Brenda Hill -

Some writers think editing is a luxury they can't afford. Editing is expensive - there's no doubt about it.

But think about it for a moment. Can you honestly say your manuscript is ready to be seen by an agent/acquiring editor as it is? If so, you don't need me. But if you can't, do you want to risk a rejection based simply on errors that could have been corrected?

How about novel or chapter progression? As in the Critical First Chapter, are the rest of your paragraphs, sentences placed to have the highest dramatic effect? Do you end each chapter with a 'cliffhanger' so the reader will want to turn pages?

Editors are essential to producing a professional manuscript. I've had extensive writing lessons, written newspaper articles, taught novel writing, and founded a manuscript editing service. When I completed my own edits on my manuscript for the thousandth time, I gave my creation to another editor, very smug in the belief it was virtually error-free. Thank goodness I did; she found more errors and typos than I thought possible or would want to admit.

Most of us cannot see all of our own mistakes, especially when we know every step of the story and have read each sentence over and over. Often, when something is omitted--an explanation, a phrase, a word--our brain helps us by filling it in while we are reading, whether it's a word or even a simple phrase essential to understanding the scene.

And that's a mistake professional writers can't afford to do. 

A reader, if enjoying the story, will forgive one or possibly two typos. But they are noticed. If there are more, the mood is shattered and trust in the author is lost.

Even though we may be perfectionists in our writing, we also are human and we make mistakes. I have a strong enough ego that I want my book to be published as error free as possible. I want my readers to lose themselves in my story and anything that jars them from that fictional world, such as typos/errors, or a plot structure that doesn't make sense, needs to be corrected. The reader may have purchased our first book, but will they purchase the next?  Will they recommend our books to their family and friends?

That's why we need editors. Even best-selling authors often give acknowledgments to their editors. We all need an objective eye. After all, once our book is published, our baby is out there for everyone to see.

Let's make sure the diaper is clean.