One of the biggest mistakes an author can make is to publish a book they’ve edited themselves. Sounds harsh, but it’s true. It’s essential to hire an editor for your book so that you get the results that you want.
Your Reputation Is at Stake
If there are spelling, grammar, and formatting mistakes in your book you can absolutely bet that at least a dozen people will publically call you out. They’ll talk about it in your book reviews. They’ll reach out to you and tell you about the mistakes.
And those aren’t even the people that you want to worry about. What may concern you most are the people that don’t say anything. The people that would have appreciated your information and value, your customers and readers, will doubt your information.
While the simple spelling and grammar errors may not seem like much, they do impact your credibility. If you’re going to sell books, you want your readers to trust the information that you’re sharing. You want them to turn to you for more information and resources.
You’ll Lose Sales
Another thing that can happen when your readers find errors is that they’ll return the book. Buyers of digital, audio, and print books can return them and they do. And digital book readers are particularly finicky. They expect digital books to be top quality.
If You Can’t Edit It Yourself, How Do You Edit It?
You might be wondering why you can’t edit it yourself – why your eyes aren’t good enough to find the mistakes. The truth is that you know your material so well that you’re just going to miss mistakes. A fresh reader and someone that is a professional editor and knows what to look for and how to make it better, is the best approach.
You can find a number of professional readers available online. However, don’t just take their word for it that they’re a great editor. Check references, ask for recommendations, and check into their experience. You don’t want to hire an editor, trust in their abilities, publish your book and then find out that they missed key mistakes.
Beta Readers
After editing and before you launch your book, ask a few trusted people to read your book. These readers are called beta readers. They can read your book not only for content but also for errors and clarity. Beta readers can also be the first folks to leave reviews once you publish your book.
Editing your book is the last step to take before you publish. You put a lot of time, energy, and money into creating your book, so it’s important that the book represents you in the way you want to be represented.