I don’t need a book editor, do I?

“I’m a pretty good writer, so I don’t think I need a book editor. But could you just ‘take a look’ at my manuscript?”

These words were says by an acquaintance I was chatting with on LinkedIn. Said acquaintance was planning to self publish his sci-fi memoir/disaster novel, and thought I’d be eager to offer him some free pointers out of the goodness of my heart.

If I had a dollar for every time someone wanted me to “take a look” at their manuscript, I wouldn’t be writing this post. I’d be on a beach in Puerto Rico, finally finishing my own manuscript.

Meanwhile, I’m thinking that memoir guy needed a good old dose of Chandler Bing sarcasm–

I hate to break it to you, but you aren’t that great of a writer.

I know it sounds harsh, but it’s the truth. Even professional writers like Stephen King will tell you that editing is essential to writing. He’s sold over 400 million books. Stephen King isn’t a perfect writer, but he’s prolific and still pretty popular. Here is what he had to say about editing:

“To write is human, to edit is divine.”
― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Editors help shape your story and advise you on becoming a better writer. They are professionals that can give you an unbiased take on your work. Do you know who can’t give you an unbiased opinion on your writing? Your sister, your mom,  your uncle, or your best friend. Why? Because they have to sit across from you at Thanksgiving, and they don’t want to hurt your feelings. They are invested in maintaining the relationship they have with you. Plus, they probably aren’t a professional editor.

Book Editing Apps

Editing apps can check grammar, spelling, and even style. I, for one, love Grammarly. It’s been a really helpful tool for me and my business. But Grammarly isn’t always right. Why? Because grammatical errors depend on context.

Here’s an example:

If I write, “It was the best of time, it was the worst of time,” you know right away that “time” is missing an “s.”

A spell checker wouldn’t flag it because “time” is in the dictionary. The word exists. It’s just being misused.

Editors provide a valuable service to any author wanting to publish their book.

“When you reach the editing stage, it is often the case that you can get too involved with the story to detect errors. You can see words in your head that aren’t actually there on the page, sentences blur together, and errors escape you, and you follow plot threads and see only the images in your skull.” -Neal Asher.

 5 ways that a human book editor can help you

Grammarly and Autocrit are helpful editing tools, but their capabilities are limited. Here are some ways a book editor helps authors:

Help authors determine their audience.

Who are you writing your book for? This is one of the most important questions an author can ask themselves. Figuring out your readership helps you determine your writing style, marketing, and much more. Maybe you want a spot on the New York Times or Amazon bestsellers list (this is much harder than you’d think, so manage your expectations). Or perhaps you’d be satisfied to hand your life story down to your children and grandchildren. Either way, a book editor can help you produce high-quality writing. And trust me, no matter how popular you are on Instagram or YouTube, your audience wants a quality, error-free read.

Offer suggestions to improve the plot, setting, characters, tone, and flow.

Have you ever read a book without a satisfying ending? Perhaps you’ve sat down with a horror novel and found that all of the female characters had no personalities and appeared to be inspired by the author’s latest wet dream. A good editor will help you flesh out your plot and make your characters more realistic. After all, you want your readers to fall in love with your story as much as you have, right?

Give authors the tools to strengthen their voice and sharpen their writing skills.

Many people think they can send their manuscript to their sister, cousin, or mom for feedback. Let me tell you why this is a bad idea. Your sister has a vested interest in not telling you the truth. It’s not that she wants to lie to you; it’s just that she knows she’ll have to spend every holiday with you for the foreseeable future, and she doesn’t want you holding a grudge over that time she told you that your book wasn’t that interesting. You can’t really blame her for fudging her feedback. That is why a professional editor with a writing degree and experience in the publishing industry is a better way to go. They can offer you their unbiased opinion on how to improve your writing and turn out a better book than you ever thought possible.

 Check sources for accuracy, create citations, and build a bibliography.

This is pretty self-explanatory. If you want your book to be taken seriously by readers and others in your industry, then it must be factual. You must back up your claims with information from reliable sources. A book editor can help legitimize your work by fact-checking your sources and organizing your citations.

 Help you create a book that will engage your readers.

Think about it this way: have you ever read a self-published book on Amazon and immediately put it down because it was filled with typos, grammatical and formatting errors, or “stream of consciousness” writing? If you’ve stopped reading a book because it is nonsensical, unclear, or difficult to read, then your audience will, too.

The bottom line on Book Editors

Book editors act as helpful guides during the book-writing process. They have the experience and unbiased perspective that you need to publish a high-quality, impactful book that your audience will love.

If you have questions about your manuscript, we can help. Good Writing Co. offers prospective authors a free 15-minute consultation.

You can learn more about our editing services here.