Why You Should Invest in Professional Book Editing Services

Editing: an indispensable part of the self-publishing process or an extra you can simply skip? Many self-publishing authors think it’s fine to forgo a professional editor. Maybe they have a friend or two read their book to look for typos. Perhaps they think writers don’t need an editor. After all, most writers are good at grammar and punctuation use, right?

Here’s a fact that should put this argument to rest: all the best-selling books have had an editor. If professional editing is important to best-selling authors, shouldn’t you have an editor review your self-published book?

Why do I need professional book editing services?

There are several good reasons why you need book editing services.

·      Fresh eyes and objectivity: No matter how well you review your own work, a fresh set of eyes brings an entirely different perspective. You’ve probably reviewed your manuscript dozens of times. You are so familiar with it; it can be very hard to be subjective.

·      Professional advice: Friends and relatives can give you advice. Professional editors can give you professional advice. They are trained to find (and fix - that’s important!) typos, grammatical errors, subject-verb agreement, punctuation and more.

·      Good investment: A professional book editor helps protect your investment. If you’re self-publishing your book, you’ve invested both time and money. Typos and other mistakes make your book look less than professional. And, if you want to sell your book, you want to give yourself the best opportunity to be successful.

·      Saves time: Having an editor saves you time from repeated proofing. One pass with a fresh set of eyes can find more needed changes than several passes with your own. It’s not that you can’t spot typos or other grammatical mistakes. As the person closest to the manuscript, you’ve seen it too many times to notice your mistakes.

What types of book editing are available?

Professional book editors offer different levels of editing services. Most editors will distinguish the type of editing services they provide.

Proofreading is a thorough review of the manuscript to find typos, grammatical errors, and errors with on-page layout. Line editing takes a deeper look, reviewing phrasing and structure and the flow of the content. Developmental editing looks at the plot and the character development and notes dialogue issues. This type of editing is more intense and offers a bird’s-eye view of your entire book.

How do I get my book professionally edited?

You can find book editing services online. At 48 Hour Books, we offer a list of professional editors on our website. Their services range from proofreading to copy editing or line editing to manuscript critique and developmental editing.

When seeking an editor, ask for references and check out their credentials. Look for editors with experience.

What do book editing services cost?

You may be wondering how much does it cost to hire someone to edit a book? Book editing prices can vary, depending on location, but we offer a general price range for editing services by genre here.