Why Many Authors Don’t Hire Editors

When was the last time you read a book that was absolutely perfect? Probably never, right? I mean, I read a Stephen King book once where I found typos. So, no author is perfect. Yet, on the other side of that, when was the last time you read a book that was pretty badly edited? I’m talking, typos, bad grammar, misplaced person/pov, etc… I’m gonna guess pretty recently. Sadly, that is more prevalent in self-published books than anywhere else, but the question is, why? Why don’t those authors hire editors? Surely they KNOW, right? Well, let’s talk about that. Let’s talk about some of those reasons why many authors don’t hire editors, and why they should.

They Honestly DON’T Know

The more familiar an author is with their own work, the less they’re going to see those little mistakes that we as readers and editors see all the time. Personally, I’m more likely to grab a typo when I’m reading for pleasure or review than I am when I’m deliberately reading for editing. That’s why it’s so important to me as an editor that I enjoy the book I’m working on.

The point is, that author is so familiar with their own work, that to their eyes, it looks perfect. They literally don’t see the missing words or typos, because their mind fills it in. This is one reason why I tell people to hire an editor and a proofreader. Find someone who is actually going to READ your book, and not just run spellcheck and take your money.

I tell this story all the time, but my very first proofreading job was a free favor I did for a friend of mine. I asked him to let me work on his book, because as I was reading it for review, I noticed some typos that could be corrected easily, and wanted to make him aware of them. What he told me made my blood boil. Before he sent me the book for review, THREE PROOFREADERS had worked on his book. He had paid these people MONEY to fix his book, and whoever they were, they hadn’t done their jobs. Because if they had actually done more than run spell check, they would have caught (hopefully) the same mistakes I was catching.

To be fair, I wasn’t even a professional proofreader/editor yet. I was doing this as a favor. I had yet to actually charge money for it. But this experience showed me that I could make a career out of doing something I loved, reading, and could make money helping these authors out. They deserve it.

“I’m an editor myself. Why pay another editor?”

I’m going to tell you a story. A couple years ago, I met Gabe Hargrave. He was working on the first book in his erotic romance sci-fi series, The Orchid and The Lion, and had started a conversation on Twitter (Yes, I refuse to call it X, sue me) about consent in sexual situations. I recommended a book to him that I thought handled that nicely, and we struck up a friendship. 2 years later, we are best friends, despite never having met in person, and video chat as often as our busy schedules allow. He had asked me to read his book, but I don’t read much erotica, so kept putting it off. I did buy it when it was on sale (free, I think) and it sat in my kindle. Finally, this past February, I promised Gabe I would read it for Romance Month.

Y’all, I couldn’t put it down. SO good. But that’s a story for another day. If I reviewed books with explicit sexual situations, you’d get a full review, but I think you’ll just have to listen to my podcast. The point is, I knew how much work Gabe had put into his book. I knew how many beta readers he’d had, how many hours he’d put into editing, and how many times he’d struggled to make sure his beloved story was perfect before sending out into the world.

Yet, when I read it, I found a typo. Just a little one, mind you. It was “World,” instead of “Word.” Super small, and most people would miss it. He did, and the other fifteen people did. All it took was number sixteen.

Now, Gabe is a professional editor. Has been for years. I go to him with questions about my own editing business, and he’s been a huge support to me. He’s good at what he does. But, when he was ready to publish book two in his series, he still hired me to proofread. Because he knew that having that last set of eyes was super important. I was proud that he trusted me to work on his book, because I knew how much his series meant to him, still means to him, and how having a well-written story means the world to him. I treated his book with care and respect, because that’s what a good editor does.

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Cost

Cost is a big reason why many authors don’t hire editors. And to be fair, editing is a HUGE undertaking. It’s not cheap. But, mixed with the reason above, I don’t see how it’s something you can really skimp on. We’ve already discussed how self-published authors can get stuck in their own work, and don’t see gaps in the story, or missing words, or typos. It’s too easy for their minds to fill in the blanks.

Editors are an investment in the future success of your book. It’s really not something you can skimp on. Kind of like my mom telling me “There’s two things you don’t want to skimp on for your wedding: The dress, and photography.” Well, I didn’t skimp on my dress, and I was very happy with it, but I ended up going with the friend of a friend for photography (she came highly recommended, and I had seen her work) but ended up SO unhappy with my photos that I want to actually have new ones taken in a couple years. I skimped, and I suffered.

My friend Daniel Jones puts it this way, “The cover is what sells the book, and editing is what keeps the book from getting returned.” It’s just not something you want to avoid. Many editors will offer payment plans to help offset the cost, and some will offer occasional discounts off the deposit, so if you’re willing to look around, you should be able to find someone you can work with.

Communication (or Lack Thereof)

I have a friend who recently worked with a developmental editor, and she was REALLY unhappy with the services she got. She had worked with this person before, and was happy the first time around, but the second? Sudden disappointment. The main reason for this? Lack of communication. She’d get an email telling her she would get her manuscript back by a certain date, and that date would come and go without her manuscript, or an email telling her why it wasn’t in her inbox.

For the record, I won’t tell you my friend’s name or the editor’s name. I could tell you my friend’s name, but I don’t know the editor’s name and wouldn’t tell you even if I did. Not trying to bash anyone, just trying to make a point.

I got message after message after message from my friend communicating with ME her frustration about the situation, and letting ME know why I hadn’t gotten her book for proofreading yet, so she was communicating with me the way she needed to, and all I could do was be patient. At the same time, I couldn’t imagine treating a paying client that way. I’ve always been what I felt was overly transparent, because I let clients know when they can expect me to start work on their project, I let them know an approximate timeframe that I’ll finish, and if I can’t finish on time, I reach out to THEM to let them know why it’s running behind. I don’t wait for them to reach out first. That’s not good customer service. At least not to me.

My friend told me something recently that has stuck with me, and I wanted to share it. She knows who she is, so unless she wants to comment and out herself, I’m gonna leave her with a little privacy.

“You are so organized. I know I can rely on you when I come to you with a job and that’s huge because I’ve been blown off by editors before (or sat in their inbox for months). It’s nerve- wracking as a writer, because there’s always that fear that someone will take your manuscript and run off with it. So an editor that doesn’t stay in touch is not a great thing to have. I also appreciate that you will let me know if you have manuscripts in front of mine and give me an estimate on how long it’ll take to get to it.”

Fear

Fear is a huge reason why authors don’t hire editors. Or Beta readers, or critique partners, or anything of the sort. They don’t want someone they know telling them their book sucks.

Don’t worry, I get it. I didn’t tell my family for at least a year that I had this blog.

Fear is a driving motivator in keeping most of us from achieving our dreams. It’s so much easier to just write a book, hit publish, and when no one buys it, convince ourselves that it’s because they just don’t know what good books are. There’s so much that goes into publishing a book, but fear keeps so many authors from reaching out for that support, so when they fail, it’s easy to blame it on everyone else’s lack of taste.

Don’t worry, I’m not telling you your story sucks. Just that it probably needed a little polish. Do you think Stephen King, to this day, or Danielle Steel, or Sally Hepworth, publishes a first, second, or even third draft? 

Nope. Even the most popular and prolific writers of our day (James Patterson, I’m talking to you, buddy) go through MULTIPLE rounds of edits, by MULTIPLE rounds of people, before their books are determined ready to publish.

Do you think James Patterson doesn’t still get butterflies when he sends a new book off to get butchered? Well, maybe not, but I bet Sally does. I bet Sally Hepworth, one of my very favorite authors, still gets anxiety about editors tearing apart her books, and making changes. But I’m going to tell you this, and I want you to hear me:

Editing is not about tearing down your book. It is about making it better. I’ll say it again.

Editing is about making your book better.

The next time you feel that niggle of fear over sending your book off to your editor, remember Sally. Remember Stephen. And ignore the niggle. It’s not doing you any favors and doesn’t deserve your attention.

If you’re ready to take your book to the next level and would like to speak with me about working with you, hit up my Book Editing page, and send me an email! I’d love to meet you and I’d love to chat!

Until Next Time, Friends!