Self Publishing and Editing

Guest Post by Jennifer Wright
Ok, so this is a subject that can be touchy, but I'm going there.
There is a huge stigma surrounding self publishing regarding editing. As a self published author I am well aware of this and everyone considering self publishing should also be aware of this. So, in this blog post I want to talk about the importance of editing and solutions for authors who can't afford to hire an editor.
I think the hardest thing about being an indie author is that you are fighting against the stigma that self published work is crap. I consider it my responsibility to make sure that my work rises above that stigma and is as polished as I can get it when it goes into the world. In order to do this, editing is an issue that must be addressed. I don't want my work to be crap.
The very first thing you should do after you finish a novel is put it up for at least a week and then go look it over again. Then, you want to get beta readers. The reason behind this is that you have probably read over the manuscript so many times that you have the whole thing memorized, which will cause you to skip over mistakes.
I have had this problem, and even after the beta readers there were still missing words, wrong words, and inconsistencies. But, it was my first novel and I didn't know then, what I know now.
So, after the beta readers catch as many errors as they can you will want to get someone to edit for you.
Here is where the tricky part comes in…most people can't afford to pay someone to edit their manuscript and the ones they can afford might be questionable.

I paid a lot for my first editing job, because I wanted to make sure it was quality work. Now, that being said, even editors miss stuff sometimes, and since my first book ever released has a few mistakes, I am now in the process of doing a revised version. My newest works do not go into the world until they have been beta read several times and developmentally edited.
The thing is, if you look around you can always find an editor who will work with you on a payment plan. Good places to look for editors might be writing forums, Facebook writing groups, and Twitter.

Then after you have the book edited, have a different set of beta readers go at it.
If you cannot afford to get an editor at all, my best suggestion is to wait until you have networked with other writers and find beta readers who will help you with the editing process. Just try and get the most quality work you can. I know that my impatience played a major role in the publication of The Birth of Jaiden. I didn't want to wait for all that, it was done and I wanted people to know the story. If I had, had more patience I would have had another set of readers and noticed more errors.
Now, let's talk about the difference between developmental editing, copy editing and line editing.
Line editing is where the manuscript is edited line by line and in my opinion deals more with punctuation and sentence structure.
Developmental editing is a lot more extensive, it includes the line editing but also deals with structure, style, grammar and the like.
Knowing the difference between the types of editing will help when you're looking for someone to edit your work. I prefer the developmental editing because it helps me learn what I am doing wrong and perhaps I will keep that in mind when writing in the future.
Ok…so, I just want you all to know that this blog post is not to specify that my work is perfect. I want it to be. This blog post is more along the lines of helping others for their work to be polished and well written, so that we, as a collective can overcome the stigma and rise above the stereotype given to self published authors.
I hope this blog post has helped someone in one way or another. Please leave comments if you choose to. We love comments!
About Jennifer
Jennifer Malone Wright is a mother of five, military wife, author, and lover of photography. She lives in the beautiful Northern Idaho mountains with her family.
Find her on Twitter: @jennichad217 Her Facebook fanpage http://www.facebook.com/thevampirehuntersdaughter and http://www.facebook.com/JenniferMaloneWright Jennifer's website is www.jenniferwrightauthor.com