Self-publishing Writers Still Need Good Editors
Just because you’ve written your own book or story, re-written it, edited it, designed a cover and done a bunch of formatting does not mean you shouldn’t think about having someone else edit your work, also.
Let’s say you’ve written a book.
Then you edited it. Maybe even did some major re-writing, moving around chapters and retyping whole sections fresh. You’ve straightened out the characters, tweaked your dialogue, all the stuff you think needs being done so that you have a professional quality book ready for readers.
Perhaps you’ve even designed your own cover artwork, and maybe you’ve even written your own blurbs for the back cover of the book.
A few years ago all this would have been frowned upon, but today more and more book writers are going the self-publishing route.
But why until recently has self-publishing been frowned upon so, and continues to be in some circles?
For one simple reason.
The truth: Most self-published books are garbage.
Yes, it can hurt to hear this. After all the months and years and hard work you’ve put into your book, it still might not be very good. It’s your baby. You love that book. It has to be good.
But what you consider good might not be what a majority of readers will consider good. And unless you’ve only got one book in you, which is rare for most writers, you will want readers to come back and read other books, articles or stories you might write in the future.
So, you need your material to be top notch.
What to do?
Get an editor.
That might seem like a difficult task, but it’s not. With economic and technological changes in the print industry, more and more editors are going freelance. Sometimes these editors used to work at a publishing house or a were literary agents. Sometimes the editors are new, or have been freelancing for years. There are plenty of editors out there. Just do a little searching on the Web.
Then you start to think about how much it might cost to hire an editor. Here, again, you are worrying way too much. Many editors will edit an average novel-length project for $500 or less, which really isn’t that much money considering your book is your baby, right? Still, if you can’t afford that price range, there are other options. If you have some editing skill, find someone else who needs a book edited and offer to swap with them, you edit their book and they edit yours. You could also check at a local college in your area, and perhaps you will find a student with an appropriate degree who will be willing to edit your book for a lesser price. Remember to think outside of the box. There are options.
Related links
The Importance of Editing Your Writing
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May 21st, 2011 at 2:39 am
Nice advice for self publishing writers.
May 21st, 2011 at 2:52 am
I suppose it’s possible that “most” editors charge only $500 to edit a book, but honestly I’d be wary of anyone whose rates are that low. For $500 you’re not going to get a lot of the editor’s time; they’ll be churning through projects as quickly as they can trying to make ends meet. That’s probably not someone you want to trust with your “baby”.
I charge around $2000 depending on the length of the book and the depth of the edit. I’m a professional and that’s a fair wage for the amount of time I put in–including not just editing the book but providing a written analysis and chatting with the author over IM–and the amount of knowledge I bring to each project. I’ve never had a client complain about not getting their money’s worth.
That said, I agree with everything else in this post. It is definitely important to have someone else read over your book and tell you what works and what doesn’t. Editing can be difficult and sometimes painful, but the result is a much, much better book, and that means better word of mouth, better sales, more people who will remember your name and buy your next book too. It is absolutely worth the investment.
May 21st, 2011 at 3:02 am
Excellently presented arguments. We do have a blind spot for our mistakes. And even if your editing capabilities are above par, you would still need a good editor.
May 21st, 2011 at 4:52 am
Yep, around 90% of the stuff on Triond, mine included, would benefit from editing. We’re not as good as we think we are
May 21st, 2011 at 10:44 am
good points
May 21st, 2011 at 10:45 am
good points.
May 21st, 2011 at 10:50 am
I am self-publishing a the moment and going well definitely need good editiors
May 22nd, 2011 at 11:03 am
Good advice! I have actually read some self-published books that were absolutely horrible.Definitely could have used some serious editing.
May 23rd, 2011 at 1:23 am
Really helpful for me. I would love to have my novel edited, but I really don’t want to spend $500 and I worry about copyright issues to regarding your idea for swapping with others on the website. What stops them from stealing your work? I think going to my old college would work though. Good idea. Let me know if you have any others.