Editing Essentials: Do you really need a professional editor for your self-published book?

Many self-published books have the potential to perform well but they still remain unnoticed.

One of the major reasons for this is an unedited or poorly edited manuscript. And that's why we say — "Editing unlocks the true potential of your manuscript."

Some books might not need editing, but how would you know whether yours needs editing or not? And if it does, what type of editing will be the best choice?

Let’s discuss in detail: Books that don’t need editing.

Two types of authors don’t need editing:

Type 1: You wrote a book just to pass the time or you got it published simply to fulfill the desire to publish a book. In such cases, where there’s no direct goal of selling or reaching a wide audience, you can skip editing. 

Type 2: People who publish books for vanity (i.e., to get admissions, awards, recognition) or simply to add the prefix “Author” with their name, professional editing is optional.

The above two types of authors can skip editing. Online tools like Grammarly or ProWritingAid can be used to correct basic grammar and spelling errors in such cases. These tools are not a substitute for professional editing, but they can help avoid obvious mistakes in casual projects.

Tip: Even if your book falls into either of the two categories above, at least do a light proofread if you plan to make it public. While it may not seem important to edit yourself, the typos or bad sentences that are noticeable can distract readers, even if the books are written for vanity or personal works.

When Editing is Mandatory:

There are three types of authors who cannot skip editing (if you have the budget)

1. Serious Authors: Authors who are serious about their writing and aspire to leave an impression on their readers with their book. In traditional or self-publishing, serious authors do not want to be seen as novice writers by getting negative feedback on grammar, flow or structure. Editing allows their ideas to dictate how their book is seen without distractions.

2. Career Oriented: In order to 'go pro' in the writing world, if authors see editing as an expense and not as an investment, it will be difficult to build credibility. A professionally edited book shows your commitment to quality and helps you to build credibility.

3. Authors who want to Publish Traditionally: If your goal is to get traditional publishers or agents to look at your manuscript, you'll need to make sure your manuscript has been edited. This cannot be negotiated! A well-presented manuscript in a competitive landscape gives you a better chance of being discovered and being taken seriously.

Consequences of not having your book edited, even when it needed editing: 

Book reviews become lists of complaints: Unedited books may get lower ratings due to typos, awkward phrasing, factual inconsistencies, and plot holes. These reviews can harm your book's Amazon rating and online presence permanently.

Your profile and brand credibility are at stake: If you wrote your book to promote a business, errors can make your potential clients doubt your professionalism. One typo in a business book can make your authority diminish in the eyes of your target audience.

Costly edits later on: If you choose to edit after publishing, you'll likely have to republish it and it could mean repurchasing ISBNs, updating the cover files, and paying the reformatting costs.

Tip: First impressions count in publishing. Even if your book initially gets some readers, negative reviews caused by avoidable errors can limit the future book sales for that book. It may be difficult to overcome.

Determining the need for editing based on language:

If you make a lot of mistakes while writing and even doubt your writing skills and there are chances of making a lot of grammatical errors, your manuscript will need editing no matter how many times you self-edit it as you're doing it with the same knowledge every time. 

Your writing skills are good but you're writing long-form content for the first time. Editing is vital in such cases, as long-form content needs to be in proper flow and well-polished. This will also help you to understand how to write a book perfectly.

Editing is not solely about correcting what is "wrong." A good editor can also highlight your strengths, so that your writing becomes powerful and engaging. 

What if you can't spend any money?

1. Publish It Later: Postpone your plan of publishing a book until you have enough money to hire a good editor. If you release an unedited book too early, the loss of sales could far exceed the initial cost of editing.

2. Use an online grammar app: Consider a low-cost online grammar app such as Grammarly, ProWritingAid, or Hemingway Editor. Just be cautious because they may catch basic grammar and clarity issues, but they cannot replace the skills of an experienced human editor.

3. Get your book read by avid readers: Have beta readers that read and provide feedback on flow, clarity, informational content, engagement, etc.

4. Discover some self-editing techniques: Read it out loud, change the font before proofreading and take a printout to catch errors that you couldn't see on a screen.

Tip: If you're unable to edit your book professionally, then make every attempt to adequately replace editing by extending your self-imposed review—do multiple rounds over a few weeks, focusing on one aspect: grammar, structure, clarity, consistency, etc

But how does one become an editor?

Being an editor isn't just about reading, an editor is a trained eye and ear for all things language.

Most importantly, an editor has read hundreds (if not thousands) of books, across all genres.

They have a wealth of experience, whether it's editing their own writing or writing for other people (ghostwriting).

They have a deep understanding of grammar, syntax, story pacing, and presentation style.

They can spot inconsistencies in a manuscript, awkward synonyms, and illogical interruptions on the first reading.

They usually reach a level of professionalism after editing at least 300,000 words. 

Another consideration: In addition to technical skill, great editors possess emotional intelligence. They know how to lift your writing up while maintaining your voice, an understanding that no automated process can replicate.

Final thoughts

Many books by famous authors like J.K. Rowling, Amish Tripathi, and Stephen King have gone through more than one round of edits. If you took the time to check the credits, you would see their editors acknowledged. Editing transforms potential books into great ones.

You cannot expect your book to survive in the competitive publishing market if it has mistakes throughout. Editing is not optional for you. Whether you hire an editor or not, when you skip the editing phase, you will feel bad for it—because the reader has lots of choices and they will always choose better books that respect their time and attention. 

If you would like us to edit your writing, please reach out!