Why it is important to hire an editor for your book
You wrote the story. You have put your ideas on paper for what you hope the whole will see. The big misconception for many self –published or independent authors is that they don’t need to have their book edited; or that they can do it themselves. This is one area where skimping can cost you the success of your book.
An editor can do more than just look over your work and suggest areas that need correction. They can also provide ideas and suggestions that can enhance the overall flow of the book in general. A good editor can do much more than just spot when you left out a period. They will also know when you need to move a paragraph around, when something needs to be reworded, and when it may be a good idea to change the entire tense of the book altogether. So why do most authors overlook the all-important editor? Here are a few obvious reasons:
- Cost: Many authors think that it costs tons of money to hire a professional editor for their book. Hiring a book editor can be costly, but there are ways to avoid paying so much. One thing you may want to consider is hiring an English teacher; possibly a retired one. You could even consider hiring a college English major looking to build up their resume`.
- Time: Authors feel that it will be time consuming to find someone willing to edit their book. But with a quick search on Google for editors, you can find dozens of editors that have established reputations with editing and proofreading. The only part that may take a little time to complete is putting in requests to see samples of their work. Samples are important and failure to produce one could spell that this person is not as experienced as they say, especially if they have claimed to help other authors. Ask to see a sample, and check to see if any people have complained about them in the past. A good place to check is the Rip off Report (www.ripoffreport.com) This site allows customers that have been wronged by a business or organization to display their complaints openly. If the company has three or more complaints, I would strongly advise against working with that company because their practices may be unethical. At the same time, that’s the reason to ask for references because there are people out there that will get work done on their books and still turn around and bad mouth the company regardless.
While hiring an editor can be a daunting task, it is one that must be done if you want to ensure that your book will not be judged for a lack of such. It’s better to invest in an editor, rather than having to invest in creating a new identity for yourself after you become known as the author of the book that was full of errors.
Until next time,
~Sandra~
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