Second Edition - How to Edit Yourself Into Print - Self-Editing for Fiction Writers

Working through a manuscript with this book was both eye opening and a bit painful. So much, so wrong (with my writing not the book's). Oh my. I'm not complaining, mind you. My work has benefited. The book is both helpful and constructive, perhaps the single best volume on content editing I've come across, and I read many. The tone is just right with no accusations but also no coddling.

Others have gone over the content of Self Editing for Fiction Writers in detail. All I have to say is do yourself a favor. Get a copy and use it: actually work on the assignments. Your work will benefit from it.

This book was very helpful for me. While it shouldn't replace a real editor's work, it can help a writer understand how to sharpen their own writing skills and show what a good editor can do for a manuscript. It made me much more aware of how I write and how I can improve it. Recommend it for writers wondering how they can improve their writing and wanting more than just a copy editing.

Classic and my favorite. This is the third copy I've purchased. I seem to lose them frequently, but over several novels, I believe this is the most solid work for simplifying editing. Can't recommend it enough.

As a young writer who has written many stories, but always wondered why they didn't sound as good as I pictured them in my head, this book is a life saver. The structure of the book is really easy to follow. The meat of the chapter explains the different things to look for while editing, and shows examples from many stories. The end of the chapter has a short checklist for you to use while editing your own work, and then they give you practice exercises. The answers to these exercises are in the back of the book, and they are very helpful. If you need help with your editing process, to polish up your novels or short stories, this is the book for you.

Self Editing for Fiction Writers is by far one of best books I've read on the style and structure of fiction writing. It is a great tool, especially for new and self published authors who don't have the luxury of having a developmental editor to guide them in fixing their story before publication. This book covers many of the steps that a writer should take to perfect their work before sending it off to a copy editor who'll only correct things such as typographical errors, misspelled words, grammatical errors, punctuation, etc.

As a published author I know the importance of self editing and rewriting, and this book is a great "How To" that will assist many writers in that process. Although all writers have their own unique writing style, and many won't agree with every single thing in this book, I believe there's something in this book for all fiction writers.

I have the first version of this book so this review is based off of that version.

Any writer who is interested in becoming more effective, whether fiction or non-fiction, should read this book. I was impressed from the first page. Sound insights and well-chosen examples help to explain each concept. Every chapter covers an important writing skill, such as characterization, dialogue, proportion, points of view, and so much more. Each chapter ends with a checklist to evaluate personal work and exercises to build understanding. This is well-written and an enjoyable read. A must-have in any writer's resource library.

Great advice and homework too. Yeah, this book is something that all writers, especially self-published writers, need to examine before they toss their next book over the wall and onto my reading pile.

I would highly recommend this book to any fiction writer who is still trying to "make it", as the information contained in the book is very practical, very well explained, and very down to earth without being preachy or dogmatic. In my opinion, this book is a "must read" for serious writers.

The chapters of the book are:

1: Show and Tell

2: Characterization and Exposition

3: Point of View

4: Dialogue Mechanics

5: See How It Sounds

6: Interior Monologue

7: Easy Beats

8: Breaking Up Is easy To Do

9: Once Is Usually Enough

10: Proportion

11: Sophistication

12: Voice

The book includes many examples and exercises, making it an excellent text book for instruction as well.

This book is fantastic if you have a finished manuscript that needs to be polished off. Lots of practical information which a writer can apply today instead of theory about what makes a bestseller. This is on my bookshelf next to Stein on Writing. It's fantastic.

I found this book really useful in my writing. It made me aware of things I was doing without knowing I was doing them and gave usable examples to test out my newly acquired skills. I would recommend this to any writers who think their work cold benefit from some self-editing across a variety of areas.

Every page is full of reminders and examples of how to make your writing better. I love this book. It's full of suggestions and exercises (which I'm too busy writing to do, but still....) Again, this is one book I think all fiction writers need. I have used it more than any other and I've read quite a few. I could edit this paragraph better...but I've got to get back to work! See how I used the word "full" twice?

Most of the advice i've receives about self-editing is DON'T. Pay someone or find a mentor to do it for you. However, I bought this book against all that advice. I am so glad I did. Everything my critique partner has advised me to do to make my story 'better', 'sellable' is in that book. I have friends waiting to get a copy. It is one of the most helpful tools I have gotten. The examples are excellent. It helps without sacrificing the writer's "voice".

This has been money well-spent.

I bought this book after searching through dozens of writing guide/reference books on editing. I was pleased with the positive reviews and decided to get it. I'm very glad I did. It was very helpful, has tons of good points on what to look for when editing, lots of good examples and most of all what I liked about it is the co-authors attitude. They weren't preachy or trying to lecture you or have that attitude of "this is how it should be done." In fact, they didn't even call them rules, but advice in which you could choose to follow or not depending on what you were comfortable with. I liked that.

My only negative, and this is just me and where I come from, is the second to last chapter was focused on profanity, which in my opinion has no real place in the true art of writing. Other then that the book was an excellent read, worth for any writer, beginning or pro with lots of advice and clear explanation.

Any craftsman needs an appropriate mix of the right caliber tools in the chest. For writers, this is one such tool.

There's a lot of subjectivity in what gets published. Times and tastes change. Successes of yesteryear might be viewed more skeptically today. The authors make no bones about this as you have the opportunity to practice editing on some great works. That's not to say those works were flawed in any way. You are simply modernizing them, bringing them up to standard that the authors feel is more marketable now. If that's what you're aiming for in your writing, read on.

12 chapters give you the basic nuts and bolts for editing your fictional manuscript. Each chapter uncovers the red lights that could earn your work rejections. Copious examples are used with good explanations of the key points. And like most how-to books, this one gives you a few exercises at the end of each chapter to try your hand on the skills just taught.

The book is an easy read, with some points fairly obvious and others a bit more subtle. It's the packaging up of all these skills together that equips you to play the ruthless editor role. You might not agree with all the advice given or even like it. I had my moments for sure, but in general I consider this a solid blueprint that I'll apply to all my fictional writing now.

If I had one complaint about this book, it would be its length. Just a few more chapters drawn from the authors' collective experiences would have rounded out this reference superbly. As it is, though, it's still a very valuable tool for your collection. Use it, and be a better editor.

Recommended

I will reread this book several times with every piece I write. As a science fiction/fantasy writer I need all the help I can get. Through Renni Browne's guidance I am able to focus on my particular problem areas--dialogue and point of view. I appreciate the number of examples and the detailed discussion of why one works and another does not. With this book I am learning how to write better. This book will always be within arms reach for that quick reminder when I write.

It seems every writing seminar or convention I go to, everyone is recommending this book. I have to confess I took a copy out at the library about a year ago and just could not get that excited about it. But, darn if writers I truly respect did not keep praising it. So I took another look a month ago and the time was right. I ordered my own copy immediately. I have to admit I did not do the writing exercises because I am working on an MFA and my own writing takes up all my time. But I highlighted and wrote comments all over the book and I refer to it regularly when I hit a glitch in a story. I have even stopped having my characters "sigh" dialogue. (Though I will argue to my dying day that it is indeed possible to "sigh" words. I do it all the time!) I'm also careful to avoid "said Mary" because editors want to see "Mary said." Might seem like nit-picking to some, but it only makes sense to do what you can to look less like a novice when submitting a manuscript. Read this book before you submit anything!

I highly recommend this book to writers, self-publishing or traditional publishing. I found it to be helpful in remembering all the little quirks to look for while learning something new. I will continue to consult it for my future manuscripts.

This book really drills down the techniques required to focus revisions on a manuscript. From general principles to fine detail, I've been able to sharpen not only my previous writing, but with the ideas in mind, I write better from the start now. I recommend this to anyone.

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers is the best book I have ever read on how to edit to get published. This should be a classroom textbook for college editing classes. It is easy to read, easy to understand, and the examples it uses are wonderfully done so as to help the reader to know what the writers mean on every point. I highly recommend this book to every writer of fiction everywhere.
I purchased a used book and it was well worth the price. When they say it is in good condition they are correct. This used book arrived in like new condition and in a timely manor.

This book was excellent in helping me address some lazy and ineffective writing. I have done a fair bit of writing in my life and after reading this book, my current project looks and flows much better. This book is a great tool for sharpening your writer skills

This book is often at the top of recommendations for new authors and I can see why. It is packed with useful information and examples. It also includes practice exercises and checklists which make it useful for reference after reading. This book should be required reading for authors before they send their manuscripts to editors/agents.

This book gives thorough and complete instruction on how to edit articles. The many editing exercises have the correct answers in the back, so you can check your work. The process of editing teaches much about the craft of writing. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to improve their writing ability.

This book was recommended by friend, unlike some recommended books, this one was well worth the read. Browne and King gave editing examples at the end of each chapter. It is an easy read and would be excellent for college students.

This is an excellent aid for indie writers even if you have a solid background in writing, English and grammar. I'm relatively good at self-editing and have to say that this work covers everything one needs to consider as they edit their own books. It's a little book that should be in every writers' library. I'm glad it is in mine.

This book was recommended by friend, unlike some recommended books, this one was well worth the read. Browne and King gave editing examples at the end of each chapter. It is an easy read and would be excellent for college students.

This is an excellent aid for indie writers even if you have a solid background in writing, English and grammar. I'm relatively good at self-editing and have to say that this work covers everything one needs to consider as they edit their own books. It's a little book that should be in every writers' library. I'm glad it is in mine.

This book should be on the shelf of every writer. It shines a light on editing in a way that is easy to understand, practical and most importantly vital to improving a book. I'd recommend it to writers of all genres.

Chocked with many examples for improving fiction writing style. Some of the concepts I have heard before, but the fresh excerpts from both published and unpublished manuscripts served to inspire. Several chapters had new advice--wow, I had never heard of that! This book makes me look forward to the revision part of writing fiction.

Quick read, too.

I found this book extremely informative as well as interesting, covers all the topics that make a difference between so-so writing and possibly great writing. The checklist is something to keep close by as you take a second look at your first draft. Sure to help you improve. I recommend it highly.

This book is amazing. It definitely lives up to its best-selling status. The tips are exactly what a writer needs in order improve the problem spots. I think all writers can feel there's something wrong with their work, but this books helps you to identity what the issues are and how you can improve it.

This was recommended by my writing class teacher, who is an editor, and his friend, an agent. The author is a professional editor who works with the top writers in the nation, and commands over $10,000 per job. Worth paying attention to.

Certainly not all new information but well organized, great examples and exercises. Worth every penny! It's like a short course in editing. I made a check list from the chapter headings to review my own writing.

Clear, concise manual. The exercises are particularly helpful in getting the message across. I can certainly see how skillful self-editing can cut down on editing costs. Wish I'd found this book sooner--a must have for every fiction writer.