Self-published author success stories:

Megan Shiffra, I Choose You.

This book is about adoption for children aged 3–6 years old. It is a lovely story with beautiful illustrations. The author wrote it because of being teased as a child for being adopted.

About the author

“My name is Megan. I’m adopted, and on a journey to find and heal myself, and in return to help others. This book comes out of many years of wanting to heal myself as well as the story of me. It’s for anyone who is adopted, know you are not alone, and you are always enough. To anyone who wasn’t adopted always remember to be kind and see people for who they are not where they came from. You never know what someone is struggling with. My hope is the story of Meg will continue on in other books to help connect, heal, as well as teach a little lesson to us all."

The story

This book is about choices, adoption and love. It is told through a dove and a hummingbird. The birds come into the story after Meg who is adopted asks her mother to tell her the story of when she was born. Meg’s mom Lynda tells the story of Rose the dove and Pearl the hummingbird. How Pearl was chosen after being teased by other birds that didn’t look like her. It is a story about love and that you should always be kind. Just because something or someone looks or acts different doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with them.

 

Editing support 


When it comes to editing children’s books, there are a few key things I will look out for:

• Age-appropriate language: making sure the language, vocabulary and sentence structure are suitable for the target age group.
• Illustration alignment: checking that the text aligns correctly with illustrations and that captions and labels are accurate.
• Rhythm and rhyme: for picture books and poetry, ensuring the rhythm and rhyme are consistent.

Recommended reading: editing checklist for fiction: useful tips for every genre
 
As this was Megan’s first book, I specifically helped with the editing to ensure the words matched the images and made sense for a younger audience.

Megan wrote very well so the changes required were very small. We focused mostly on punctuation, grammar and spelling. I also made some suggestions for word changes to help with clarity and conciseness.

Results

I Choose You has great reviews on Amazon, including a glowing recommendation from a developmental paediatrician.

“As a developmental paediatrician, I advocate for full disclosure in adoptive situations. Sometimes it can be hard to find the right words to use but this charming book sets a healthy tone. Parents can read it during the early years and children will delight in the story and the captivating art. Well done. I highly recommend it!” - Dr Raun

Natalie Bryan, JC the Bumblebee with APD

This book is based on Natalie’s personal story and her son’s experience with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD.)

About the author and their story

“JC The Bumble Bee™ with APD is a book I have written and illustrated about a wee bumble on his life’s journey and how things can be a little different for this bee. This story is based on our son Jackson Cooper (JC) who is 10 years old. From an early age it was obvious that he had challenges. After many years of testing, reports, speech therapy, physio, seminars, paediatricians, educational psychologists, I had knowledge and experience to help other parents. Naturally becoming a support for them when their children were having challenges and needed advice as to where to start and how to help their sons and daughters. This resource has organically flowed and now I am wanting this to reach other kids, parents, teachers, audiologists, to have a fun story they can read to children to let them know they are not alone. My ultimate desire is to create more awareness around Auditory Processing Disorder, create more conversations and provide a resource to help support our kids who are being diagnosed with APD and have no idea why daily activities as simple as hearing are extremely challenging."

Editing support


First, I copyedited Natalie’s manuscript and provided comments on word choice. Then, I proofread the finished PDF version before it went to the printer.

Natalie received around 70 comments on her manuscript from me. We communicated via email but Natalie knew that she could call me to discuss any of the comments I made.

“I have recently had Leanne Wickham professionally edit/review my newly published children's educational book called "JC The Bumble Bee with APD''. From the very first moment we spoke Leanne was extremely approachable, efficient, kind and professional! I absolutely loved her feedback and editing process. She made this essential element so straightforward and affordable. She fit me into her busy schedule and I was extremely appreciative of her service and the process from start to end. If you need an editor I would highly recommend Leanne, a true pleasure to work with.”
— Natalie Bryan

Results

JC The Bumble Bee™ has received fabulous feedback from clinical audiologists, teachers, and parents of children with APD. As well as being featured on Stuff, Woman’s Day, TVNZ Breakfast and Learning Support Blog.

“Awareness of the listening process is very low. We struggle to understand how listening difficulties contribute to behaviour. In the past these behaviours have often been attributed to lack of intelligence, or interest, or even rudeness. Natalie has made a brave attempt to present her experiences with her son’s auditory inefficiency into an attractive book for families, in the hope that it will help to increase awareness of the importance of listening, especially for young children. Any resource which increases awareness of the importance of listening to “auditory receptive communication function” can only be a good thing." --- Richard Bishop AuD, MNZAS- Behavioural & Clinical Audiologist, Wellington

Alistair Carthew, Divine’s Choice

About the author

Alistair is a New Zealand author and journalist who writes engrossing political, adventure, historical – even romantic – novels observing and humorously satirising Kiwi culture.

His books celebrate New Zealand’s way of life, contemporary history, and the country’s peculiarities – such as worshipping the All Blacks, and lauding the elegant Tui native bird for Kiwi and international readers. In addition to writing, he also loves art. The caricatures on his website bring to life his books’ characters.

The story

Divine’s Choice is a humorous, contemporary, romantic adventure, a family saga with more twists and turns than the Hampton Court maze. It parodies the unique pressures facing the English monarchy and its rugby equivalent, the New Zealand All Blacks, in today’s cruel social media age.

Editing support

I provided copyediting and proofreading support on Divine’s Choice.

As this book was partially set in New Zealand and included various historical elements, there was a fair amount of research required. I also ensured that all Māori spelling was correct.

As I use track changes in Word, all my comments and changes were available for Alistair to accept or reject.

Results


“Leanne improved my manuscript immensely with her attention to detail and acute observations on some matters needing correction and/or further research. She met my expectations for a copy editor, particularly in her attention to detail regarding language translation and cultural matters pertaining to Māori. I was pretty happy with the manuscript when I sent it to Leanne, but she returned a much-improved version that made the copyediting exercise a worthwhile investment. I am working on my third book. I would have no hesitation in using Leanne’s services again in the future." — Alistair Carthew

What you can learn from these success stories

Editing is an essential part of the writing process

Mistakes and inconsistencies undermine your credibility and reduce the quality of your work. Whereas, error-free writing captures and maintains the attention of your readers. Don’t rush or skip the editing and proofreading process!

“You want people to notice you for your ideas, not your mistakes.”

Outside support is invaluable

I always recommend thoroughly revising and self-editing your manuscript to start with. And then working with a professional editor for:

• Their objective view: editors can identify weaknesses, inconsistencies and areas that may be unclear to readers.
• Help to make your writing clear and concise: so the reading experience is more enjoyable for your audience.
• To save time: editors streamline the editing process and identify issues more efficiently.
  
  

Editing needs differ from project to project

It’s important that you understand the specific type of editing your manuscript needs. Editors specialise in different areas, such as developmental editing, copyediting or proofreading.


And editing can differ significantly depending on the book genre, as each genre has its unique characteristics, challenges and expectations.
Knowing your requirements will help you find an editor with the right skill set.

Are you ready for the next stage in your writing journey?

You've done the hard work of writing to your heart's content and revising what you have written. Now it's time for your completed work to be edited.

If you want an editor who will preserve your voice while making changes to get your book ready for publishing, I would love to know more about your project. Get in touch with me today: leanne@inredpencil.co.nz