Should you invest in a professional editor? I've seen a lot of opinions on this, but I can only speak for me. I did invest in one. As an author, I want to put my best foot forward, which I'm sure we all do. I read somewhere that not having your work professionally edited, is like serving a gourmet meal with a hair in it. Eww! So, yeah, while there may be an error that you or your editor may have missed, a book full of them is a complete turn off to a reader.
I've seen books with amazing covers, but then I look at the reviews and readers comment on the grammar being terrible or too much "head hopping." What's head hopping? The bouncing back and forth between character's points of view. For example, a reader is reading Ava's point of view in a story but then it jumps to Brian's right in the middle of a scene, with no paragraph breaks or symbols to clarify it. It's confusing reading two POVs in one paragraph. I've seen and I'm sure you have too.
As the author, we're too close to our work, and sometimes we don't look at it with an objective eye. In our minds, we may think it's perfect, but then another pair of eyes points out things that we may need to change. Whether it's plot development, character arcs, or just plain grammar, an editor can assist you. This may be the least favorite part for some of us, but is it worth it when readers rave about your work later? Absolutely!
An editor can help your manuscript so it's as polished as possible. I personally use FirstEditing.com. I'll link below so you can check them out. I've worked with them since 2017, but they've been around since 1994. I know where have I been all this time LOL. What I love about them, is you can send in a portion of your manuscript for a free sample. Yes I said free!
From there, they recommend what type of level of editing you'll need. Not only do they edit fictional manuscripts, but also academic papers (dissertations, research papers) and non-fiction work. Word count, genre, and editing level will determine the price, but if you're on a budget, you can still send in smaller portions of your work.
I have and still sometimes send a chapter at a time and I can request the same editor each time after I've worked with them. It may take longer sending in smaller chunks, so definitely keep this in mind if you're on a deadline. While there is rush delivery, it does cost extra. However, at FirstEditing, there's ALWAYS a coupon. I've never paid full price with them. It can range from 11% off to 20%, so savings is possible.
I hope this was helpful. There are more editing services out there, but I wanted to share my resource with you. Until the next tip! 😁😆
FirstEditing
https://www.firstediting.com/
I've seen books with amazing covers, but then I look at the reviews and readers comment on the grammar being terrible or too much "head hopping." What's head hopping? The bouncing back and forth between character's points of view. For example, a reader is reading Ava's point of view in a story but then it jumps to Brian's right in the middle of a scene, with no paragraph breaks or symbols to clarify it. It's confusing reading two POVs in one paragraph. I've seen and I'm sure you have too.
As the author, we're too close to our work, and sometimes we don't look at it with an objective eye. In our minds, we may think it's perfect, but then another pair of eyes points out things that we may need to change. Whether it's plot development, character arcs, or just plain grammar, an editor can assist you. This may be the least favorite part for some of us, but is it worth it when readers rave about your work later? Absolutely!
An editor can help your manuscript so it's as polished as possible. I personally use FirstEditing.com. I'll link below so you can check them out. I've worked with them since 2017, but they've been around since 1994. I know where have I been all this time LOL. What I love about them, is you can send in a portion of your manuscript for a free sample. Yes I said free!
From there, they recommend what type of level of editing you'll need. Not only do they edit fictional manuscripts, but also academic papers (dissertations, research papers) and non-fiction work. Word count, genre, and editing level will determine the price, but if you're on a budget, you can still send in smaller portions of your work.
I have and still sometimes send a chapter at a time and I can request the same editor each time after I've worked with them. It may take longer sending in smaller chunks, so definitely keep this in mind if you're on a deadline. While there is rush delivery, it does cost extra. However, at FirstEditing, there's ALWAYS a coupon. I've never paid full price with them. It can range from 11% off to 20%, so savings is possible.
I hope this was helpful. There are more editing services out there, but I wanted to share my resource with you. Until the next tip! 😁😆
FirstEditing
https://www.firstediting.com/
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