Great tips for doing your final edit — wish I’d had this when I was editing Imminent Danger, lol. Had to figure it all out for myself.
Formatting your book isn’t just about correct use of grammar and spelling. Here are some tips and pointers to making your book look like it’s been set by a professional.
- Search-and-replace is your friend – but use it wisely. Always check that your search query is set up properly and never ‘change all’ unless you are absolutely sure you really want to ‘change all’.
- Search and replace multiple spaces. In the past if you used a typewriter you would type a double space at the end of every sentence to create a clear sentence break in the monospaced typewritten text. Many authors still do this – particularly those who were brought up using typewriters. It’s not necessary anymore and can create weird spacing. This is one of the first things I do when I’m setting text.
- Change double dashes – – to n – or m — dashes. Again this…
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Michelle Proulx - Author 
Yes, made the change all mistake once. Total nightmare.
Ah, Microsoft Word. How thou continuest to thwart us.
Great share, Michelle.
Thanks 🙂 I thought it would be useful. I know I’ll be referring to it whenever I get to the final editing stage for my next book.
Interesting info. Thanks.
Two errors that I have to correct on my second edition: shuddered, not shuttered (my husband found the same error in a Pulitzer-Prize winning book!) and in most cases, I need “farther” not “further.” (http://keripeardon.wordpress.com/2013/04/04/further-versus-farther/)
Luckily, I have a friend who is a Yankee, and she corrected some of my Southernisms, such as “sit down in the floor.” In the South, you sit in the floor; it’s more proper, though, to say you sit on the floor. Also, I have to be careful about double prepositions; most aren’t necessary.