We’re building an ebook together and it’s time now for Step 4 – Edit and Revise Your Content. Hopefully your writing has gone well and you’re ready now to go back through it all and make some edits.

EDIT & REVISE

While you’ll edit differently for a personal, family ebook than you would for a brand or business, your basic method will be the same.

There is no standard time in the writing process to edit. Some writers edit after each chapter or block of text and others wait until all of it is written. My personal approach is a hybrid of those two. I like to edit the first few chapters or articles right after I write them. This allows me to check and see if I’m writing in the right tone for my intended audience (your family or potential customers). 

Then, after I’m feeling confident that I’m on the right track, I write more content before editing again. You’ll soon find your own method that will meet your needs and keep a good writing flow going.

Editing for Family Stories
Gathering and writing family stories is not the same as writing content for a brand or business. You are writing stories that will be read for years and years to come and cherished because you took the time to write them. They should sound very much like you are telling them orally to your family. For that reason, your editing will vary a bit.

• Print out your text if possible or read from your screen. Slowly read through it and look for obvious errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Pay attention to consistency in names, places, and details. Mark your errors on paper to change later or just edit on the fly on your computer. One disclaimer here – If your story is about Great Aunt Betty who spoke in a very unique, colorful way, please make it sound just like her and don’t change a thing!
• Next, read your book aloud or use a text-to-speech tool to see if your stories have the right flow. This is my favorite step in editing because it either confirms to me that I have written it well or reveals some tweaks to make it better.

Editing for brands and businesses

These first 2 are mostly the same as for family stories. But I’ve added a third step that is necessary when writing for brands.

• Print out your text if possible or read from your screen. Slowly read through it and look for obvious errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Pay attention to consistency in names, places, and details. Mark your errors on paper to change later or just edit on the fly on your computer. 
• Read your book aloud or use a text-to-speech tool to see if your stories have the right flow. This is my favorite way to edit because it either confirms to me that I have written it well or reveals some tweaks to make it better.
• Verify all factual information, including dates, historical events, and scientific data. Ensure accuracy to maintain credibility with your readers.

My Own Editing

I have lots more writing to do for my ebook, but I have already done some editing. I’m using the hybrid method I wrote about earlier. I’m paying close attention to my “voice” because I want to connect with the reader and use my words to stir their memories. I tried to do this the first time I wrote this content for weekly emails, so I’m hoping that I nailed it the first time around. But if not, this will be a chance to tweak and improve it a bit.

In my next post, I’ll tell you about Step 5 where you’re going to work on the layout and design of your book. Let’s go!

Until next time,

Are you finding this step-by-step overview helpful? If you have any questions, please contact me at rebecca@roseandbird.com. I would love to hear from you and find out how I can be more helpful.

Until next time,

You can follow this process right here on my site or in my social feeds:

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