Campus Talks: The essential skill of self-editing for academics

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So, you’ve finished writing your book, the ideas are on the page and all that’s left is to send your opus off to the publisher, right? Not so fast. In between draft and submission is the revising stage, one that many scholars gloss over on their way to a polished manuscript. No draft emerges perfectly formed, and resolving any big-picture issues with argument, structure, evidence or style is all part of the hard work. After all, to paraphrase Hemingway, “all writing is rewriting”.

Editing is an eminently learnable skill – one that can be broken down into manageable steps. That alone can be enough to ease the fear of looking closely and honestly at how your manuscript is constructed. And a systematic approach can enable writers to shape their work in line with what peer reviewers, scholarly publishers and ultimately the target readership are looking for. 

For this episode, we talk to developmental editor, author and manuscript consultant Laura Portwood-Stacer. Her latest book, Make Your Manuscript Work, demystifies the editing process, breaking it down into steps. A public speaker, workshop facilitator and former journal editor, she previously taught media and cultural studies at New York University and the University of Southern California. She explains the key area that anchors a manuscript, how authors can identify the strengths and problems in their manuscript, the skills writers need to edit their own work, and why expanding their potential audience should be every scholarly writer’s focus. 

For more insight on related topics, check out our spotlight guide on how to take your academic writing skills to the next level. 

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