[Note: I link to something important for self-published authors at the end of this.]
Editing is so important that most writers I know who are traditionally published--by that, I mean writers who received advances for their work and are under contract, and are published by NYC publishers--have their books edited before they turn them in to their editors.
Some even pay for editing
before they send them in to their agents. What does that mean? That means that these are pro writers with a history of publication behind them. Contrary to popular opinion from those on the outside looking in, many agents don't automatically submit their authors' work. It has to meet a level of professionalism and also simply work as a novel before they will risk their reputations as agents by sending it to publishers/editors in an attempt to sell the work. These authors have their books beta-read and often edited before submitting to their agents because they want their agents to have the best product possible to sell, and because they want their agents to be enthusiastic and even passionate about the work their selling.
And they don't want their agent to decline to submit the book in its current state.
Despite the success of digital publishing and the opportunities it gives to self-publish, 70% of all books sold are still print, which means that over 70% of readers demand a professional level of writing, editing, type-setting, etc. in books. Are there are a lot of people who are reading digital books who lower the bar? Yes. But there are vast numbers who immediately disdain a book that has typos and errors and won't buy it at all.
Can you make money selling books that have errors to people who lower the bar and don't care? Oh, yes.
But it's up to you to decide what kind of writer you want to be, and what kind of book you want to be associated with.
All of this is leading up to
this post that I am sharing now.
If you're considering self-publishing, read it and consider.
