Stop Skimping on Editing

Let's define some roles. You are a writer, NOT an editor. Any work you have written should never be edited by you. You are too close to the work to spot your own errors. Makes sense? So why are you still making the mistake? You have to pay for it, right? It's beyond your budget, right? Well then, if that's the mindset you have for the work you want to put out there to generate sales and credibility, then you should not be surprised at the results. If that's the value you place on your work, yourself, and your reputation, then, by all means, spend nothing on editing and get back nothing!

Many persons come to me to edit their work. Some I have accepted. Some I rejected. Most for the simple reason that they are not willing to invest for the work to be done. I don't run a business on air. It gets worse when clients hear that for each level of editing, they have to pay. Yes! That's how it works. Each time an editor needs to go another round, there is a cost. Time is money and the skill needs to be respected. If you want quality output, you need to invest to get it done since you are not equipped to do it yourself.

Of course, there is always the option of approaching a traditional publishing house where you pay nothing. They do ALL the work for you up front if they decide your sample/query is worthy enough. This is after waiting 18 months to two years to get an initial response, if any. If they decide after that period to move ahead, then it is only fair that they take the majority of the royalties. They get around 70 per cent to 95 per cent, while you get maybe five per cent to seven per cent.

Your choice!

If you decide you can't wait that long, then make the decision to invest in your work and yourself. I have listed below some sites you can check for editing and proofreading and my previous article on 'Funding for Authors' of Aug 9, 2015, can possibly shed some light on how to access funding to meet your publishing needs.

http://www.sfep.org.uk/http://www.afepi.ie/http://www.the-efa.org/

Good luck!

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- Corine La Font is a speaker, author, coach and self-publishing consultant. She is also an award-winning publishing resource in the 2013 Small Business Book Awards. Get a copy of her book at http://amzn.to/TFHQka; Subscribe to her magazine at http://bit.ly/1IDj7pQ; tune in to her radio programme at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/helpdeskja; and check out her website at http://www.helpdeskja.com. She can also be reached at corinelaf@gmail.com.