Christine’s Comments (group member since Apr 01, 2018)

Christine’s comments from the Navigating Indieworld Discussing All Things Indie group.

Hi Melanie, congrats on finishing your manuscript!

I'm a freelance editor so I might be biased but I think winging it is a pretty dangerous way to go, especially for your first book. The more rounds of revision your draft goes through, the cleaner it will be. If you're planning to self-publish, you want your book to be in the best shape possible, because your readers will absolutely spot the errors you miss, and then you risk negative reviews. If you're planning to publish traditionally by querying agents, a draft full of plot holes and mechanical mistakes will end up on the bottom of their slush pile, or even outright rejected.

Yes, professional editing can be very expensive, but it's worth it, in my opinion. It shows that you take your writing seriously, and will set your work apart from the amateur/hobby writers who blow it off.

So my advice is to get as many eyes on your work as possible. Even if you only use free beta readers, use a bunch of them! The more people you get to look at your draft, the more errors they will catch.

Depending on your genre, I might be interested in working with you. I'm new to freelancing so my rates are very reasonable. You can check out my website at http://www.chickadeerevisions.com or email me at info@chickadeerevisions.com.

If my style isn't your jam, another great place to find freelance editors is through the Editorial Freelancers Association. (I'm a member!) You can search their member directory for the exact type of editor you're looking for: https://www.the-efa.org/membership-di...

You can also check websites like Fiverr or Upwork for editors. You'll definitely pay less, but the quality of the work you receive won't be nearly as good as through the EFA.

I hope that helps answer your question, and good luck on your publishing journey! :)

Christine