day 19: should I hire an editor?

Miss a day? Visit the main post for links to each day.

Once you finish writing your book, you’ve likely read it time and time again, making corrections and improvements along the way. It seems ready to go to print.

STOP.

No matter how great a writer you are, you need to have your book edited. Please do not make the mistake of skipping this part of the process. It is vital.

If you do not have your book professionally edited, you will likely regret it later. If you don’t hire a good editor to copyedit your book, you will likely regret it later.

Often, saving money on editing is seen as a good way to keep self-publishing costs down. My opinion is that quality copyediting is one of the best places to invest your money when it comes to your self-published book!

I’ve seen it before. And from the standpoint of someone who does the layout and formatting for books, I can tell you this:  It will cost you more in the long run to have the book re-edited and have the errors fixed in the various formats of the book than it would to have it edited properly in the first place.

When choosing an editor, please do your homework. Is the editor qualified? Look at his/her portfolio. Talk to previous clients about their experiences.

I personally recommend Sandra Peoples of Next Step Editing. She edited my book, Self-Publish: Moving from Idea to Product (and wrote the chapter on editing in the book), and she has done excellent work for many of my clients as well.

The bottom line—please don’t skip the editing process. It’s vital to making sure your book is a quality product. Not only can poor editing impact the sales of your book, it can damage your reputation as a writer.

____________________

During the month of October, we’re chatting about everything self-publishing—design, branding, marketing, formats—you name it! Pulling questions from Design by Insight clients, Re:Write Conference attendees, and you, we’ll take a look at what can often be a confusing and potentially overwhelming subject.