Professional Editing: Why Professional Editing is Necessary for Writers
If you are a writer, and especially if you are an experienced writer, you might be wondering why you would want to consider having your writing professionally edited. I am a writer myself, and while I do self editing on all of my writings, anything that I submit for consideration for publication, I have professionally edited by a colleague of mine-and I am a professional editor!
Truth is, much like an attorney should never represent himself in a court of a law, a writer should never attempt to do the final edit on their own works.
Why?
Well, there are many reasons for this, but I'll just briefly touch on the most obvious ones here:
1. When you edit something you have also written, you read it from the perspective of knowing what you meant to write, instead of seeing it exactly the way it was written. Someone else who was not inside your head at the time of the written may not see it as clearly as you do, or may see things you missed.
2. If what you've written is quite lengthy, like a novella or novel, or a non fiction manuscript or eBook, then you probably are sick of the writing at this point, and being able to take a break from it will allow you a better perspective when you come back to it. Passing the writing off to a professional editor who has never seen the writing before and has not been as immersed in it as you have will provide a fresh set of eyes to ensure nothing is missed.
3. Having someone other than yourself look at your writing before you submit it for publication is critical, even if you do not hire a professional editor, because the feedback you receive from others who read your writing will be a good indication as to how your target audience will receive what you have written. However, a professional editor who is in the industry will be able to give you the added feedback from the perspective of how your writing will be received in the marketplace.
4. Professional editing services are something you can use in your query letter to editors or agents and will show that you are committed to investing in yourself and your writing to make it the very best it can be.
There are, of course, many other reasons and ways that professional editing services can help you in your writing career. These points above touch on the most obvious and probably the most important reasons why you should consider professional editing services from your writing.
Published by Michy Lynn - Featured Contributor in Health & Wellness
Michy is an author & freelance writer, with a penchant for fiction, creative nonfiction and topics that pique her passion: alternative medicine, animals & pets, love & relationships, and her all-time favorit... View profile
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- Michelle L Devon is an author and a freelance editor providing services through her company, Accentuate Services. For more information about her editing services, check out www.accentuateservices.com. You can also read more about her writing at Ms. Devon's author's site at www.MichelleLDevon.com.Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_L_Devon
- Even the best writers can make mistakes.
- A second or evern third set of eyes never hurts.
- Writers know what they meant, but editors know what writers said.
8 Comments
Post a CommentGreat information, Michy. Thank you!
Honestly, I would never send a manuscript in without professional editing. I am a writer, not an editor, and it is much less painful to have your editor help you 'fix' things than to get a rejection just because you appear to not have put much effort into editing the first round.
Great article. It is nice to get this type of feedback from an editor. Thank you.
Ja
As I said, I'll agree with that to a point. As an acquisitions editor, I've seen some bad stuff out there come across the slush pile that in all honestly might have made it past the slush had it just been edited. Then there are writers who self publish (not vanity, but true self publishing) and then there are the vanity presses. I make no judgement on how a person chooses to get their books out there, only offer assistance when they want to. Again - your manuscript is essentially your resume - and it should be your best effort forward when submitting. That may sometimes mean an editor is essential.
I'm with Jack on this. I have 12 books in print -- none of them vanity publications -- and my publishers always assigned an editor to work with me on my books. The more demanding the editor, the better. As the publisher is the "final authority" on the project, let the publisher edit the manuscript. A pre-submission editor is second guessing the publisher -- a dangerous excercise.
Got cut off there - the last part of that is, if money is a problem, then don't pay for services. Most authors have writer friends. Offer to edit their work in exhange for them editing yours. It doesn't require a huge investment of money, but someone else should always go over your work before you submit. It just is good sense.
This is true, but only to a point. I am a professional editor. I work acquisitions for a publishing company, and I can tell you right now that one of the things we take into consideration is how mechanically sound the piece is, how much work we will have to put into it in order to get it prepared for publishing, and how much the author has put into it to help get it prepared for submission.
You wouldn't send a resume to an employer with errors, typos, and grammar mistakes and hope to get that job. Writers are sending in their manuscripts, and that is what represents them. It should be the very best that it can be before sending it to a publisher - period.
Don't believe me? Ask any professional editor who has ever done acquisitions. They'll tell you the same.
Also, if you are a new author, it never hurts to let an editor with publishing experience review your work.
I am a published author and an editor. I still hire people to edit my manuscripts prior to submission is I
Writers should make money, not spend it. When you sign a book contract or sell an article to a magazine, the publisher will edit your work.