Editorially speaking, an editor refers to the term “cut” as removing words/pages from a manuscript to meet a target word count or sharpen the writing. The editor inserts a line-through in the marked text and returns the manuscript to the author, noting exactly what should be removed.
It can also mean eliminating one to two pages within a book or cutting down on dimensions to use again as required. For instance, a bookbinder might use pages from an old book to make a new cover or spine.
On both books and publishing, the significance of cut cannot be underestimated. In an age of diminishing and diminishing attention spans, there hasn’t been a better time than now to ensure that your book is captivating enough for someone to read its conclusion. And cut is here to help you with just that.
Removing extra wordings and sequences will bring conciseness to your narrative, increasing your reader’s interest in the story. In an ultra-competitive space, those extra hundred words could mean the difference between an actual sale and a book sitting among the many others collecting dust.
So, if you’re serious about being published, it is critical to pay attention to cut. It can be the deciding factor on whether or not you succeed.
Reduce means shortening by excluding content from a piece of writing. Often, this is meant just for storage purposes but in some instances, to enhance pacing and to exclude redundant material.
What cut does is it reduces clutter from the book and makes it more crisp. Or use it to add to the title’s pace or remove unneeded content.