On average, out of 6,000 manuscripts sent to publishers, only one is published. Major publishing houses receive several thousand texts each year. These figures have skyrocketed since confinement, conducive to writing, going so far as to push Gallimard to ask authors to stop their submissions . How to stand out in this editorial ocean? If there is no magic recipe, having your text proofread is an essential step to give it every chance
On average, out of 6,000 manuscripts sent to publishers, only one is published. Major publishing houses receive several thousand texts each year. These figures have skyrocketed since confinement, conducive to writing, going so far as to push Gallimard to ask authors to stop their submissions . How to stand out in this editorial ocean? If there is no magic recipe, having your text proofread is an essential step to give it every chance.
After spending several months, even several years writing a book, it is very difficult to have the necessary perspective to reread it, correct it, and, above all, improve it. Because yes, a text is rarely (never?) perfect from the first draft!
This is why it is essential to have your text proofread before sending it to publishing houses. Reviewers can be beta readers who will give you feedback on your novel or essay. Proofreading can also be done by a professional writing, or even better, editing professional . Although this service requires an investment, it nevertheless provides you with a much more complete and qualitative return than an amateur reader could offer.
We invite you to learn more about professional proofreading services and behind the scenes of the Proofreading and Correction workshops offered by Édith & Nous.
WHY REQUEST A PROOFREADING OF YOUR MANUSCRIPT
A publishing professional will be able to provide you with an opinion that is both objective and informed on your text, which is not necessarily the case for those close to you or beta readers. Experienced in reading manuscripts, a professional knows exactly the themes already widely explored by writers and the narrative facilities found in many texts. By directing you to the elements to rework, he will be able to avoid these pitfalls and help you deepen the originality of your manuscript.
FOR AN IMPECCABLE MANUSCRIPT
Publishers receive a huge number of manuscripts, sometimes several dozen per day for certain houses. In this situation, it is easy to understand that the appearance of errors in the incipit, whether in substance or form, is prohibitive for the selection of the manuscript .
In terms of form, it is imperative that your text is impeccable in terms of spelling , syntax and grammar . If typographical errors (use of capital letters, punctuation, italics, etc.) can more easily be forgiven by editors, they are no less a hindrance to reading when they are repeated. A professional proofreader will track down these errors so that the reading of your manuscript is not burdened.
Basically, the fate of your manuscript will largely depend on your incipit : will it be kept aside for continued reading or refused? Your plot can be fascinating, the characters endearing, the ending unexpected: if the beginning of the novel is soft, banal or confusing, there is little chance that the editor will continue reading. Let's imagine that your book passes this stage: it's a very good start! But there are still many obstacles to overcome: is the style fluid? Are the characters developed enough? Are there any inconsistencies, slow passages, or irrelevant digressions? A professional proofreader will be able to show you all this, especially if he himself has been in the position of the editor who selects the text.
TO KNOW THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF YOUR MANUSCRIPT
A good proofreader will highlight the elements of your book that you need to strengthen and, possibly, the passages that need to be rewritten. But it will also help you become aware of the strengths of your text! This dimension is very important, because by realizing where the originality and strength of your book lie, you will be better able to perfect these elements. Secondly, these are the assets that you can highlight when approaching a publishing house.
EDITH & NOUS MANUSCRIPT CORRECTION AND PROOFREADING SERVICES
The Edith & Nous Proofreading workshop offers you the rereading of your manuscript bytrained and professional editor . This service includes a detailed annotation of your manuscript accompanied by a seven to eight page document that constitutes a complete literary analysis.
With objectivity and kindness, the proofreader guides the author in the rewriting. At the end of the analysis, a list of personalized rework areas highlights the elements to be reworked as a priority.
Annotating the manuscript allows the reviewer to make targeted comments, both on substance and on form. The author can thus easily identify inaccurate expressions or passages that merit rewriting and make the necessary corrections.
Literary analysis is a critical and complete review of the text. After an introduction which reviews the key points of the rereading, the title and the incipit, the proofreader provides, point by point, a detailed and constructive opinion on the plot, the structure of the narration, the genre, the characters, writing and style. Morgane Carmona , our editorial manager who is also one of the proofreaders and proofreaders, shares with us some advice she gives to authors during proofreading:
BEGINS
“From the first pages of the novel, you have to establish an atmosphere, an atmosphere from which the readership will not want to be detached. It can result in the appearance of a character, an action, the description of an important location in the plot, etc. However, descriptions that are too long can also, from the start, create a distance between the readership and what is being told. The latter must immediately feel imbued with the universe and involved, in the sense that he can be moved, touched because he will feel concerned. »
THE PLOT
“The plot must be new and surprise the reader, at least offer them a vision of a theme or subject to which they would never have had access elsewhere. Each twist must reach the characters to a greater or lesser extent so that they can advance in the plot and evolve just like the readership with them. The ending of the novel must, of course, be careful and thoughtful. Throughout the narration, certain doors can be opened without being closed and in this case the author gives free rein to the reader's imagination. However, be careful not to sow too many question marks, as this could frustrate the readership and negate any effect of mystery. »
LA STRUCTURE
“The structure of the narration can be destabilized by poorly managed temporality (confused flashbacks in relation to the present of the narration, for example), inconsistencies which can extract the readership from the novelistic illusion, a hazardous focus, which would not allow not for the readership to move fluidly through the narration... We must also avoid overly cyclical narration configurations which risk giving a boring impression of “déjà vu”. »
CHARACTERS
For the characters to appear to be made of flesh and blood, they need some rough edges. In other words, their psychology must be sufficiently advanced so that they act logically according to their personality, while being torn by the contradictions which may in particular emanate from their backstory or personal history. Physical descriptions can also be relevant for presenting characters, but they are not sufficient to explore all their facets: mannerisms, facial expressions, habits, faults can complete the picture. Each little seed sown by the author about his or her characters (this is also the case for the plot) is a key that the readership can use to make their own deductions and understand each twist (this is which we call the Show don't tell.
THE CORRECTION
The Correction workshop is a rereading of your book to remove any mistakes that may have crept in. The proofreader tracks errors related to: spelling, syntax, grammar, conjugation, punctuation and typography.
In short, the Correction workshop assures you of a text without smudges which will make your manuscript more pleasant to read and will be a guarantee of your professionalism in the eyes of editors.
THEY USED OUR CORRECTION AND PROOFREADING WORKSHOPS
Following the return of the literary analysis of my manuscript, I wanted to thank you for this particularly complete and argued synthesis. L.'s work perfectly meets my expectations. I appreciate its precision and even if its opinions and advice give me a lot of food for thought, I now feel motivated to consider new avenues of work. » Donatienne.
“Thank you for your proofreading work and the literary analysis of my manuscript is remarkable. Everything is very fair and nothing has escaped you. I'm going to rework all the weaknesses you pointed out, especially the writing and the dialogues . Thank you in any case, your work teaches me a lot. » Eric.
I thank you for this sending, the reading of which is very instructive and intelligent (to be read and reread). Thanks to this reader for the work accomplished. " Jean Marie.
First of all, I would like to thank her for her work, it’s exactly the kind of constructive and objective criticism I needed.
By first reading the analysis, I was comforted by some of these criticisms, which I expected, and surprised by others that I had difficulty understanding. Then while reading his annotations on my manuscript, all his remarks made sense. They promote narrative effects that work and suggest areas for improvement for less effective passages. In addition, the fact of systematically reminding myself of the feelings of the reader, external to the text, and who discovers the story is a truly useful element of criticism. This helps me a lot in gauging the type of rewriting work I'll be able to tackle.