same topic.

You want to focus on the words themselves, not the meaning of those words to find typos and grammar (e.g. “their” when “they’re” was the correct choice, etc.).

Finally, there are good reasons why it's so helpful to have a structured process for your editing.

1. It helps with the feeling of overwhelm that you might experience when you look at your manuscript, and
2. If you're using an editor - which you should - you may have fewer corrections needed, and the editor's turn-around time could be expedited, which means you could get your book in the hands of readers sooner rather than later!

How do you edit your books?