Don't Submit a Hot Mess:
5 Steps to Prep Your Manuscript for Editing 

Before making any changes, read your manuscript from beginning to end without editing a single sentence. 

• The Goal: Reacquaint yourself with the story as a whole.

• What to Look For: Keep a separate notepad or document open to track major plot holes, abandoned character arcs, and pacing issues.

Remember, you know your entire story inside and out.
Try to read from the reader's perspective, without all the backstory you've made up in your head that never made it to the page.

Once you have your analytical overview at your side, dive back into the text to fix any of the obvious issues that jumped out at you.

• The Goal: Clean up the "easy fixes" so your editor can spend their time and energy on the bigger issues.

• What to Look For: Tighten slow chapters, fix the timeline errors you noted in step one (where did those underwear come from?!), and strip out obvious filler words.

Reading your own writing silently causes your brain to automatically fill in missing words or skip clunky phrasing. We can avoid this by reading aloud and seeing how the words feel in our mouths.

• The Goal: Force yourself to slow down and physically interact with your prose.

• How to Do It: Use your smarphone or computer to record yourself reading chapters aloud—especially heavy dialogue scenes.

Put on a pair of headphones and listen to your book as if you were an audiobook consumer.

• The Goal: Experience your novel from a reader's perspective.

• What to Listen For: You will instantly hear stiff dialogue, accidental word repetitions, and sentences that are rhythmically awkward. Assuming you didn't correct them during Step 3, your ears will demand you do so now.

An alpha reader is a trusted individual who looks at your raw, unpolished story before anyone else sees it. This person doesn't have to have any professional credentials, either. It can be your mom, your pastor, your mailman, the weird guy who walks around the neighborhood in bunny slippers and a bath robe. As long as you trust them to tell you the truth and give you honest, constructive feedback, anyone can make a great alpha.

• The Goal: Get an objective perspective on whether your concepts actually work on the page.

• What We're Aiming For: Ask your alpha reader if the plot makes sense, if your characters feel authentic, and if the ending is satisfying. Since this person isn't a professional, we're looking for feedback on whether your story hits home with them on a personal level.