Aaron Lamb has been writing books for years. His latest, Cults, coffee and close encounters is self-published. He has worked with a team to bring the book together; however self-editing has become a viable option with the introduction of Ai tools like Claude and ChatGPT.
Here are Aaron Lamb’s 5 top tips for self-editing a book:
- Take a break before editing After finishing your draft, step away for at least a few days. This allows you to return with fresh eyes, making it easier to spot issues.
- Read your work aloud This helps you catch awkward phrasing, run-on sentences, and dialogue that doesn’t sound natural. Or you can use the read aloud function on Word.
- Focus on structure first Start by examining your book’s overall structure, plot, and pacing before diving into line-by-line edits. Ensure your narrative flows logically.
- Use editing tools wisely Utilize grammar and spell-check tools, but don’t rely on them entirely. They can miss context-specific errors. They are your co-pilot.
- Use the control Find function and type on words passive words like was, maybe, could, should etc. You’ll be able to edit these words for more active words to make your writing more engaging.
Aaron Lamb 