If you’ve ever been tempted to edit your own book to save money or time, my advice is simple: don’t do it. Good editing improves even the best writing, and as the writer you are far too close to the work to edit it.
When I wear my editorial hat, I see myself as the advocate for the reader. When I don’t understand a passage in a book, it’s a fair bet the average reader won’t either. I don’t usually fix it myself, but instead discuss it with the author, who is then able to fix the problem.
If you have hired a developmental editor, you will get high level help with the structure and approach of your book. The form this takes will vary from editor to editor. Some provide written reports that comment on the manuscript at book, chapter, section level and more.
When I’m editing, I prefer to put less detail in my report but review it in detail with the author on a video call. This gives the author the opportunity to ask me questions, or even challenge my suggested edits. This type of discussion, in my experience, results in a better final manuscript that has been carefully considered from the reader’s standpoint.
The first time I received this type of editing myself for one of my own books, I was very nervous. I was handing over my early manuscript knowing that it needed help, so I was afraid of what I would hear. Because of that, I felt quite defensive and tended to argue with the editor. My advice is not to do as I did! If you are stuck, this type of editorial help will set you on the right path, so welcome it. Don’t be defensive. It’s your book, and you don’t have to accept every change your editor suggests, but the book will benefit if you take most of them.
It’s only fair to say that not every author needs this type of editing. If, for example, you are writing a book based on a course you teach, it’s quite easy to mirror the course structure in the book. Create a useful Table of Contents and you’re off to the races.
If you have completed this phase, or perhaps finished your manuscript without it, your book will now need content editing. The editor’s job now is not to review your structure, but to analyze and pick holes in your sentences and paragraphs, to make sure your grammar is correct and your words make sense to a reader.
A professional content editor is not optional, but essential if you are serious about writing the best book you can. I have often been disappointed in self-published books that have not been professionally edited, because they are typically full of grammatical errors, strange word usage, typos and other problems. I’m sure you don’t want that for your book, so I am confident in my advice to you: NEVER publish your book without using the services of a professional content editor. The result will be a much better book.