Have you ever sent a message to someone and immediately noticed a terrible, yet hilarious typo? We’ve all been there! I, myself, have shared some LOL and LMAO moments over autocorrect blunders. Making mistakes is part of life and no one is perfect. But if you’re an author with publishing dreams of success, then you can’t afford to have readers discover errors in your book. Editing your content  is absolutely vital, since it’s incredibly easy for your book’s mistakes to be plastered across the web, turning your dream into a publishing nightmare.

 

This doesn’t mean that your book needs to be a masterpiece of perfection. Authors often miss things they meant to tweak or fix long after their book is published. Mistakes are expected, and even encouraged, as you grow and develop your writing. But the last thing you want is for your book to be caught red-handed with typos, gaps in plotlines, or inconsistently spelled character names. Errors in your content are no laughing matter. Readers will notice and this can not only hurt your book’s sales, but also damage your credibility in the publishing world before you even get a chance to build it.

 

Never Fear, Your Editor Is Here!

You aren’t writing with an array of grammar and punctuation rules flooding your brain. Take that pressure off of yourself and place it firmly in an editor’s capable hands. It’s what we’re here for—to polish up your book and help your readers truly enjoy it without distractions or confusion from writing snafus. In a world where anyone can share just about anything publicly, it’s extremely important to have your book edited—more than once—and avoid embarrassing mistakes.

 

Hunting for Help …

Many self-publishing authors might not have the wiggle room in their budget to afford professional editing. It’s also a challenge to know where to turn to get the most out of your editing dollars, especially with a decline in quality publishing services such as Amazon’s CreateSpace. The self-publishing platform’s free tools are anticipated to discontinue this year, as reported by The Post and Courier. This news has been buzzing in the publishing industry as indie authors hunt for alternative free services such as editing.

 

While there are many free services out there, when it comes to the quality of your book, editing is not the area you should skimp on. Sure, you can do a few self-editing rounds on your own and save some money on basic proofing. In fact, I absolutely think every author should read through their manuscript at least once before sending it off for editing. You might even try tools like free editing software programs to help you proof your work. After all, it’ll catch misspelled words and editing style errors for you, right? Yes! But you’re rolling the dice of risk if you rely solely on these methods to get your book publishing-ready.

 

A program doesn’t always catch misused words spelled correctly, and it can’t advise you on how to improve transitions from scene to scene, or how to further develop a significant character. However, a skilled editor can and will catch things like this, and much more.

 

The Value of Editing

It’s up to the author to determine their price range, but your publishing dreams are worth your investment. And when your book hits the market, you’ll be able to rest easy knowing your content is free of embarrassing mistakes.

We all make mistakes, but learning from them is the key to reaching your publishing goals. So delight in your writing blunders and learn something new with each one. Just don’t let your readers catch you in them with red ink markups of their own!

 

“Always make new mistakes”
~ Esther Dyson ~

 

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