5 Reasons Why Your Self-Published Book Need a Professional Edit

The one investment that can make or break your self-published book is professional editing because readers do not forgive chaotic narratives. Your storytelling can be average, and they might still give you another chance.

But with messed-up spellings and formatting, which is all over the place, they are never picking up a book with your name on it again. Worse, they might even post a negative review online that turns others away before they even read your first page.

To escape all this, simply look for a reliable editing service and let them take care of the final draft. You will be left speechless by how a well-trained specialist can elevate your chances of getting noticed by 60 to 70%. Test it for yourself today.

Want Readers to Take Your Indie Book Seriously? Hire an Editor

No one might have ever told you this, but staying unaware is going to cost you your readers, credibility, and growth. So, here is the truth that every author must know.

Therefore, you must hire affordable manuscript formatting services that are also true to their standards and not just trying to make your book passable. After all, the aim is to give the readers something worth it. Otherwise, anybody can give them a PDF or manuscript with words, but that is not the same as giving them a story that is hard to stop reading.

10 Roles of an Experienced Copyreader

Here’s Why Your Book’s First Reader Should Be a Pro Editor

All in all, there are six tough-to-ignore reasons why any independent publisher should be investing wholeheartedly in hiring a professional editor. Let’s go through each to understand the perks of having their support throughout the journey.

• They Catch What You Miss

Even the most careful self-publishing authors sometimes overlook typos, awkward phrasing, and other minor inconsistencies. However, a professional editor would not. They bring fresh eyes and trained instincts to spot what your prejudice might not let you notice. So, as they are not emotionally attached to the text, they see it clearly.

• They Give Structure to Your Messy Draft

A good editor doesn’t just fix sentences; they help shape the entire flow of your book. Such that if your pace is not appropriate, or your chapters feel like being unnecessarily dragged, the copy checker will fix it for you.

Additionally, this experienced professional is also well-trained to take care of your core theme. They make sure it stays prominent through every chapter while also organizing your content for the readers to stay engaged.

• They Protect Your Credibility

About 90% of the time, readers are quick to judge. So, in a situation where your self-published book has a handful of errors, the audience will be quick to label you careless and unprofessional even if your ideas are brilliant. We know this is heartless, but it is what it is.

Thus, you need a professional editor who ensures that your manuscript looks polished enough to build trust. Also, especially for the self-publishers, credibility is everything. So, make sure you are not gambling on it by settling for unreliable book editing and proofreading services, just to save ten dollars.

• They Elevate Your Voice

One strong suit of these book editors is that they can refine your story for the better, and it would still be in your own voice. Not less than a miracle, this skill is an incredible way to make your story even more engaging. The copy checker also trims the needlessly dragged paragraphs so that the real focus of the content keeps the readers hooked.

• They Know The Market

You have to agree that no one knows the self-publishing market like they do. From the genres to the trends, and from the publisher’s taste to the tactics of impressing them, an editor is fully aware of the industry. Therefore, they know exactly what works and what doesn’t in your genre. Additionally, they have seen what readers respond to and what gets ignored, which makes their feedback very important for your success.

• They Save You From Costly Mistakes

Finally, publishing a book takes time, energy, and money. And, if you skip the editing process outsourced to a fresh pair of eyes, all of these resources can turn into a waste. Hence, instead of thinking about it as a negligible phase, consider editing as a priority. It often is the reason you narrowly escape the poor reviews, low sales, and wasted effort.

Differences between an Editing Software & a Copyreader

Capability/Features	Software	Editor
Detects basic grammar and spelling errors	✔	✔
Understands context and tone	×	✔
Improves sentence flow with clarity	×	✔
Offers personalised feedback	×	✔
Adapts to the audience’s expectations and genre	×	✔
Fixes punctuation along with formatting	✔	✔
Spot inconsistencies in the plot of the story	×	✔
Handles complex sentence reformation	×	✔
Works with emotion, nuance, and style	×	✔
Learn your voice and make it stronger	×	✔

Things to Consider Before Finalising an Editor

In order to hire someone whom you can blindly trust with your manuscript, you need to first determine the type of editing you require. For example, there are three kinds.

• Developmental that focuses on big-picture issues like structure and plot
• Line editing that aims at sentence-level flow and style
• Copyediting or proofreading, which includes grammar, spelling, and consistency checks.

Once you know what you want to get fixed, you can start looking for a service that provides you with exactly that. Search for a couple of top-rated agencies and then start talking to the consultants. You can ask general questions about the copy checker’s experience, training, and technical knowledge. 

Apart from this, you must request them for a sample edit. It is a practical way to evaluate the skills of someone you are considering to hire. After that, consider if they have enough practical experience with your specific genre or subject matter.

If they pass this check, it is a good sign, and now you can talk to them about the pricing structure. Remember that the value you agree to pay should be compatible with the services that they are willing to offer.

In the end, talking to them will make you figure out whether or not you both are like-minded. Don’t be so shocked. This is also a ground rule that you and your editor have to be on the same page for a successfully polished script.

Therefore, before signing the contract, be very sure that the working relationship between you two is effortlessly smooth. Otherwise, there can be hard-to-deal-with consequences.

The Summary

To sum everything up, the only sentence that comes to mind is that it is extremely imprudent of a self-publishing author to submit their draft without getting it edited. This irrational step can cause severe damage to everything.

Your image, your book, and its chances of becoming a bestseller. So, always remember one thing: the reader may overlook a lot of an author’s slip-ups in design and font. However, if someone cannot even spell the basic words properly or place the content into a nice format, the reader will not return. This is the exact reason why you need a professional copy checker.