Do I Really Need An Editor?
I get asked this question all the time: “do I really need an editor?” The answer is YES! You have written and rewritten your book so many times you’ve lost count. Your spouse or friends have read your novel and provided you with editorial advice. You’ve made changes and edited as advised. But, does your book come across as professionally written? Does your story track well? These are but a few of the things a professional editor an help you with.
An editor will review your work objectively. Many times, writers are too close to their own work. More often than not, a fresh pair of eyes is essential to catch problems you may have unconsciously overlooked. If you’re concerned about this, then have a professional editor review your book. Editors are experts at making a book sparkle and shine, so let them do what they do best so you can focus on what you do best: writing amazing stories for readers to fall in love with!
Editing Is Critical To Success
Writing a book is the first step. Editing the book is the next step. If you are really serious about seeing your book published and in readers’ hands, you should employ a professional editor. Nearly all books that have been commercially successful have been professionally edited. There are few things more embarrassing than publishing your book only to discover glaring issues with the story flow, characters whose names change unexpectedly, terrible grammar or a hundred other things that could be wrong with the book.
Who Should I Hire?
There are a lot of editors out there competing for your business. You can do a Google search and find thousands of editors. My suggestion is to work with the editorial team at SelfPublishing.com. They are very reasonable and charge on a per word basis. Click on this image link to take a look.
Is It Expensive?
Editing costs typically vary by the amount of editing required and by the reputation of the editor themselves. Some editors have very reasonable rates whereas others may charge considerably more. It’s up to you whether you want a famous editor’s name to be on the inside pages of your book. Most editors charge an hourly rate, and the number of hours proposed depends upon the length of your book. Some editors charge by the word count of the book they are hired to edit. Either way, if you choose to hire a professional editor, you should be prepared to pay for the service.
Let’s Talk Numbers
You have decided to hire a professional editor and now want to know how much to budget for. A good place to check pricing is on the Editorial Freelancers Association’s website. Here is a link to their rates page: EFA.
Using a typical situation as an example, let’s say your book is 250 pages in length. The EFA lists basic copyediting of 5-10 pages per hour at a rate of $30-$40 per hour. At these rates, you should budget $750-$2,000 for the work. Often, the rates charged by editors are converted to a per word rate. This is typically around $0.02 per word.
Proofreading is often a separate service. If you need proofreading in addition to copyediting, please budget accordingly so you are not surprised when the bill comes due.
Remember, your book is a reflection upon you as an writer. You need to portray yourself as a serious author who is worthy of an audience. If you want to earn money writing and publishing your books, you definitely should hire a professional editor.
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