Confused About New Editions
What Are the Requirements for a New Edition of Your Book?
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning
#HowToDoItFrugally Series of Books for Writers.
To maintain the traditions of the book industry, though, authors (and publishers) should plan on these five essentials or it to be considered a true new edition:
1. A new ISBN number.
2. A new cover.
3. An "Edition Number" addition to the title of the book.
4. A thorough look at the book to be sure grammatical and formatting efforts are up-to-date.
5. A substantial update of specifics like internet addresses.
6. New revisions or updates of the general content of the book.
If somehow a factual error slipped through in an earlier edition, consider using an errata feature in the front or back matter of the book. (The publishing world borrowed the Latin word errata as a more formal approach to admitting an error.) And here are two good reason to decide against a new edition:
1. A new edition—just like the first—requires time and effort to publicize it.
2. A new edition needs to be paid for. But then, you've been through that before and have an idea of the cost. You'll still need to factor in inflation and any fancy ideas you have for the new one.
I am including part of my sell sheet I'm using for the new third edition of my winningest book from the #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books, "The Frugal Editor" for you. (See below.) It may give you some ideas for your own new edition or at least for some of the processes that may be involved in developing one:
Why a Third Edition of The Frugal Editor?
It surprises people when they learn that grammar rules change over time. Or that what they learned in high school or advanced grammar classes in college is either passé or may not apply to fiction. It also surprises them to learn that a perfectly edited book is never perfect because there are always so many disagreements among experts. And even experts are often misinformed. The worlds of grammar and style choices are filled with myths and misinformation like, “Never use contractions in your writing,” “Never use fragments,” and “Never end a sentence with a preposition.” As my client base grew, I kept running into more flagrant publishing world scams perpetrated by "professionals." Thus, a new edition of The Frugal Editor was a must! So here is a smattering of what is new:
The Third Edition has been reorganized and my publisher tells me I outdid myself with about 50% new (helpful!) material including new “Editor’s Extras” based on my own school of hard knocks!
Authors will love the all-new sections including:
o Beta readers and peer reviewers
o What you probably don’t know about custom dictionaries
o Up-to-date rules for accommodating gender-specific and other cultural needs
o A chapter for word-lovers and poets
o Quickie reviews of word processors for you
o What even traditionally accepted front and back matter can do for your book sales, your career, and your readers
o Political Correctness considerations change and grow with each passing day. So, yes! Lots of updating here!
o And a few new grammar terms I coined for the sake of making it easier to understand--and more fun.
The Third Edition of The Frugal Editor still includes the basics that make you into an on-your-own editor when you must be. Few writers other than Stephen King can afford to hire an editor for every query letter, every media release, every media kit, every blog post. So until your career is so star-studded you can afford a publicist and editor on a retainer basis, writers need to know both the basics of editing and the little-known secrets.
The third edition is still loaded with reader favorites like what authors need to know about book covers—but it’s updated!
New information will dispel myths like these:
o Agents are a cantankerous lot. (Nope! In The Frugal Editor, twenty-one of the nation's best tell you their pet peeves and they do it in the best of spirits.)
o If your English teacher told you something is okay, it is. (No! Language rules have changed since you were a sophomore. Anyway, your English teachers likely have no background in publishing, so apart from basic grammar, how much help can they be?
o If a manuscript or query is grammar-perfect, you'll be fine. (No! Lots of things that are grammatically correct annoy publishers.)
o Always use your Spell and Grammar Checker. (No! Some suggest you don't use it at all, but The Frugal Editor will help you make it your partner instead of your enemy.)
o It's easy to avoid agent and editor scams by asking other writers. (The Frugal Editor gives you a to-do and not-to-do lists to help you avoid being taken.)
o Your publisher will assign a top-flight editor. (Maybe, but don't count on it. The more you know, the better partner you’ll be for an editor!)
o Formatters and editors will take care of the hyphens, ellipses, and all the other grungy little punctuation marks that English teachers avoided teaching because they didn't know how to use them either. (Chances are, you'll catch even great formatters and editors in an error or two if you know your stuff!)
“Careers that are not fed die
as readily as any living
organism given no sustenance.”
as readily as any living
organism given no sustenance.”
More About Carolyn:
Carolyn Howard-Johnson brings her experience as a publicist, journalist, marketer, editor, and retailer to the advice she gives in her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers and the many classes she taught for nearly a decade as instructor for UCLA Extension’s world-renown Writers’ Program. The books in her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books published by Modern History Press include the third edition of The Frugal Book Promoter and the third edition The Frugal Editor which won awards from USA Book News, Readers’ Views Literary Award, the marketing award from Next Generation Indie Books, and the coveted Irwin award in its earlier editions. It will soon be available at this shortened URL provided by representatives at AmazonCentral.com: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BK5224CF
