Thank you for your comments Rebecca and for sharing your thoughts on the topic of book editing.

To clarify my remarks about proofreading, I think they must be viewed in the light of how self-publishing has changed the face of book publishing in the last couple of years. Basically, anyone who thinks they are a writer can self-publish absolutely anything, for free, without any external checking process whatsoever.

I have made the point in previous posts that writers who take this opportunity should at least have their manuscripts read by someone with some understanding of basic grammar before rushing to publish. I have also made mention many times of finding beta readers as well.

The recent Taleist Survey on self-publishing revealed that the mean average gross income of self-published authors was around $500 per year. With this level of income, the vast majority of self-published writers are not able to afford professional services.

With this said, maybe I should have prefaced my remark. At the very least, find a friend who will proof read for free.

Your comments on the proliferation of ‘editors’ of varying quality notwithstanding, I do take exception to your suggestion that proofreading is something you can “ask a friend to do for next to nothing”. I am a proofreader (and editor) myself, and, done properly, the act of proofreading a piece of work can produce a vast improvement in the quality and ‘readability’ of most pieces. As a keen reader, I find errors in spelling and grammar extremely distracting. As a publisher, I suspect that my patience with an already uncertain piece would evaporate altogether if my reading voice was interrupted by having to correct spelling/grammar at every turn.

I suppose the truth of what you claim is highly dependent on who your friends actually are. However, to suggest that any old customer can proofread effectively is every bit as disingenuous as suggesting that editing can be reliable under the same conditions. I’m a writer myself, and found my current profession through friends and contacts who simply couldn’t afford to pay extraordinary sums of money for these types of services. As such, I also think that the assertion that an editor is likely a failed writer would be hard to substantiate in real terms. In fact, I admit I’m not entirely clear on when one becomes a ‘failed’ writer….

I could point out a few errors in your post, but that would be churlish (and, in any case, I am good enough at my job that I am able to charge for my services). It will have to suffice to say that, while there are no doubt charlatans in every profession, I would caution against too many negative assumptions. You do those of us who are genuinely hard-working, and keep our promises regarding quality, no favours at all.

Boy Hannah!! Sounds like exactly the editors I was talking about. I wonder how many ‘excepted’ her offer? lol