Writing and editing go hand in hand. If you write anything worth writing and sharing with another pair of eyes or countless pairs of eyes, you need an editor to edit your text. Many writers feel that getting their manuscript edited is unnecessary or just another way to incur publishing costs. That is far from the truth. As long as you write something that you want to share with the public, you need a professional editor to edit your writing. Here are reasons why you and every writer need an editor.
To avoid embarrassment
Bad grammar can be a huge source of embarrassment. It becomes even worse when you write it down on paper and publish it for the world to see. Instead of your book becoming a continuous source of delight and pride, it becomes a constant reminder of your poor use of grammar and your haste to publish your work without having it edited.
Many writers think they don’t need an editor, and so turn a blind eye to this huge step that precedes publishing any book. It usually doesn’t end well, and such writers end up cringing when people point out grammatical blunders and inconsistent facts in their books.
They end up blushing in embarrassment and wishing they had not skipped the very necessary process of getting the services of a professional editor. It becomes a situation of ‘which would your rather: the embarrassment or the cost of editing?’.
To create a lasting legacy that you can be proud of
A major reason why writers publish their works is that they want to leave a legacy that will outlive them. Have you ever asked yourself who the great-grandson of William Shakespeare is or if Shakespeare ever had children? Even if you have been able to trace Shakespeare’s genealogy, most readers of his work do not care about the playwright’s offspring.
William Shakespeare and many other renowned writers have left legacies that have outlived or will outlive them (depending on if they are still alive).
One thing about legacies is that you want them to be something that impacts your children and grandchildren positively. You don’t want to leave a bad name for them. Similarly, you don’t want to leave bad work for them.
You want to be able to hand them something that they would be happy to receive from you and sustain; a publication worthy of being bequeathed.
The way to do this is to ensure that a professional editor finetunes your writing to make it excellent. Believe us when we say you definitely need an editor.
To increase sales, get an editor.
Bad writing is easy to spot. Even people who have never written and do not intend to write can spot your bad writing when they go through your book. Many people criticize things that they cannot produce.
However, instead of being upset with such self-appointed critics, you should create a work that can stand any scrutiny. Remember that people’s assessment of your work has an impact on your book sales. In order to have a book that stands the test of time, you need an editor to edit your well-written and interesting story.
To become a household name
One way to become a household name is by writing a great book. Sharing your experiences or creating a work of fiction is a good way to put your name on the lips of readers. While being a household name is a good thing, you have to ensure you are not the topic of derision or mockery because of your error-filled book. Getting the services of a professional editor is likely to put you in the good books of your readers.
To get your book included in the school syllabus
If you intend to have your books included in a school syllabus, you need an editor to edit your manuscript and make sure it is flawless. Not just any book makes the cut for a school’s syllabus; only the very best do. To make the cut, your content must be in line with the syllabus, it must be easy to read, it must be suitable for the school-age who are your audience and it must be flawlessly edited.
To become an authority or reference point
Writers need to quote other writers, particularly when they are building a body of similar work. Writers are probably the most scrutinizing readers. They read to learn new things and they also read to garner more meat for their written works. In order to become an authority worth citing, you need to have a good topic and conduct in-depth research on it.
You also need to arrange your write-up sequentially and write your facts and findings in details. Furthermore, you need an editor to put the finishing touches and make your writing tight and flawless.
For future sales
A good book is one that is valuable to people of various generations and can stand the test of time. There is no deadline or end date to when a book can be sold. Books can be sold for decades, centuries and possibly millennia. Therefore, it is important to forecast and not skimp on quality.
Quality will always be valued, even long after you are gone. If you want your book to keep making sales for your children and grandchildren, you need an editor to perform quality-check and make your writing of high quality.
To increase credibility
Credibility is believability or the ability to inspire trust. It takes a lot for people to trust others. One way to build trust or credibility is to be excellent at what you do. As a writer, flawless writing gives your readers faith and confidence in you. If your Is are dotted and your Ts are crossed, it is easier to win the trust of your audience.
That is one of the duties of professional editors. They rephrase your clumsy sentences and make your ideas clearer and easier to understand. Editors also verify important facts such as dates, time, location, seasons, historical facts and other details that you might overlook. Any writer worth his or her salt needs an editor’s services.
To teach
Whether you intend to or not, your book teaches one or more things to your readers. Even though people have various reasons why they write books, the one reason they cannot avoid is the teaching. People learn a variety of things from reading your books. They could be new words, life lessons, more information about a place or a people, more about the writer (especially if you are someone they know or have heard of).
So, in other words, by being a writer, you are also a teacher. Therefore, you want to teach your readers something worth learning, in the best terms and with the clearest explanations possible. This is one reason why you need an editor.
Editing is a necessary step to take before publishing your manuscript. A well-written work needs to be well-edited. As a writer, remember to always put quality first, as this would make your book a good read, as well as make great sales. Dear writer, you need an editor; that is indisputable.
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