Someone asked me the other day if a book can have "too many" edits for its own good. Here's my response.
* * *
There is no such thing as "too many" edits for a book. Every time you go through editing, you're changing your book, edging it closer toward perfection (an impossible destination, by the way, but still a mandatory pursuit!). That means you're doing your job as a writer. That may include putting your book through three edits. Four. Ten. Twenty. It really doesn't matter. If the book hasn't yet been published, every time you think about it is an opportunity for another edit and more improvements. PROVIDING …
- You know what the hell you're doing as an editor and not simply mucking around aimlessly, which could result in making your book worse.
- Your book is still far from being as close to "perfect" as you'd like.
- You have ample time and opportunity to dig into it once again—not a simple or a quick task. Read More