How to Get a Free Editor at MySpace for Your Self-Published Book

So, you've just finished hacking out the next great American novel and you're ready to send it off to the printer and make a million bucks? Well, slow down there turbo, there's still an important step in the self-publishing processes you're overlooking-editing.

I have to admit, after I finished my first novel, I didn't give editing a single thought. I figured if I was self-publishing, why bother? After all, not too many self-published books are climbing up the New York Times Bestseller's List these days. However, after some thought, and some rereading of my typo-filled manuscript, I decided that an editor would be a pretty good idea. There were two problems, though. First, I live in the middle of nowhere in Texas, far from the editing capital of the world, New York. Second, I didn't feel like shoveling out two grand for a professional editor to correct my grammar and spelling. Enter, MySpace.
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year or so, you've probably heard of the social networking website, MySpace.com. Well, contrary to popular belief, the site isn't just a playground for teenage girls, garage bands, and child molesters. Believe it or not, the site can be of great assistance to you and your soon-to-be self-published book.

The first thing you've got to do is get a MySpace account. Chances are, you're probably already one of the 95 million people who have one. If not, it's extremely easy. All you need is an e-mail account.

Next, start cruising the MySpace groups. Just by typing in the keyword "editors" into a group search the group The Editor Pen popped up. The group description describes it as a place for "editors, copy editors (and copy editors), proofreaders, technical editors, other editorial/publishing professionals, and people who want to learn more about what [editors] do." It has over 140 members.

The Editor Pen is where I found the editor for my novel. I simply posted a message on the board saying I was a young writer looking for an editor. I stated that I had no money, but that I was more than willing to thank them in the acknowledgments section of my book. Within four hours, I found my editor. She spent her days editing a military magazine, and had always dreamt of working as a fiction editor. She saw my book as an opportunity to try her hand at it. I'm glad she did! My book was vastly improved by her editorial input-not to mention her fantastic proofreading skills.

You don't have to use MySpace.com to find your editor. Social networking sites are popping up all over the Internet. Facebook, and Friendster are quite popular, too. Neither comes close to the amount of members as MySpace, though. After all, with over 90 million users, there's got to be at least one person on MySpace willing to edit your book for free.