How to Write Non-Fiction: When is the book finished?
“I have not yet found words to truly convey the intensity of this remembered rapture — that moment of exquisite joy when necessary words come together and the work is complete, finished, ready to be read.”
—bell hooks, remembered rapture
You can edit a book forever if you want to.
Every time you read it, you will find things to change. Every time you hire another editor, they will find more. If you work with beta readers, they will also offer opinions.
Your book will never be finished — until you decide it is.
Nothing is ever perfect. Even if you hire three separate editors and use multiple proofreaders, you will still find a typo or an error in the published book. Pick up any bestseller from a traditional publisher, and you will still find an issue somewhere. It happens to everyone.
Look at any prize-winning or bestselling book on Amazon and check the reviews. The more popular the book, the more issues people find with it. There will never be a book that satisfies everyone, all the time.
Of course, you must make sure your book is the best it can be, but set some checkpoints for yourself so you do eventually finish.
• Have you self-edited your manuscript?
• Have you worked with a professional editor, or at least worked through the manuscript with other writers to improve it?
• Have you used editing tools or a proofreader?
• Have you set a deadline to move into the publishing process so you are not editing forever?
If you’ve been through this rigorous editorial process and you still feel the itch to edit again, be honest with yourself.
Is another round of changes really going to make a substantial difference to this book?
Would it be better to work on publishing and marketing, or even on the next book project, instead of constantly reworking this one?
Are you struggling with a fear of judgment, fear of failure, procrastination, or other mindset issues that you need to work on instead of editing?
Revisit chapter 1.11 on fear and self-doubt or check out my book The Successful Author Mindset if you think this might be the case.
Strive for excellence, do your best, and then release your book out into the world.
“Set a limit on revisions, set a limit on drafts, set a time limit… The book will never be perfect.”
—Kristine Kathryn Rusch, The Pursuit of Perfection: And How it Harms Writers
Questions:
• Have you followed an editorial process to make your book the best it can be within a specific time limit?
• If you’re still struggling with the pursuit of perfection, what can you do to move past that?
Resources:
• The Pursuit of Perfection: And How it Harms Writers — Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• The Successful Author Mindset: A Handbook for Surviving the Writer’s Journey — Joanna Penn
• remembered rapture: the writer at work — bell hooks
