I am near to finished with my final revision of my first novel. After my readers get back to me on it, I’m going to decide whether to start looking for a publisher or just go the self-publishing route. But before that happens, I’m wondering if I should look into a professional editing service.
The only problem is that there are a lot of them out there, and it’s difficult to figure out which ones are good. I found myself looking at Scribendi, simply because they were a NaNo sponsor, but I’m looking at over $1400 for my novel. Has anyone used such a service? Any recommendations?
The typical advice I’ve usually received is that if you choose to go through an agent and traditional publisher, then they usually have their own editors they prefer, so hiring a professional editor might be a waste of money.
If you choose to self-publish, then it’s usually strongly recommended to hire a professional editor and chalk it up to part of the cost.
Here’s a link to some forums that contain good tips about the business. There are a number of professional writers, editors, and agents that answer similar questions. (Just don’t think this means you can leave us. )
I wouldn’t waste your money on such services because if you have the ability to put together a story, you already have the basic skills to edit your own material. Spend that money on better writing tools, office supplies, or a couple of celebratory drinks after the project is done.
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