Questions About the Editing Process

Is It Right to Edit Prophetic Material?
How Do You Handle the Editing Process?
What Is the Best Way for the Author to Review a Rough Draft?
What Are You Looking for in Proofreading?

1. Is It Right to Edit Prophetic Material?

This is one of the most common questions I receive from Spirit-filled Christians, and I consider it to be a very important one. First, let’s try to define prophetic material. To me, prophetic material is any writing that has a touch of the divine on it. It’s anointed. It’s life-changing. It came from the very heart of the Father. Usually material such as this is obtained in a public meeting where the anointing is high, and God is doing miracles. If that is true, why, then, would we ever think of editing such materials?

It’s a good question, but there’s also a good answer. First of all, let me ask if you’ve ever edited prophetic materials. I believe you have. We all do. Why do I say that? When we have heard from God, we speak forth what He has shown us, and it’s powerful. Over time, however, we gain more insight into the matter and realize that we may not have expressed the revelation in the most effective terms. Because there was an aspect of it that we didn’t fully understand ourselves, it was not as powerfully presented as it might have been. So, over time, we perfect our revelation, and that is just what editing does.

Editing often has to do with omitting or deleting.

By “omitting” I mean omitting something controversial that doesn’t improve the message or build on it and might even be a distraction for some or for many.
By “deleting” I mean deleting duplicate material or what is known as needless repetition (not to be confused with a style of teaching that uses repetition). I mean taking out the “rabbit trails,” the asides that are often added during preaching or teaching. These may have been for someone who was present when the words were spoken, but they have little or nothing to do with the theme of the book and may well be distracting if left in.

Editing often has to do with rewording.

We reword the improper English phrases or words that we all use occasionally (some more than others), but that have no place in a book that we want to reach out to a larger world.

We reword or identify locally used and understood words or phrases that may not be widely understood elsewhere.
We reword or identify slang expressions.

Editing also often has to do with adding.

We add transitional words or phrases where they are lacking and, therefore, the flow of the message is blunted.
We add documentation where it is lacking. This means identifying the source of quoted materials, whether from the Bible itself or from other books. (This can also become a legal issue, meaning that you can be sued for using material without properly recognizing its source. See “What Is Plagiarism?” under Questions about Legal Matters.)
We add biblical notations where appropriate and useful.
We add (in conjunction with the author) any missing element or elements that would leave the book incomplete or ineffective. Usually if it is something short, an editor can add it in the author’s style. If it is longer, the author may have to supply it on tape or in a digital file. (For testimonials of our work in this regard, click here).

All the things that we are omitting, rewording or adding have the effect of weakening a message, so by dealing with them, we are not weakening the message at all. Actually we are strengthening it and making it more understandable and more impactful. That is the most important role of editing.

Editing is for the purpose of improving the flow and impact of the message.
An editor makes sure the message flows from the Introduction through each chapter, climaxing in the final pages and impacting the reader as much as possible. Anything that hinders this flow should be dealt with in the editing process.

There are editors who have no respect for the anointing or for a speaker’s or writer’s style, and once they have torn the material apart and put it all back together again, it is hardly recognizable as the same message. In this case, the message may, indeed, be weakened. We are not among that group. As people who know what it is to have a message from God, we honor every message and only edit one when it will make it even more powerful.

The problem sometimes is that those who spoke the message know how powerful it was when they spoke it, and they wonder, “Why change a message that has been so effective?” The only reason to change it would be to make it even better, more effective.

2. How Do We Handle the Editing Process?

I approach the editing of the book in three passes:

The First Pass:

During the first pass, I may make some obviously needed changes, but my overall purpose is to acquaint myself with the whole of the material. I make myself some notes as I go along. These concern where various sections seem to fit in the overall picture, what sections seem to be duplication, what sections seem to be anticlimactic, what sections seem to need serious revision or are confusing or seemingly contradictory, what material may be needed to complete the message, etc.

Usually, I also make similar notes to the author during this pass. For instance, I ask questions to clarify some point that has been made in the material. I inquire about the possibility of adding to a point that has not been fully fleshed out. If the material is not well documented, I take this opportunity to inquire about quotations that are used in the book and need documentation, biblical or otherwise. If I can find the biblical quotes (there are so many different translations used these days that this is sometimes a challenge), then I don’t have to bother the author with the question of which version it comes from. I sometimes send the author a few questions and comments every day when I’m in this pass. That way my inquiries don’t become overwhelming for them.

Depending on the size of the book and the quality of the writing, this first pass can take anywhere from a few days to a week or more.

The Second Pass:

In the second pass, I do all the serious editing. I move some things around, delete material that seems to be extraneous, duplication or unhelpful for any other reason. I make any adjustments based on the answers I have received from the author. I sometimes split material into more chapters. I may insert subtitles and select material to be used in pull quotes. At the same time, I also work on things like the best formatting, spacing, graphical usage, etc.

Although I do try to avoid typographical, grammatical and spelling errors, this is not my main focus. During this time (days or weeks) I try to live in the message, feeling the style of the writer and meditating on how best to present it and make it work to his or her advantage.

There is a revelatory element to all of this. During these weeks, I am fully engrossed in the book, talking about it to those around me, dreaming of it at night, always groping in the Spirit for some key that will make the book more powerful, more impactful, something that will leave a lasting memory with those who pick it up. Often this key is hidden somewhere among the “stuff,” so to speak. Eventually, at some unexpected point, the secret will be dropped into my spirit. This happens very suddenly and dramatically, and when it does, I sit with tears streaming down my face for a time. I know that, in myself, I did not know the secret for the success of this book, and now I do. I’m very grateful for such a gift.

The Third Pass

The third pass is done over a two- or three-day period. On the first day, I reserve the entire day for this purpose—with no telephones or visitors to distract. I must read through the book (preferably out loud) in one sitting. This can take from 6 to 10 hours or more, depending on the length of the book, the number of times I stop to make adjustments, and the severity of those adjustments.

This time is very different. I am sitting down, not in front of my monitor, as I usually am, but in a comfortable chair in some comfortable room and preferably with someone I love and who also loves the message of the Lord and the ministry of books. In this way, we begin to read the hard copy of the book from the title page onward, not skipping anything. We read it as if reading it for the very first time, and we read it as any reader might. We want to see how it will sound to them and what impact it will make on them.

As we read, we move along as quickly as possible, but I pause now and then to make some notation on the page that will allow me to later tweak a sentence or check on a point made or otherwise improve the flow of the message. Whoever is with me will sometimes have a point to make about the message, good or bad. Both are helpful, and I make some notation on the appropriate page to follow up on later.

Invariably we come to pages that don’t flow as well as others. I mark these, writing FLOW in big letters on the page. On other pages, I write FOCUS. This part seems to have gotten a little off message and is not focused well enough on the point of the chapter or possibly the theme of the entire book. Later, I can work at making that part more focused.

As I go along, I do check to make sure that the titles of the chapters match the titles as they are written in the table of contents. I also check chapter starting page numbers. But since these technical things will be thoroughly reviewed by a proofreader before the book goes to press, my concern must always be for the flow of the message and its impact on the reader. Those other things will take care of themselves later.*

* As we have gotten better at avoiding little mistakes, I now sometimes allow an author to have someone they know and trust do the final proofreading of the book, if they are concerned about saving money on that part of the project.

The reason we need to do this all in one day may not be obvious to everyone. When we get to Chapter 4, the previous three chapters must still be fresh in our minds. This will let us know how the message is flowing or not flowing, what duplication may still exist, which points are working and which are not, etc. By the time we reach the final chapter, we must have in mind all of the previous chapters. That’s the only way a book can be effective.

There are books in which each chapter or section is independent of the others and can stand or fall on its own. These are easier to edit. Each part may or may not need to continue a central theme, and they may or may not build on each other. With most books, however, we must build from the first page to the last, without losing momentum.

When the day is over, we are exhausted but exhilarated. We know that we have made considerable improvements to a message that will eventually impact many for the Kingdom of God. It’s a good feeling.

To actually sit down before the computer and make the changes we have noted can take the next couple of days. Sometimes I need to consult with the author during this time and sometimes not. Whatever the case, within a couple of days, the first rough draft will go out to the author.

We call it a first rough draft because the author may or may not like it as it stands. Usually that depends on how much they have been involved in its creation. Either way, the ball is now in their court, and they can make any changes they want. The great majority of the people I work with love the first rough draft. They feel that I have captured their spirit, their style, and their message and presented it in the best possible way, and consequently they have only minor adjustments to make. Those who make the most changes, ironically, are usually new authors. They don’t understand why their original language is not the best way to say things, and they have thought of other things they want to add in the meantime. This can quickly get out of hand. There have been cases where new authors actually doubled the size of the manuscript by adding so much or changing large sections so much that it actually doubled my work. This is not fair to an editor who has agreed to a price to edit a book, and suddenly his workload is doubled, without any additional compensation.

There is another way this review process can be done, and for extremely busy authors, I recommend it. It involves me actually sitting down with the author to do the final polishing procedure. It works like this:

When an author experiences difficulty in finding the necessary time to do a proper final read-through of their manuscript, we can actually arrange a time to sit down together and do it. During the editorial process, we have made slight adjustments, such as adding transitional phrases here and there, rewording some sentences, and focusing the material more around the title or the subject of the book. There are always changes when transferring sermon material into an acceptable book format. When we sit down and read the final draft through together, several things are accomplished:

The author hears the book read from a reader’s perspective. (This sometimes leads to small changes that can improve the book a lot.)
The author is able to see the message in context and to judge it for flow and impact. (This can also lead to positive changes.)
Some unnecessary repetition may be noted that weakens the message of the book, and it can be marked to be removed.
As the book is read, the reader can ask for clarification on some minor point, or the author can ask for a little better wording on something that doesn’t seem to express exactly the point he or she was trying to make.
When we’re done, I always feel so much better because I know that the author is happy with the book as it stands, and I know that it will make the greatest impact possible on the reader. It is then the best book it can be.

Typically, in these sessions, an author will notice sections he’s not happy with for one reason or another, and they can then be improved. As you can imagine, this all takes time. But it works best when done in the shortest time possible. That way, when we arrive at the final chapter, we still have the context of the first sections in mind.

To do this type of work, we need a quiet place where we will not be disturbed by phone calls or other interruptions, some comfortable chairs so that we can sit for a few hours at a time, and some refreshing drink to keep us hydrated as we work.

If the author wants some other person or persons present in these sessions, to listen and offer suggestions, that’s fine, but the author is always the most important person there. It’s his (or her) message, and only he (or she) can say what he (or she) meant for sure, so when we are finished, we want him (or her) to be happy with the final product.

The process, again, is the following:
I read the book aloud from the beginning to the end, and the author or others who are present are able to stop me at any time to ask for a clarification or improvement. From time to time, I may stop and ask for some clarification, if I think something could be confusing or if I have any doubt about what the author is saying. English is a complicated language, spoken differently in some places, and we want the book to be understood by the widest possible audience. When we are finished with this process, we have that assurance.

3. What Is the Best Way for the Author to Review a Rough Draft?

Just as I do my work in three passes, the very best way for you, as an author, to review your manuscript on your own is in three passes. In at least one of these stages, you will want to either read it aloud yourself to others or have others read it aloud to you. (Make sure the person who reads it is a good reader. If they stumble over the manuscript, that will not do justice to the message.)

The First Read-Through:

In the first round, no serious changes should be made. It’s okay to mark sections you want to question later. But the most important point of this first pass is simply to acquaint yourself with the material. If you notice sections that don’t flow as well as others, mark them. If you notice sections that seem unnecessarily redundant, mark them, etc.

Try, as much as possible, to do this first pass in one sitting, that is in one day. That way, when you get to the final chapter, the other chapters will still be fresh in your mind.

The Second Read-Through:

Once you have familiarized yourself with the entire book, you can start to make your major changes. This time, you might just want to read problem sections, do some work on them, and then read them again before going on.

For the sake of the editor, make most of your changes on the face of the printout. Use a clearly visible color and texture of ink.

Text to Delete: Make a mark through something to delete.

Text to Move: Circle something to move and show with an arrow where it is to be moved.

Text to Add: Write additions out clearly and show where they are to be added. If an addition is more than a sentence or two, please present it to us typed as a Word file so that we don’t have to retype it all again. That’s double work for the Kingdom.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT RETYPE LARGE SECTIONS OF THE TEXT, including your minor changes. This creates a terrible headache for the editor. When some well-meaning author does this, we must then arduously compare the old text with the new, word by word, to find what has been changed and what is still the same. This is much more than double work. We repeat: PLEASE NO NOT RETYPE LARGE SECTIONS OF THE TEXT.

Although it is not wrong to mark misspelling and grammatical errors for change, this is not your focus. Keep focused on the flow and impact of the message, and don’t let anything distract you from it. *

* As noted elsewhere, we sometimes allow an author to skip the proofreading process if the manuscript is clean and there are financial concerns.

The Final Read-Through:

Once you have worked through your major concerns with the book, you’re then ready for the final read-through. If at all possible, this read-through should be done aloud, and it should be done in one sitting. To some that would seem impossible, but it’s surprising how quickly you can read through a book when you give yourself wholly to it.

If there are things you still question about the manuscript make some notes with questions for the editor. Together you can work out these final concerns.

4. What Are You Looking for In Proofreading?

Aside from the usual typographical errors, our proofreaders look for many other things. Here are some of them:

Title Pages: On the half-title page and full title page, proofreaders check to make sure the title and subtitle are consistent with each other and with the title and subtitle on the copyright page.
Copyright Page: On the copyright page, proofreaders check consistency in the presentation of the copyrights for all the Bible versions used in the book. There are several ways to say it, and sometimes these are copied from other places and get mixed with citations that are worded differently. They also check the ISBN (international standard book number) to make sure it is correct. Once they have read the copyright page through and made sure it is otherwise free of errors, they set it aside to check as they read through the chapters of the book, that the Bible versions used within the text are documented there. This is an important legal issue.
Table of Contents: On the table of contents, proofreaders check the usual spelling and grammar, but they also set this page aside and use it to check that each chapter title agrees with the title as it is written on the content page and that the chapter starting page numbers are correct.
Consistency: From the beginning to the end of a particular book, proofreaders check for consistency. In American English, an author can be given a lot of license, but what we must be sure of is that there is consistency throughout each book. For instance, they check for consistency in formatting. If they see anything that doesn’t seem consistent, they mark it for change. Vertical spaces missing between Bible verses would be an example of this. Other examples are: some authors use a comma before the final “and” in a series, and some do not. “Fish, meat, and poultry” and “fish, meat and poultry” are both correct, but within a book, we must chose one and stick with it throughout. Using spaces around ellipses and full dashes or not using spaces are both correct. We need consistency in the book. The proofreader makes sure the first page of every chapter has the same layout and that there is consistency in headers, footers, and page numbers on the other pages. Normally the left-hand pages (these are even-numbered) should have the book title in italics in the header, and the right-hand pages (these are odd-numbered) should have the chapter title in the header. Footers normally only contain page numbers, but they must be check to see that all pages that should be numbered are numbered and that no blank pages are numbered. Often much of the front matter and/or the back matter is not numbered, but all other pages, except blank pages, should be. If a proofreader sees anything else suspicious in the area of consistency, they mark it for review or correction.
Irregularities: Aside from the normal capitalization, we do have some irregularities, as each publisher does. In the secular world, for instance, heaven and hell are never capitalized. We choose to recognize these as real places, just as real as New York, London, and Paris, so we capitalize them always. We also choose to capitalize Word, Scriptures, Book, etc. when they refer to the Bible, God’s Word. We capitalize Church when it refers to the universal Body of Christ, and, as you can see, we also capitalize Body when it has the same meaning. Some preachers capitalize everything. To them, the sacredness of the Blood, the Presence of God, the Glory, the Power, God’s Hand, etc. are so awesome that they think: how can these not be capitalized? We try to walk a middle line. If not, since our books are about the things of God, nearly every word would have to be capitalized.
Capitalization: In all titles and subtitles, proofreaders check to make sure that the rules of capitalization within titles are followed and that there is consistency of format (i.e. font, size, emphasis, etc.) Beyond capitalization and formatting, are there enough subtitles? Too many? Are they well worded? Confusing? Do they capture the thought of the text? Could they be improved? All of this is considered.
Pull Quotes: In our books, we sometimes use what are called pull quotes. Pull quotes are short statements taken from the text of the pages on which they appear. Their purpose is to get and hold the reader’s attention (and they work). In odd-numbered chapters, these pull quotes appear on the second page (a left-handed page), then they skip two pages and appear on the next two pages on the right-hand page. (Both an editor and a proofreader always think of the book as it will open and appear before the eventual reader. The editor works with the two pages visible before him, and the proofreader sometimes lays the pages down on a table before her two pages at a time to get this correct orientation. You can do this too.) Next, the pull quotes skip two pages and then appear on the left again. In the even-numbered chapters, this reverses. They start first on the right-hand page and switch after skipping two pages. This avoids monotony, and readers seem to like it. Proofreaders must check the pull quotes for positioning (are they on the right page?), for format, and for consistency. Also, are they meaningful? Will they impact the reader? These are important questions.
Emphasis: Proofreaders check for too much or improper emphasis. There are many ways to emphasize something that is being expressed in writing: emboldening the font, italicizing it, using all caps, underlining it or a combinations of these. Preachers are great for emphasizing everything, but studies have shown that too much emphasis has a self-defeating effect. The eye is drawn away from the emphasized text, and what registers in the reader’s mind as important is the unemphasized text. Quality books, therefore, use NO UNDERLINING at all and very limited italics and bolds. Our policy is as follows: we use as little emphasis as possible, occasionally italicizing words to draw attention to them, never underlining, only very occasionally using bolds. We feel that an occasional use of italics and all caps is sufficient emphasis. Since our scripture verses are italicized (and, in some cases, also emboldened), we use only all caps for emphasis within a quoted verse, and then we insert the notation “Emphasis Added,” or “Emphasis Mine.” Italics especially have some important legitimate uses within a book. Book titles, movie titles and magazine names, for instance, are italicized. Foreign words are italicized. When referring to a particular word, that word is italicized. For example, “this word, fight, according to Strong’s, has the meaning ‘….’ ” Aside from checking to be sure that all legitimate uses of emphases are met, proofreaders are free to voice an opinion about too much or too little emphasis.
Scripture Quotations: In all scripture quotations, proofreaders check to see that the passage is from the correct version. If it doesn’t have a version notation—KJV, NAS, NIV, etc.—then it must be from the version specified on the copyright page as the principle version for the book. If a version other than the principle version noted on the copyright page is used, the proofreader must go back and check to see that the version quoted is properly documented on the copyright page. If not, she makes a notation there to add it. This is an important legal matter, and we want to avoid lawsuits. There are so many versions available now that it would be difficult for every proofreader to keep a copy of each one on hand. Fortunately, many versions are now available online. Proofreaders also check all Bible quotations for correctness. When I place a verse these days, I generate it from the Internet (as long as I can find the version being quoted), so there are no mistakes in it, but if the author generated the verses by hand or spoke them from memory, there is room for error. Beyond these obvious things, is a verse relevant within the context? Does it add to the message? Could it, perhaps, be shortened or eliminated without losing anything from the message? Some authors like to add comments within the biblical text. Since most Bible translations don’t use square brackets [ ], we usually use them to show editorial content within quotes. The problem comes when an author uses the Amplified version, which does use square brackets. In that case, we change to curly brackets { } for editorial comment within the quote.
Punctuation, Grammar and Spelling: Punctuation, grammar and spelling errors do occur. Like everyone else, we make mistakes, and it is not uncommon for a proofreader to find four or more mistakes per page. Some pages may have none, and other pages may have quite a few. A gifted proofreader will spot them, when neither we nor the author have.
The Broader View: Beyond the normal search for grammatical and punctuation errors, we need a proofreader to take on the role of looking at the material from the aspect of a potential reader. We never mind it when a proofreader makes a notation such as: “this is confusing,” “this could be misunderstood,” or “this seems contradictory.” Normally, such a decision would be considered an editorial one, but we find this extremely helpful, so we welcome it. The author is too close to the writing, and we editors sometimes have the same problem. Proofreaders sometimes find things obviously wrong with a manuscript when neither of us noticed. It never hurts for them to make a suggestion. As the editor and publisher, I have the final word, so, on the final copy, I only make the changes I agree with. If a proofreader feels very strongly about something, I tell them to note is as a statement. If they’re not sure, but think something might improve the writing or its impact on the reader, I tell them to make their notation into a question. “Would it be better?”
Style: Proofreaders check for consistency in style. In our books, we use the novel (or conversational style) of writing. This does a couple of important things: (1) It makes our books very easy to read, and (2) It gives our authors the liberty they need to express themselves. However, there are two things we have to guard against: (1) Preachers have the tendency to put words on paper the same way they would say them to an audience, and that doesn’t always work in a book. This is the largest area of criticism of tape-to-book projects, and we have no reason to give the critics of the things of the Spirit any ammunition to use against us. If it sounds like a sermon, it needs rewording. When someone is preaching, they rely not only on words, but on hand and facial gestures. They may point to something or hold up something in the sight of the audience. They can use pauses. They can raise their voice or lower it. They can jump, run, and otherwise move. In a book, we have none of these helps. Every word must stand on its own. We cannot insert “grin” as many do in emails these days. (2) When several people work on a book, there is the danger of having several different styles mixed. I try to change as little as possible so that we can preserve the author’s style. If something seems out of character, I ask proofreaders to note it, and then I deal with it.
Stilted, Formal or Complicated Language: Proofreaders look for stilted, formal or complicated language. College-level writing restraints have a purpose, and that is to get a student to express him- or herself in the most precise and correct way, but what they write isn’t always very interesting to read. Many college graduates are very proud of their dissertation, but few dissertations find their way into book form. They’re too boring. If a book sounds too scholarly, it turns people off. Textbook-type books don’t sell well in the Christian arena. There’s another reason to keep a book simple. Studies show that the average American still reads at the sixth- to tenth-grade level. Because of this, I insist on simple sentences, simple paragraphs and down-to-earth wording. Another good reason to keep our books simple and to the point is that they go all over the world, and a great percentage of the people who read them in other countries have English as a second (or even third) language. For their sake, we simply must keep the message simple and easy to understand. At college level, a sentence never begins with “and” or “but.” BUT, in the real world, that’s the way we talk. Reading popular novels can help a writer get the idea of more informal language. At the college level, many words that we commonly use are considered archaic. In fact, college-level grammar-checking programs find most of the Bible to be archaic and wordy. In expressing the Gospel, we use what the world considers to be archaic and wordy language. It is, however, the language of the heart. When a man wants to tell his fiancé that he loves her, all thoughts of college-level English grammar and punctuation rules go out the window, and he speaks from his heart. That’s how we want our books to read. At the college level, you never end a sentence with a preposition. In the real world, it’s done all the time. Not doing it leaves you with a “stilted” phraseology that most people don’t enjoy reading.
Unique Considerations: Proofreaders look for things unique to book writing. In most kinds of writing, the ending quotation marks can sometimes appear inside the final period of the sentence, but this is never done in books. The ending quotation marks always appear outside.
Number Formatting: Numbers also are handled differently in magazines and books. We write numbers out when possible. There are some complicated rules for formatting money and numbers within quoted material. Proofreaders check them all.

Proofreads consult a style manual when necessary, and this is often necessary because there are so many thousands of decisions to be made in regard to how to present certain text. For the most part, we use the classic Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition. All of this is designed to present the Word of our Lord in the best light possible. He deserves that.