You know your story and characters better than anyone. Every word is where it belongs, and your prose paints a gorgeous picture sure to inspire and encourage. Then you show it to a friend. She says the story is good, but it needs professional editing.
At first, you cringe. Professional editing? There must be a mistake. After all, you just spent days, weeks, months, or even years making it just right. Why would you need to pay someone to do what you’ve already done?
Great question. Here are three answers.
1. You’re Not a Professional Editor
You’ve taken a lot of time to write your book, so you know it’s hard work. All those people who say writing is easy don’t know what they’re talking about.
The same goes for editing. Because while you may be a great writer, editing is different. It requires unique skills. Yes, you can learn those skills. In fact, you probably have learned some of them while writing. However, unless you edit regularly for yourself and others, you should probably get help from someone who does.
That means enlisting the services of a professional editor.
Choose the right editor, and your story won’t suffer. It will shine brighter than ever before.
A good editor doesn’t just cut words or fix spelling mistakes. Good editors dig into your story. They make sure the main point jumps off the page and that your storyline doesn’t go off the rails. Basically, they give readers a good experience. Happy readers mean more readers. More readers mean more money in your pocket.
You’re Too Close to the Story
You know every detail of your book. This is a good thing, but it can cause problems.
When you’re too close to the story, you struggle to let any of it go. This rears its head in many ways.
One common problem is telling everything to your readers. Believe it or not, readers don’t need to know every moment of a character’s backstory. Without professional editing, you may not realize that. Most likely, you won’t even notice that you’re oversharing. A good editor recognizes the problem and helps curb this impulse.
A good editor also deciphers what is vital to your story. Then, the editor gets rid of some of the distracting stuff that slows your story down.
Your Story Deserves It
Unless you’re an atypical author, you want your book to be as strong as possible. Yes, you went over the manuscript forty times. But a professional editor brings a fresh set of eyes. A professional editor sees what you can’t see and knows how to fix problems you don’t even realize exist.
If you’re going to publish your book, you want to give it the best chance at success. To do this, you need to hire a professional editor. Once you do, you’ll likely fall in love with your story all over again. And by reviewing the editor’s changes, you’ll see what traps you fall into. Then you’ll start thinking like an editor.
By the time you write your next book, your writing will be stronger, your characters will jump off the page, and your readers will thank you for it.
Professional Editing Help Is Here
Have a book that could use some cleaning up? From picture books to thrillers to memoirs and beyond, I offer professional book editing services to serve authors of all types.
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