• Self-Editing: What To Leave On the Cutting Room Floor

    Often when I am thumbing through submissions at Xulon, reading a manuscript for our critique service, or simply editing a whole manuscript, I quickly pick up on a lot of material that is—in a word—unnecessary. If you’ve ever gotten our Editorial Critique, Manuscript Review, or had your book edited by me, you’ve more than likely received a comment or two instructing you what to leave on the “cutting room floor.” Think of your book as a movie on a reel. From the title page to the index, from the climax to the back cover, each part of your book is in a filmstrip. When attached together,…