Editing - do it yourself or hire a professional
Today's topic is about whether you should edit your own work or pay for the services of a professional editor.
I have read Menu for Murder probably one hundred times beginning to end. My friends and family have read it. I printed a hard copy for a book club to read. Everyone found a few errors here and there. I use spell check and grammar check. Sounds like I covered all the bases, right? Wrong!
To be honest, I was afraid of what might happen when an editor read it. Would the editor hate my writing? Would I find out I really can't write and I shouldn't ever contemplate quitting my paying job? Would an editor try to re-write my manuscript into her own story?
I realized, if an editor hated my work and tried to change the entire thing, I didn't have to accept it. The advantage of hiring your own editor is that you can choose what to accept or reject. If a traditional publishing house options your work, they will use an in-house editor. You lose control of what stays and what goes.
I posted a request for referrals in several of my writing groups. I found three editors and asked them all for quotes and a sample review of my work. Based on the price, which varied from $1500 to $3500 for a manuscript of my length, and the sample edits, I selected one person.
I anxiously awaited her review. I bit my fingernails. I paced the floor for days and checked my email every ten minutes. I received the first thirty pages of her review and threw a party. Not only did she "get" my character but she improved my writing, grammatically and in story. Her thoughts were insightful and on point.
My experience has been very positive so I might be biased. However, if you find one piece of useful information in my blogs, I hope this is it. Find an editor and have her (or him) go through your work BEFORE you submit pages to agents and traditional publishing house editors. It might make the difference between acceptance and rejection.
Happy trails,
Leslie
I have read Menu for Murder probably one hundred times beginning to end. My friends and family have read it. I printed a hard copy for a book club to read. Everyone found a few errors here and there. I use spell check and grammar check. Sounds like I covered all the bases, right? Wrong!
To be honest, I was afraid of what might happen when an editor read it. Would the editor hate my writing? Would I find out I really can't write and I shouldn't ever contemplate quitting my paying job? Would an editor try to re-write my manuscript into her own story?
I realized, if an editor hated my work and tried to change the entire thing, I didn't have to accept it. The advantage of hiring your own editor is that you can choose what to accept or reject. If a traditional publishing house options your work, they will use an in-house editor. You lose control of what stays and what goes.
I posted a request for referrals in several of my writing groups. I found three editors and asked them all for quotes and a sample review of my work. Based on the price, which varied from $1500 to $3500 for a manuscript of my length, and the sample edits, I selected one person.
I anxiously awaited her review. I bit my fingernails. I paced the floor for days and checked my email every ten minutes. I received the first thirty pages of her review and threw a party. Not only did she "get" my character but she improved my writing, grammatically and in story. Her thoughts were insightful and on point.
My experience has been very positive so I might be biased. However, if you find one piece of useful information in my blogs, I hope this is it. Find an editor and have her (or him) go through your work BEFORE you submit pages to agents and traditional publishing house editors. It might make the difference between acceptance and rejection.
Happy trails,
Leslie
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