Editor problems

[Baleigh]

So, I have a novel that isn’t quite ready for the final round of editing. I realized some plot issues so I’m going to have to go back and fix them. However, I’m at the point where I’ve started seriously thinking about sending it out into the world. One problem though, I can’t afford an editor. I’d love an editor but I literally cannot afford one right now. I guess I was wondering if someone could tell me about an editor that doesn’t cost a whole lot or even if someone in the group would be willing to read over it for me and give me some feedback. I want to make this book the best it can be but I also don’t have money to just throw at an editor. Any help and tips will be appreciated though!!

[Amy]

It’s a tricky one. I’d love to be able to afford an editor but things like feeding the kids take priority. It’s a reality for a lot of us, so I understand.

What genre have you written?

[Carole]

If you can read it out loud with someone else- do it together- that may help catch errors. Grammarly will catch a lot of grammatical things- but not everything.

[Elina]

We just lived a whole month on a very, very, very tight budget because I invested in an editor. (And you know, I'm feeling guilty because I'm spending money on something that has NO guarantee that it would be a success) I'm trying to have faith and believe in myself so much that I think the investment is worth it.

But I totally understand that sometimes, it's just not possible. :/

Maybe if you would find a couple of good beta-readers, get their comments, make the changes, and then invest on a proofread if a full edit is impossible?

Someone once gave me a good advice: If you don't want to spend the money to have the cover made by a professional and if you won't invest in a good editor you should probably try traditional publishing. And if you don't have a monthly budget for marketing, the book won't sell. I think he had a point. And he sells about 40 books a day, so I wanted to listen and believe his advice.

[Carole]

I totally agree with this. I treat it like a business.

[Theodore]

I dislike editors intently. In fact, I threatened to "shoot" one of mine over the weekend (he's survived 11 years of such threats, but still comes back for more). I don't know what I would do without him.

[Carole]

Everytime I get back a manuscript- I say- "How did I miss that?" I am often amazed at how a book can morph in the hands of a capable editor- and become clearer, as if someone is able to pull out more when you think you had nothing left. That's what a content editor does. The grammar editors make me feel like an idiot- but for me- not using an editor it's like jumping from a plane without a parachute. I know it's a big expense- the best you can do when you have a limited budget is perhaps find a reliable team in the same boat and edit each other. I know I am not competent to edit reliably. I am never sure about the grammar. Editors still do still miss mistakes, they surface like oil on water as people read the book. For a time I asked eagle eyed reviewers to edit and they did an amazing job. Some were willing to do it just for the excitement of being the first to look at a manuscript. I only found these people after we sent out books and they emailed with a list of errors. I was able to ask them to join our team and they have supported particularly my son's work for the past five years.

[Theodore]

I used a content editor on my first book from AuthorHouse. She is an adjunct professor of literature at a local college in Indiana, and she took my book to a whole new level. That was 11 years ago.

Fast forward to earlier this month. I received an e-mail from her through my Website e-mail capability--out of the blue, as they say--in which she complemented me on my writing and spoke of how much she had enjoyed working with me to enhance that first novel.

I am forever indebted to her for opening my eyes to, oh, so many possibilities.

[Amy]

On a no-budget-what I now find indispensable is the text to speech option. I type a chapter up, I run it through Grammarly and ProWritingAid to catch grammar mistakes. Then I let the nice lady in my laptop read it back to me. She is free. The Grammarly I have is free. I paid for ProWritingAid.

Of course the stories might still be rubbish, but at least I've caught technical errors...

[Carole]

We used Createspace editors for both my son and I. The publisher used a team that also took his book to a level never expected.

I want to add, that we've inched up this ladder slowly. We started with little to no services and have added them as the books made money.

[Carole]

Amy wrote: "On a no-budget-what I now find indispensable is the text to speech option. I type a chapter up, I run it through Grammarly and ProWritingAid to catch grammar mistakes. Then I let the nice lady in m..."

You don't write rubbish, Amy!! That's what I'm for!! That's brilliant- having someone read it back will catch more than errors- you hear the rhythms of the book- It's a more visual thing and really highlights what you may be missing! Often we missed things until I had Dan make our audio books. When I listened to them for a final check- I found boatloads of boo boos.

btw, I think I'm in love with Track- is that okay with you?

[Amy]

lol you don't write rubbish either. Bulwark is in the Editor's Picks on Radish at the moment. And I'm enjoying it. I don't enjoy rubbish. Thank you for your vote of confidence as always.

By all means be in love with Track, sorry he can't reciprocate, he's gay. But I love him too. And Banyon the dog.

[Carole]

(sigh)

Oh, thanks. I am basking in the glow of Radish's decision. I'm afraid to look if it's still there today!!!

[Amy]

:D

[Anita]

If your computer has a narrator, use it to read the manuscript. I caught a lot of errors with this technique. Also, take a look at ProWriting Aid. It has several different reports: sentence length, overused words, etc.

I believe it is impossible to catch all the errors. I read two or three books a week. I am amazed at how many have errors, and are published by the traditional publishers. What is interesting is that until I started writing I didn't pay attention to the errors. Now, I am more alert to them, though, they still don't bother me.

[Carole]

I think you are so right, Anita. I never noticed them before either- Now, when I do in a traditionally published book- I get a sick kind of glee that it slipped through for them- those book snobs who lump indies as unreadable because of sloppy editing!!

[Anita]

Carole wrote: "I think you are so right, Anita. I never noticed them before either- Now, when I do in a traditionally published book- I get a sick kind of glee that it slipped through for them- those book snobs w..."

LOL!! you nailed it. I do the same. The ultimate in hypocrisy. OMG, still laughing.

[Amy]

I "love" it when a traditionally published book contains errors. lol

[Carole]

hehehe

[Carole]

Yeah, those do stick out- My son had shuttered instead of shuddered. I don't know how all those professionals missed it- but they did.

He also had a error with a dog being spayed- he had spade- It wasn't until he got nasty reviews that he found it and fixed it. I couldn't say much- I missed them, as well. But, did I feel stupid once they were pointed out.

[Erica]

It's easy to miss them. The brain has a tendency to auto correct without us being aware. My brain is especially guilty.

[Carole]

I do it all the time.

[Andrea]

I read a lot of traditionally published works that have errors. The more people read something, the better your chances are of catching the errors, but hiring a professional certainly helps, as they're in the business because they're good at finding these things.

As for low-budget options, you might try joining a writer's group like the one found here: https://www.patreon.com/AWritersPath

They act a bit like a AAA club for writers, giving members free editing, blurb coaching, and promotion opportunities, working with them to reach their writing goals. I've known the blogger behind it for years, and he's a self-published author himself, an entrepreneur who wants to help make publishing easier for all of us, so it's a great option if you truly don't have a lot of money to make your dreams possible.

[Anna]

Alex wrote: "Just to make us all feel loads better, I am reading a pdf of Stephen King's Carrie and the number of errors in it is almost distracting.

It's possible that some of the errors are the result of the..."

Thanks, Alex. A bit worrying when Stephen King's people can't get it right. Have you some examples of the type of errors you found so that it helps us to know what to look out for in our own? Sorry to make work for you on my first chat on this thread.

[Anna]

Andrea wrote: "I read a lot of traditionally published works that have errors. The more people read something, the better your chances are of catching the errors, but hiring a professional certainly helps, as the..."

Andrea - that certainly looks like value for money. I've bookmarked it to take a look when I've got more time. I'm determined to return to writing/editing today - not done any for over a month.

[Anna]

Yes, I think we have a right to expect the highest of standards from the trads who occasionally belittle the indies - sometimes rightfully, of course.

[Chrys]

My first two books were professionally published. The rights were returned to me when they went out of print. When I was preparing the manuscripts to self publish them, I found a number of typos which the editors had missed.

[Josie]

There's an author I love who is published through Accent Press (a small trad publisher in the UK) and her books have consistently awful editing. There are multiple passages of text clearly meant to be in quotation marks that are not, missing question marks and sometimes trailing sentences. It's worse that any self-pub work I've ever received, and it breaks my heart because she's such a good author. I can't believe that standard of editing is accepted by trad publishers. I'd be ashamed to put my own books out in that state.

[Chrys]

Actually, some of these smaller publishers expect the author to do all the editing work.

[Josie]

That may well be the problem. In which case, why go trad?

[Chrys]

Because a lot of first time authors don't realise what they won't get. They think 'trad' means someone else will sort out a good cover, editor, and marketing. They don't know to ask the right questions.

By the way, I never really liked the covers on my two trad published novels. The second showed a scene which never appeared in the novels.

[Josie]

Control over cover design is a definite plus for self-publishing, although sometimes an expensive one.

[Eldon]

CeDany wrote: "My experience has been that loads of words have missing LETTERS -- example double LL, one gets dropped.

What is left behind is a space (which shows up if you press SHOW HIDDEN CHARACTERS)...."

Hey CeDany!

These are some of the reasons I've come to discover as to why proper formatting is essential for every ebook. I'm neck deep right now (whenever I can spare a moment) trying to learn HTML so my own books won't have these issues.

[Eldon]

Baleigh wrote: "So, I have a novel that isn’t quite ready for the final round of editing. I realized some plot issues so I’m going to have to go back and fix them. However, I’m at the point where I’ve started seri..."

Hi Baleigh! Nice to meet you :) Congratulations on having a novel that is close to being ready. A lot of writers never get that far!!

The best advice I can give you is advice I wish I had heeded myself. If you cannot afford an editor right now, hang on to your book. Don't publish without being edited first. Take the time required to save up until you can afford an editor.

I realize this likely isn't what you want to hear but... if you publish before the book is ready you will regret it. I published my first three books without being edited and I regret that now. The mistakes readers find that you could've avoided will haunt you.

And yes, it's true, that even trad published books have errors in them. But no one is perfect. The reason trad looks down on indie is because, while they may not be perfect, they do try. In a lot of cases, indie authors know their manuscripts have mistakes in them but publish anyway.

Do yourself a huge favor and don't be one of them. Find an editor you can trust and the quality of your final manuscript will be worth whatever the eventual investment. And if you're interested, Catherine Milos is the editor of my forthcoming book and she's been a godsend. Highly recommend her services.

Hope it helps, and once again congratulations on coming this far!!

[Carole]

Sound advice, Eldon. Editing and formatting were the best investments in our books.

[Eldon]

Carole wrote: "Sound advice, Eldon. Editing and formatting were the best investments in our books."

For sure. And if I can't master HTML I'll be paying for formatting ;)