The Art of Book Revision: Group and Prioritize Your Changes

The fateful day has arrived when you get your manuscript back from your editor. With both excitement and trepidation, you open the document. Although you’ve discussed what the changes might look like, you still can’t stop the plummeting feeling in your gut as you see the result. Your revision looks like…so much work.

You’re overwhelmed. How do you even know where to start?

Step 1: Start at the source

Let’s start with the most obvious step: ask your editor. What seemed like the biggest issue? Is there one concern that kept popping up, over and over? Perhaps there’s a change that has domino effects on other changes, and they can recommend you start your revision there. Your editor might be ahead of you and have already pointed out some good places for you to start, but if not, ask. Put on your Santa hat and make a list. You’ll be checking it more than twice.

Also, look to your manuscript for clues. This is Ground Zero to figuring out your next steps. Preferably before you run scream-wailing to your editor, read through your edited manuscript, from top to bottom, at least once. You should start to see certain patterns. You’ll also spot areas that raise questions you want to ask your editor. Make notes for yourself. Maybe add a few items to your list.

Step 2: Group changes together by type

You could try to go through your edits sequentially, from page one to the end, but you’ll be juggling more than one change at a time, and we all know that actually, multitasking doesn’t work.

The first trick of revision is to group the changes together by type. Look for common themes:

• Changing the order of certain passages.
• Changing the flow of time.
• Adding or subtracting dialogue.
• Adding or subtracting research and/or footnotes.
• Renaming your chapters.
• Making chapter breaks in different places.
• Changing your language to more gently address a sensitive subject.
• Pumping up your language to be more forceful and direct.
• Choosing one spelling variant.
• Fleshing out your characters.
• Rewriting transitions inside or between chapters.
• Clarifying what you mean in certain sentences.
• Checking for repetitive terms or all scenes where a character appears.

Step 3: Prioritize changes

The second trick, after grouping, is to prioritize different changes—like triage in the emergency room. Some changes are more important than others, meaning they have trickle-down or domino-like effects on other parts of the manuscript. You’ll want to do these first. The medical staff won’t try to deal with everything at once during an emergency: only the most important, life-changing needs. That’s what you’re going to do, as well.

Instead of making all the changes on page five, then going to page six, and so on, you’ll pick one kind of change to start with, and make that change on all pages that apply.

If we look back at the list above, changing the order of certain passages or chapters should come ahead of rewriting transitions between or inside chapters. Adding or subtracting research or background information should come before clarifying sentences or checking spelling. Why check spelling when you might delete or rewrite that passage? Why create a new transition before you know what new order your chapters go in?

You’ll be tempted to abandon your plan; resist as much as you can. The manuscript will look and feel messy for a while, but you’ll get to the cosmetics later. You want strong bones first.

The bottom line

You’ll have an easier time dealing with the volume of revisions you need to make if you go through your changes by type and priority. Save your sanity and stay focused: group your changes and check them off the Santa-list, one by one.

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