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Familiarize Yourself with Book Editing Services

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The recent coronavirus quarantines were the latest event to boost the number of books being self-published. Time at home and slowdowns in work schedules gave people the opportunity to write the book they'd always dreamed of authoring. If you have a finished manuscript, it's a wise idea to run a search for book editing services online to find an editor. You'll also quickly see there are various types of editing and levels of service. If you are serious about your book and your budget allows, it's wiser to err on the side of more editing than less. But it's case by case, and no two books need the same things.

Especially if you're a first-time author, you may want to begin with what some agencies refer to as an editing check. It means a professional editor will review a sample of your manuscript and make recommendations about the editing services that would help the most. Suppose funds are limited, or you only want to make sure your book is free from spelling and grammar errors. In that case, you may not want to go as far as developmental editing – which includes recommendations from an editor about where rewriting your book may help in various ways. What you want to accomplish with your book will influence the recommendations.

It's also vital for you as the author to approach the editing process as a part of the project and not to make corrections (or suggestions) as personal criticism. Editing pros know how to make conversations constructive, and authors need to understand the practical intent of any suggestions. Communication that's open and candid is crucial because some editing decisions are based on the book's goal. For example, some authors want to sell many copies and earn income. But others, such as professionals and businesspeople, may care more about the integrity and the stature of the book than about sales.

For a book to be taken seriously by readers, reviewers, and others, it needs to have good grammar and be free from spelling mistakes and typos. Some have written articles recently with catchy schemes about asking readers to write to the author if they spot errors – but in all seriousness, such an approach isn't right for most books and authors. If you're trying your hand at writing a novel, you may want a manuscript evaluation from an experienced fiction editor. Having a professional analysis of your story, plotline, character development, and more can be a tremendous help.

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