Endgame – who exactly are you editing your book for? Written by Monica Chakraverty, Cornerstones editorial director and head of scouting programme

Once upon a time, the route to being published was crystal clear. An author would submit to an agent (or even directly to a publisher) once they were query-ready for publication. In a binary way, success or failure was decided along this one path. But now there’s a different, positive pathway to being indie-published, and it’s a route that has so many different opportunities.

So, if you’re nearing your final draft of your novel, taking care on those final edits, I’d consider where exactly you want this book to go. It’s important to bear this in mind as the ‘who’ you’re editing for will vary, depending on whether you intend to take the traditional, indie or self-publishing route.

For many, a traditional publishing deal is the ultimate prize – the one that confirms you’ve made it as an author. Yet, international authors such as Amanda Hocking can sell over a million books under their own steam, without a middleman taking a big cut in the revenue this generates. It’s a good idea to analyse the different pathways, what they offer, and at what cost.

If we unpick the traditional publishing route first, it’s helpful to think about process here. Once a book is commissioned, the final polish is taken on by a professional editor who works either in-house or freelance, reporting to the publishing house. They’ll know they have a terrific submission but there might be a little tightening of the narrative, a few structural shifts or perhaps more depth of characterisation before the book goes on to a line edit stage. The manuscript will have launched into the publisher’s critical path, going through the different editing and proofing stages as well as more outward-facing ones. This means that, while the book flows through the system, sales reps will be briefed, covers will be mocked up and the marketing and publicity teams will, ideally, put plans into action.

This is a warm and comforting journey for the author, they’re having their hand held through the different stages; the wilderness days are over. The bulk of work for them ends with the final self-edit to the manuscript, to make it as polished as possible. This might involve using beta readers for early feedback – the best of these come from a writers’ group or take the shape of trusted friends. Many authors use a freelance editor at this stage, to be sure they’ve the strongest manuscript and submission package they can muster before sending out to agents as query ready.

The truth of the traditional journey is that the book funds every process that shapes it for successful publication. Without the bottom line of predicting how many sales the book might generate, none of this would be possible as each role requires funding. An agent and publisher will take their cut to cover these costs. A digital-first deal with a trade publisher usually has no advance attached to it, so think about what the benefits are in your own situation. There are those authors who decide they’d rather forgo the security of an advance for the excitement of seeing how their book does on an indie or self-publishing journey.

I’ve worked with many authors who wish to bypass the corporate process. When they self-publish, they own the work and have complete control towards final publication. With this power comes responsibility; they need to first self-edit the manuscript as much as possible, focusing on structure, character and sentence-level issues. They’ll need to make decisions throughout the publishing process, from editorial passes through to the cover and final book title.

You’ll find this publication path is faster, taking months rather than potential years, and will earn higher royalties when sales come in. Once the book is ready, you’ll find you have access to quality printing and book distribution networks similar to those which traditional publishers use – your book will look no different to others on the shelves.

This can be the ideal route for author empowerment, allowing you to connect directly with readers and manage your own ‘book ecosystem’. You’ll find a world driven by traditional sales that works along with digital platforms and print-on-demand technology, which is now a mainstream path for many authors.

I would still advise that a structured, traditional approach is followed. You effectively become the publisher and are responsible for ensuring your book is professionally edited, so I would look at hiring freelance editors (developmental, line, copy-editing and proofreading) to achieve a professional standard. Professional editors such as those at Cornerstones help with these stages to ensure a skilfully produced end product. I’d recommend at least a couple of layers of editing, such as a structural and line edit, to ensure you really communicate the story to your reader, using a final copy-edit that will check for flaws. Together, these will offer a high-level examination of the manuscript and will be able to feedback on various elements; they’ll improve the overall shaping, forward pull, development and integrity of the overall story.

To help your journey towards successful publication, we run an Edit Your Novel virtual course at Cornerstones. Over 18 weeks, this will take your novel from first draft to submission ready. By the end of the course, you’ll emerge as a pro in self-editing, with a concrete submission package and a list of agents who are open to receiving queries, should you wish to take that path. It will teach you lifelong self-edit skills that will help at any stage of writing and publication.

So, consider what you’re hoping for from your book – particularly if you’ve had rejections from the publishing gatekeepers already. Yes, there might be issues with the manuscript, but is there room for enough diversity and different voices coming through the traditional system? Different voices are now breaking through and are connecting on a deeper level with readers. So, rather than waiting like a wallflower to be chosen for the dance, why not take control and make things happen?