Self-Editing for Fiction Writers may be the most commonly owned book among working novelists. It covers all aspects of editing your novel.
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers is a classic book on the fine art of rewriting your manuscript into a form presentable to even the meanest editor. I learned a lot of what I know about self-editing from this book.
When you hear beginning novelists complain about “the rules” of fiction writing and how they put you in a straitjacket, they are probably talking about the timeless principles in this book.
The truth is that there are no rules of fiction writing, but there are some very useful rules of thumb, and you’ll learn them here. You can’t afford to NOT know the commonly accepted standards by which many editors will analyze your work. Then if you choose to color outside the lines, it’ll be because you’re a big kid now and know what you’re doing.