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Editing Secrets of Best-Selling Authors by Kathy Ide (book review)

April 1, 2022 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

Successful writers spend a lot more time editing than they do writing. They know that first drafts need extensive revisions to ensure their stories or messages come across clearly and effectively.

In this book you’ll find a wealth of suggestions from best-selling authors who have studied editing techniques and implemented them in their books, which have touched the hearts and lives of readers around the world.

If you’re an aspiring, beginning, or intermediate writer, this book will help you polish your manuscript and get it ready for publication. If you’re an established author, these tips can help you edit other writers’ manuscripts, either in a critique group setting or as an editorial freelancer.


For years, the go-to self-editing book for novelists has been “Self-Editing for Fiction Writers” by King and Browne, but I think this book has supplanted that book and made it my must-have recommendation for writers and editors alike.

“Editing Secrets of Best-Selling Authors” doesn’t go into as much detail when it comes to self-editing, but it identifies and addresses MANY more issues than appear in King and Browne’s book. Ide’s book also looks at nonfiction editing, as well as identifying different types of editing. In my opinion, if you’re looking for a comprehensive explanation of what’s involved in a self-edit, this is the book for you.

This is also a book I’ll recommend to people wanting to start their editing careers–the detailed lists of what’s involved in the different types of editing for different types of books will give new editors a good idea of the type of work they’ll need to master and provide to their clients.

Without a doubt, this book is on my must-have shelf for writers and editors.

Rated G. Get your copy here!

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Filed Under: book reviews Tagged With: book review, editing fiction, editing nonfiction, editing tips, fiction editing, Kathy Ide, nonfiction editing, self-editing, writing tips

4 Grammar Myths by Kathy Ide

June 20, 2016 by Karin Beery 1 Comment

false-true-1113fg-v-711Generations of English teachers have taught students certain rules that are either personal preferences or rules that have changed over time. Here are a few examples.

Myth #1. Never split an infinitive.

An infinitive is the to form of a verb: to go, to holler, to whisper, to study. “Splitting an infinitive” means to put some word (usually an adverb) between the to and the verb: to quickly go, to loudly holler, to quietly whisper, to avidly study.

Rule of thumb: If it’s just as easy to word something in a way that avoids splitting an infinitive, do so—if for no other reason than because some readers, editors, and proofreaders will fault you if you don’t. However, if doing so interrupts the flow, or makes comprehension difficult or awkward, go ahead and split that infinitive.

Myth #2. Never end a sentence with a preposition.

A preposition is a word that connects with a noun phrase to form a modifying phrase. Most prepositions refer to time, space, or position:

across the country
after the movie
at the store
in the room
with ketchup

Many students are taught that prepositions should never come at the end of a sentence. However, the proper ordering of prepositions can sometimes result in sentences that sound awkward, stilted, or pompous.

As a general rule, try to avoid ending sentences with prepositions. But if that’s the only way to avoid sounding strange, then by all means, break the rule. Sometimes a preposition is the best word to end a sentence with.

Myth #3. Never use the word hopefully in place of “It is hoped” or “I/we hope.”

Many writers have been upbraided for using what is sometimes considered the colloquial usage of this word. The argument is that hopefully means “in a hopeful manner.” Therefore, a sentence like “Hopefully, this will clear things up” could only mean “This will clear things up in a hopeful manner.”

However, according to the latest edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, hopefully has two meanings. The first is “in a hopeful manner.” The second is “It is hoped; I hope; we hope.” The example given is “Hopefully the rain will end soon.”

The second definition of hopefully is in a class of adverbs known as “disjuncts.” Many other adverbs (interestingly, frankly, clearly, luckily, unfortunately) are also disjuncts.

Myth #4. Never start a sentence with a conjunction.

A conjunction is a word that defines the relationship between different units of thought. Examples: and, so, but, if, or. Writers are often taught that beginning a sentence with a conjunction makes it incomplete, a sentence fragment. And sometimes that’s true. Example:

Try to catch me. If you can.

But sentence fragments are perfectly acceptable if they’re not overused, confusing, or unclear. Experienced writers may deliberately use the occasional sentence fragment for emphasis or to create a particular tone. (Note, however, that a dash can also be used for emphasis, and it is often preferable if the effect is the same. “Try to catch me—if you can.”)

In many cases, opening with a conjunction does not turn a sentence into a fragment; it simply serves to connect the current information more strongly to the information that comes before it. Beginning a sentence with a conjunction is sometimes the best way to express the sentence’s relationship with the previous one.

If you have multiple statements that go together, and then a statement that makes a contrast to the previous ones, make the last statement a separate sentence, starting with “But …” For example:

You may not like splitting infinitives. Ending a sentence with a preposition may cause you to cringe. Using hopefully to mean “I hope” may be anathema to you. But these are all grammatically correct by today’s standards.

If you replaced the period before but with a comma, the last statement would refer only to the statement immediately preceding it, rather than to all of the previous statements.

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Kathy Ide, author of Proofreading Secrets of Best-Selling Authors and editor/compiler of the Fiction Lover’s Devotional series , is a full-time freelance editor/writing mentor, working with new writers, established authors, and book publishers. She speaks at writers’ conferences across the country and is the director for the SoCal Christian Writers’ Conference. Kathy is the founder and director of the Christian Editor Connection, a service that links authors and editors, and The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network, which provides training, encouragement, networking, and community for Christian freelance editors. For more about Kathy, visit www.KathyIde.com.

Filed Under: editing, writing Tagged With: Kathy Ide

Writing Tips: Passive vs. Active Verbs By Kathy Ide

October 19, 2015 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

Fountain penWherever possible, strive to use strong, precise verbs rather than weak, vague verbs. Instead of saying, “They were going,” write, “They went.” Or better yet, show how they went. “They jogged,” “They raced,” “They ambled,” for example. The more description you can fit into a single action verb, the better.

Here are some examples:

Passive: It is believed by Sue that a curfew must be placed on her son, Matthew.
Active: Sue believes that she must place a curfew on her son, Matthew.

Passive: It was earlier demonstrated that Matthew could be intimidated by too much freedom.
Active: Friday’s party showed Sue that too much freedom could intimidate Matthew.

Passive verbs often indicate that a subject exists, or that something happens to the subject. Active verbs describe something a subject does.

Passive: Andrew had dark, curly hair and a bushy beard.
Active: Andrew ran his fingers through his dark, curly hair and stroked his bushy beard.

Passive: Two cups of coffee were on the table.
Active: Joe picked up two cups of coffee from the table.

NOTE: Verb phrases that include is, was, are, were, be, been, would, could, has, had, have, etc. are usually passive.

In nonfiction, there are a few acceptable reasons to use passive verbs:

1. To emphasize the action rather than the subject.
Example: Jim’s bioengineering proposal was approved by the committee.

2. To keep the subject and focus consistent throughout a passage.
Example: The astrobiology department presented a controversial proposal to the committee. After long debate, the proposal was endorsed by …

3. To be tactful by not naming the subject.
Example: The e-mail message was misinterpreted.

4. To describe a condition in which the subject is unknown or irrelevant to the sentence.
Example: Every year, many people are diagnosed with Environmental Illness.

5. To create an authoritative tone.
Example: Visitors are not allowed after 9:00 p.m.

In all other instances, and in all fiction writing, use active verbs in place of passive ones wherever feasible.

Kathy Ide—

Kathy Ide is a published author/ghostwriter, editor/mentor, and writers’ conference speaker. Her latest book is Proofreading Secrets of Best-Selling Authors. To order, visit www.secretsofbestsellingauthors.com. Kathy is the founder and coordinator of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network (www.TheChristianPEN.com) and the Christian Editor Connection (www.ChristianEditor.com). To find out more, visit www.KathyIde.com.

Filed Under: editing, guest blogger Tagged With: Kathy Ide

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A passionate lover of fiction, Karin doesn't just write novels, she helps others write their best stories! A certified substantive editor with the Christian Editor Connection, her goal is to help authors to put her out of business by equipping them with the tools they need to become better writers.

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