A great many novelists tend to be turned off by the idea of hiring someone proficient at book editing mainly because of the costs. They believe that they could perform the editing themselves for free, or ask family and pals for their feedback in exchange for a drink down the pub. While authors should really edit their own manuscript and check with others for suggestions, it simply isn't good enough if you're seriously interested in refining your manuscript; writers are too close to their work, and friends and family won't always own the abilities needed to pull their manuscript apart and pull it all back together again. Every recognised author will confirm that the price of an editor shouldn't actually be perceived as a 'cost', as not employing one may cost you if you're considering getting published. No literary agent or printing house will be happy with a manuscript that is not up to scratch, and for a writer to conform to the publishing world's expectations and quality of writing, you'll need an expert that specialises in proofreading that knows what's needed.

So just what do editors really do for your book? What would you expect for your money? Well, there are various services offered, and a lot of firms provide a great deal of proofreading and editing deals. If you just want to find someone to correct your spelling errors and typos, and tidy up your grammar, a simple proofreading service could be good enough for you. If, however, you expect more comprehensive editing, the price will be bigger but the advice will be invaluable. Deeper editing would include correcting errors (like with the proofreading), but it will also delve further into your work, looking at all kinds of things from the plot to the believability of your characters. This sort of editor examines the whole picture of your novel - the organisation, how well it flows, the pace of the scenes, just about any plot gaps that could have been missed - and sees how these areas of your book might be enhanced. They'll even examine the finer specifics of the manuscript, like characterisation, interaction between characters, detailed description, and anything else that will require more effort. They'll produce notes in the edge, querying points that don't add up or asking about loose ends that ought to be solved. They'll discuss which scenes are difficult to imagine or where the conversation doesn't seem to be accurate. In general, they'll dissect your manuscript apart - of course in the most beneficial approach.

If money is a huge concern, a lot of editors will let you distribute the price of editing, for instance sending and paying off one chapter of a book each time. As soon as you acquire the advice on your initial few parts, it's going to no doubt become apparent just how much an editor can help you to make positive changes to manuscript.

If you discover a reliable editor that you work with, it's well worth employing them again down the road. You already know their rates and be sure of their expertise, but they will also get accustomed to your style of writing after a while. Employing the same proofreader or editor is especially useful if you're crafting a series; they'll not merely have the ability to show plot holes and inconsistencies within that specific book, however if they've examined the preceding novels, they'll also be able to edit it with the overall series under consideration. Simply put, an outstanding editor is critical.