Who should edit my book? Should I edit my book myself? Your not the only one who has asked yourself these questions, but after years of working in this industry I think I can confidently give you the answer to both of these questions.
A close friend of mine has been a purchasing agent for one of the largest book distributors in North America for years.
He once told me a story about an invitation-only event he attended, where the Who’s Who of Authors and Publishers had gathered together. He found himself sitting at a table with seven of the most successful authors alive, and was astonished by the camaraderie and friendship they shared.
But the most interesting thing he learned about the connection between them all was that they all used the same editor.
These authors, at least in a private group, credited their editor with playing a substantial role in each of their success stories.
Some writers feel that if you can write, you can edit and choose to handle the writing and editing of their work themselves. The biggest problem with this is that authors cannot objectively edit their own work, they have read it so often that they read what they meant to say, not what is actually on the page. As an author, having a good editor can be a large factor on whether your book reaches it’s full potential.
A good editor goes beyond the typical tasks of proofreading your work and identifying misspellings, typos, and grammatical errors. While those things are important, a great editor is much more than just a human version of spellcheck. Beyond marking a book for grammar and typos, editors can offer suggestions for character and plot development as well as pinpoint weaknesses or inconsistencies within the book.
Now this is the point where you have to realize you get what you pay for, many editors have different packages that go from basic grammar all the way of to fine-tooth analysis.
NY Times Bestselling authors rely on the help of the best professional editors, but as an author without any major contacts, it can be hard to find the right editor for your project. We have compiled a top secret list of editors that have worked with NewYork Times BestSellers but work on a freelance basis so these amazing editors are available to you too. Many of the editors on the list are surprisingly cost effective, don’t settle for a run of the mill editor, with our top secret list you can use the same editors as bestselling authors.