Everyone who owns a computer or tablet these days fancies themselves a writer. In my days as an EIC for a publishing company, I can’t tell you how many submissions I chucked due to poor editing, Gad Zooks! The manuscripts I’ve seen with just basic grammar errors were enough to make my skin crawl, not to mention all the other errors like content inconsistencies, inappropriate POV shifts, purple prose…I could go on and on.

Many readers fancy themselves as a critic, and I can assure you they have no patience for poorly edited work. They will not hesitate to say so in a review. Once that reputation is posted out there for the world to see, it’s very difficult to take it back.

The good news? All that negative press is easily avoided if you’d just hire a good professional editor. Don’t ever try to edit your own work and think it is ready to publish, because I promise you, it’s not. Looking at a manuscript over and over makes you blind to simple things like missed words, improperly spelled words, and an entire host of other things that your brain will read as correct because it’s written that scene. It sees the piece as it is supposed to be, not how it truly is.

A professional editor adds a fresh pair of eyes to your work, as well as the skill to assist you with correcting what you’ve done wrong. I am always amazed when I submit my work to an editor how many errors are discovered. Even after I think I’ve gone through the manuscript with an eagle’s eye, I still miss things. And you will too.

Don’t be cheap. Spend the money on a good editor. You’ll be so glad you did. The last thing you want as a self-published author is to look like you’ve got no clue what you’re doing. Have the patience and take the time to do it right before you share it with the world.