Editing is ALWAYS necessaryWhy cousin George can't do your editing! You’re writing your first book, or maybe you have it finished, and you’re excited about sending it off to a publisher... becoming a recognized author. Fame and fortune are but an envelope and stamp away. Oooops! Wait a minute! Is it the best it can be? There’s a saying that a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client. The same is true of editing. Don’t try to save time or money by evading the benefits of professional editing by doing it yourself, or just as bad, getting cousin George to do it. Whether your book is a personal memoir, the next great novel, or a first-hand, non-fiction account of your travels through Morocco, hire an editor! Not convinced? When a writer hands an editor a manuscript for editing, he is giving the work sober second thoughts, not only through a fresh set of eyes, but also through professional lenses that are expertly attuned to word usage, grammar, structure, and flow of the piece. While your writer’s eyes were focused on the creative process of building images that created the story, the editor ensures that that is, indeed, what is clearly happening, and that readers’ eyes will be fixed to the page from cover to cover. Copy editing then patches any technical and grammatical potholes along the way. Your editor is your first and most important reader. Every author needs an editor to ensure that all his or her ideas and images, the essence of the story, article, or book, are presented in the best possible way for communication with the intended audience. Thousands of words piled one upon another for endless pages do not automatically equal a good book, but, in tandem, the writer and editor can ensure that the author’s intentions are fulfilled, that the readers’ needs are met, and that the hoped-for market is reached. An experienced book editor will not only increase the chances of your book being accepted by a publisher, but also increase its chances of being purchased by prospective readers after it is published. More reasons to hire an editor 1. Communicate effectively with your intended audience • Editors specialize in language, whether that language is used in an annual report, marketing brochure, newsletter, novel, website – or anything in between. In other words, any project that has text in it can benefit from the input of an editor. • If you’ve spent months or years working on your manuscript, it’s often difficult to see it with an objective eye. An editor represents your intended reader and reviews your project with that reader in mind – whether it’s a 10-year-old child, a professional, or a member of the general public. • An editor will make sure the reading level is right and the text is structured to flow easily. He will eliminate repetition and redundancy and make sure your message is clear, concise, and says exactly what you mean. 2. If you’re in business you will save time and money • If you are like most business writers, you have done everything you can to make your copy the best it can be. Yet, once the piece is produced, you’ve cringed at the errors that got through. Perhaps you’ve had to make last-minute corrections and reprint and resend corrected documents. It happens more than you think. • A professional editor can also help you by overseeing special writing and marketing projects. When you have no staff dedicated to such projects, a professional editor can save you time and money by coming on board as needed and taking the project from beginning to end. An editor can also augment existing staff when an important deadline looms. 3. Convey credibility • If you're in business, you've worked hard to be recognized as knowledgeable and professional in your field. Your marketing materials are designed to convey an image that will gain the trust of your customers and tell them that you know what you're doing. Simple spelling errors, inconsistent facts and faulty grammar reflect on the quality of the work you do – shoddy language translates into shoddy work, or tells readers that inaccuracies and mistakes don't really matter to you. • Errors and omissions in any writing, editing or proofreading of your letters, newsletters and reports can diminish your company's image and jeopardize your credibility. Meticulous language, on the other hand, reflects the scrupulous care you provide to clients and customers. Caution! Know what level of editing your work needs before you hire an editor: substantive editing, copy editing, proofreading, a complete re-write. You don’t want to pay for more than you need, but don’t skimp either. Remember, you get what you pay for, so hire a person whose abilities you respect, who understands you and your particular writing style, and with whom you can relate well in the long-term.
More on the different levels of editing
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