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What I Learned about Writing an Ebook Part 3: Hire an Editor

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For me, the hardest part of writing an ebook was finishing it. Brainstorming ideas and getting started was exciting. Writing the first draft was an experience of being “in the zone” almost the whole time. Perfecting the content and making it ready for publication was the tough part. Fortunately, I had a plan to give me extra motivation to finish my book—and to ensure it was up to the standards my readers deserve.

Enter the Editor…

One of the most common complaints about self-published authors is that their work is not properly prepared for publication. DIY editing leads to a finished product that’s full of typos, grammatical errors, and sloppy prose. I’m a decent writer, but I’m not perfect. By the time I finished the first draft, I had stared at the words so often that I couldn’t see them anymore. All I could see was what I thought I’d written. I definitely didn’t want any writing mistakes to distract readers from the useful strategies in my book. Even though I planned to self-publish my ebook, I hired a professional editor (Lucy Spencer) to ensure the presentation was as good as the information.

What Did I Want from My Editor?

I never go into a business deal without knowing what I want to accomplish. When I hired Lucy, I specifically asked her to check my book for areas where:

  • I started a thought and didn’t finish it;
  • The flow was poor and topical changes were too abrupt;
  • The reader might feel I had left out critical information;
  • The style or tone of the content seemed inconsistent;
  • I repeated or apparently contradicted myself; or
  • I came across as a pompous jacka** (it’s been known to happen!)

I didn’t just want someone to proofread the document without paying attention to the substance of the content. I wanted an expert opinion on the overall quality of the text. That was one reason I hired a freelance editor. I knew she understood my target audience and could point out where I had missed the mark in communicating my ideas.

My Own Editing Process Came First

To make my editor’s job easier (and keep my costs low), I edited the book several times before I sent it to her. There were quite a few issues to clear up during this phase. I’d been writing articles and web pages for many years, but writing an ebook was different due to the length of the content. I found that it magnified some of my bad writing habits. As I reread the document as a whole, I noticed that I used qualifiers like “really”, “even”, and “very” far too often. So, I did a search for these terms throughout the text. I was mortified by the number of instances I uncovered. I was really, really, really glad I caught this problem before I sent the book to my editor!

Next, I solicited the opinion of my husband. Some of what I’d written made sense on the page; but some of it only made sense in my own head. I got some good feedback from Ken when he did an initial review of the text. Whenever I had to verbally explain what I meant in a particular passage, I knew I needed to rewrite for greater clarity. Finally, I was ready to send the book to Lucy for the real editing job.

How Painful Was the Editing Process?

Here’s what surprised me about writing an ebook and hiring someone else to tell me what was wrong with it: the editing process wasn’t uncomfortable at all. Yes, my document came back with plenty of recommendations for improvements and quite a few punctuation and formatting corrections. But the strike-through markups and comments didn’t make me feel like a failure. Instead, I found myself nodding my head in agreement with almost every suggested change. I felt as if a trusted friend was offering me valued advice—or whispering in my ear that I had a piece of tissue paper stuck to my shoe. Lucy was helping make sure I wouldn’t be embarrassed in public, and I really appreciated it. After the final round of proofreading, I was very confident about the quality of my book. I knew it was ready for the big reveal.

How Did Editing Change My Book?

The most valuable tip my editor gave me was the idea to rethink the way I had the book separated into sections. I ended up restructuring the entire book and writing a completely new chapter that added even more value. It was an unexpected bonus of the editing process, and one that benefits every person who reads Make Freelancing REALLY Pay.

Have you ever hired an editor to improve your writing? What was the process like for you? Share your experience in the comments.

By Daisy McCarty

The post What I Learned about Writing an Ebook Part 3: Hire an Editor appeared first on Make Freelancing Really Pay.


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