A book without editing is like a pizza without cheese – both are disasters!

Ask any experienced writer to name the most crucial stage of the book writing process, and you’re likely to get the same answer (most times) – Editing! It can turn a good manuscript into a great one.

Did you know that Fitzgerald revised the manuscript of his book The Great Gatsby according to his editor’s (Maxwell Perkins) suggestions? If Fitzgerald had not taken his editor’s suggestions into account, the book might not be as big of a success as it was.

Perkins is known to be the man (editor) behind the literary masterpieces of Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and Thomas Wolfe. That’s the power of editing. However, editing is easier said than done!

Oscar Wide once said – “I have been correcting the proofs of my poems. In the morning, after hard work, I took a comma out of one sentence…. In the afternoon, I put it back again.”

This is how difficult editing your own work can be and why you need a professional editor to do the work for your eBook.

In case you’re still not convinced about the need to hire a professional editor for your eBook, the following reasons will have you change your mind.

The Top 4 Benefits of Hiring a Professional eBook Editor

Here are some of the advantages of working with professional eBook editors:

1.    You Won’t Have to Kill Your Darlings – The Editor Will Do the Heavy Lifting

“Kill Your Darlings” is one of the most common pieces of advice that experienced writers give to new talent. From Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch to Stephen King, several renowned authors have emphasized the importance of killing your darlings – reviewing your book to remove unnecessary details. It’s called killing your darlings because you are likely to lose details or chunks of text that you worked really hard to create or that are close to your heart. 

It’s common for writers to get attached to small, quirky details that do not add value to the book or, at times, create friction in the content flow.

In his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, author Stephen King said, “Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.”

But, it’s hard for writers to be that tough (with their own work). This is where a professional editor can come to your rescue. According to historical accounts, Maxwell Perkins made Thomas Wolfe remove 90,000 words from Look Homeward, Angel, his first novel. 

Wolfe was known to be a writer who was deeply attached to his work. Convincing him for removing such a huge chunk of his work wasn’t easy for Perkins, but he managed to do it successfully. That’s what a professional editor can do.

2.    They Can See the Big Picture As Well As the Fine Details

Many people use the terms editing and proofreading interchangeably, assuming they are both the same thing. However, the truth is that proofreading is only one (final) stage of the editing process.

The entire process of eBook editing is a lot more comprehensive and is comprised of at least four main stages or steps:

1. Developmental or Structural Editing – Focuses on the bigger picture and involves assessing and evaluating the structure, narrative, characters (in case of fiction), and the overall tone and voice of the content. The goal is to figure out gaps in the content and elements or areas that need to be improved, changed, or removed altogether from the content.
2. Line Editing – As the name suggests, this stage of editing focuses on the fine (creative) details to improve the overall flow and readability of the book.
3. Copyediting –This stage of editing involves identifying and addressing technical flaws in the manuscript, like grammatical and spelling errors and punctuation.
4. Proofreading –This is the final review of the edited draft to make sure nothing is missed out in the earlier stages.

While there are editors who only focus on one stage of editing, a comprehensive or complete eBook editing process involves all these four steps.

3.    They Offer a Fresh, Objective Pair of Eyes

Writing a book is a long and often painful process that involves reviewing and rewriting your draft multiple times. It can take months, and even years, to write a book. Needless to say that it’s a tiring and draining process. By the time writer complete this long and challenging process, they often do not have the energy to edit it. Also, it’s hard to evaluate your own work with a critical eye.

A professional eBook editor can offer an objective assessment of your work. Since they review your work from a neutral perspective, but with a critical eye, it’s easier for them to spot any issues or shortcomings in your work. Also, unlike your friend or a family member, professional editors don’t hesitate to criticize your work if it’s not up to the mark and needs improvement. After all, it’s their job to point our faults and flaws in your work.

4.    They Save You Time and Frustration

Even if you somehow gather the energy to (attempt) edit your eBook after the long writing process, it’s likely that you will get tired and frustrated during the editing process. EBook editing, as mentioned above, is a comprehensive task, and more often than not, eBooks (or books in general) require multiple rounds of editing.

CK Webb, an author and a contributor to Suspense Magazine, said, “Edit your manuscript until your fingers bleed and you have memorized every last word. Then, when you are certain that you are on the verge of insanity,…. edit one more time!”

This statement or advice is, certainly, exaggerated. But, you get the message, right?

Since professional editors do it daily and are trained for it, they can edit your eBook a lot more quickly and, of course, in a better way.

Convert your eBook to Its Best Possible Version with the Help of a Professional Editor

Think of professional eBook editors as the middlemen between writers and readers. They know and understand the pain points, concerns, struggles, and expectations of both the parties and help writers polish their work until it meets the needs of their readers. From the minor grammatical and spelling errors to improving the overall concept and value of the content, a professional eBook editor can help you with all areas of the content. Save yourself from the pain of editing and hire a professional eBook editor.

Bio

Rob Davis is a master of the trade when it comes to ghost eBook writing services. With a small team of seasoned eBook ghostwriters and ebook editors that can help bring ideas to life in well-written and thoroughly researched eBooks, you can expect the very best when you work with his team.

Image Credits

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels