The 4 Circles of Book Editing Hell (and How to Get Through Them)

Pamela Wilson on May 31, 2016

According to the guest on this episode, “We are at our most vulnerable when we are working on books.” No kidding! Sending your book off to an editor feels like taking a leap into a dark abyss: you don’t have a clue what you’re going to land on at the bottom.

Writing a book is a solitary pursuit, but when you bring a thoughtful editor onboard, you begin to feel like you have an ally in the creative process.

In this episode, Pamela and Jeff interview the first editor to work on Pamela’s upcoming book, Chantel Hamilton. Chantel shares her “four circles of book editing hell,” a tongue-in-cheek look at the stages any great book goes through in order to come alive.

In this episode Jeff Goins, Pamela Wilson, and Chantel Hamilton discuss:

  • Development editing: the first step to creating a book (you’ll see how this stage happened live on Zero to Book)
  • Substantive editing: the nerve-wracking stage Pamela’s book is in now, where big questions surface, challenges are made and met, and the book takes on a new, stronger form
  • Copy editing: where your book is examined, line-by-line, for grammar, syntax, and spelling errors
  • Proofreading: the crucial final step before your book sees the light of day

The Show Notes