Honestly, I'm sure having a real editor give my book a good going over is really worthwhile, but it's a real leap of faith to make that investment on something that may only sell to my family and friends out of kindness. I think anyone that is self-publishing should have their book edited by a professional. The other option is to try to get it as good as I can and get a publishing company to buy the rights and do all that stuff on their nickel
I'm really curious how many of you are using an editing service and if you think it's worth it.
I hired Kristen Lamb to take a look at my first 100 pages of my mss. She didn't need that many. I'm convinced a good editor can tell you what your book needs in three chapters. Sometimes in three pages. I recommend that, if you hire an editor, you hire them for the first 50 pages. And for me, it was a game changer. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHave you started critiquing other people's writing, yet? And if so, has it been more than just one persons work?
ReplyDeleteBefore you fork over any money to an editing service, make sure you've had plenty of people reading & critiquing. If you need more people, you might look for a writers group in your area (check the library, although I found mine through meetup.com) or just look for readers (again, the library is a good place!). I think the editing part should be the LAST thing you do before publication (of which I agree, every book should be edited before publication, whether the traditional route or self-pubbing).
ReplyDeleteI hired an editor for the book I just self-published. It was the largest expense, and I believe the most worthwhile. But I just hired someone for line editing and continuity, and not for developmental editing - this is the same book that had gone through my reading group, my own edits (by my count, six while I was going through the query stage) and my former agent's edits twice.
ReplyDeleteSave the edit for the pre-publish stage to catch things like your overuse of a particular adjective. Stacy's suggestion of finding a writing group or critique partner is solid and will save you money and time.
Piper that may be a good solution for me, thanks for the idea! Good to see you again!
ReplyDeleteIvy, I've only helped one person so far. I'm still looking for more writing partners, but just not too actively at this point, I still need to finish and make a few passes on it, why do you ask?
Hi Stacy! I will definitely do that,just thinking ahead a little about the costs involved and wondering how many self-published authors are paying for their editing. =)
Hi Caryn! Welcome to the Verge! Thanks for the info on your self-pub, it's definitely less expensive if you fore go the developmental editing, I guess I will have a better idea when I get past some beta readers. Thanks for stopping by!
Because it can be a neat way to train yourself to see your own mistakes.
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