Editing is a special skill
Editing is a special skill the average author doesn’t perform well. And since, in spite of their expertise, editors are notoriously poorly paid, the expense of getting professional help for your work won’t normally be too large. By the way, please, please don’t submit an e-book without editing. Most sites will simply take what you give them and put it up. If our industry is to prosper, every author must take personal responsibility for presenting a quality product.
A poorly edited book is harder to read, harder to believe, and less likely to be reviewed. It is shameful to see a good book cut to ribbons by a reviewer because of poor grammar or spelling. In a recent review, while the plot of a particular book was praised, the reviewer noted, “Unfortunately, the reader also has to detour around some disasters in editing and proofreading.”
Because authors know their subjects so well, they are usually too close to their material; objectivity is lost.
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