Today, I read this excellent blog entry about self-publishing called “Don’t Publish That Book” (see link).
It was posted on the EAC LinkedIn group. Many new writers mistakenly think that editing is about spellchecking and grammar and don’t realize the myriad ways a good editor can help a writer shape a book.I wish that more self-published writers would consider turning to professional editors. (And, I’m not just saying this because my closest friends are editors.)
Another good article about the importance of a good edit is from the Guardian.
In addition to the words themselves, I also find some self-published novels lack the design sensibilities of readable fonts and formatting. This is improving somewhat as templates are being created. However, I still tend to prefer reading works produced by traditional publishing companies (whether as ebooks or as print books) because of this flaw.
This leads me to think about my profession. It has taken me many years to hone the skills required of a permissions editor and picture researcher. And, as global copyright changes constantly, we are constantly learning. I am on a number of LinkedIn groups related to publishing and I realize that many writers and other creators do not understand copyright at all. Wouldn’t it be great if the self-publishing companies promoted the skills of editors and all those professionals related to the creation of a good book?