Why Professional Editing Is So Important to Your Romance Novel
Every writer knows editing is important to their work. No one just publishes their book without editing and proofreading their work. But, not every author who chooses to self-publish gets professional editing for their book. Though it is understandable that professional editing is an extra expense you may not have planned for, professional editing is so important to help make your romance novel successful.
Why does your book need to be edited?
You want your content to be amazing for readers. You don’t want to have a storyline that gets confusing or a plot hole that you can’t see or errors that will hurt the readability of your book. It is easy for your credibility as an author to be damaged by mistakes in your book.
There is an unspoken bond between you and your readers that your book will be amazing and error-free. Readers want a book they can get lost in and enjoy, without being distracted by mistakes. Even little mistakes such as misspelled words can hurt readers’ enjoyment of your book. It is extremely jarring to hit mistakes while reading; it throws readers out of the story and makes it hard for them to be truly engaged.
Why does your editor need to be a professional?
Editing for your book needs to go beyond just self-editing. Authors are often too close to their work to see some issues in their book. There are times when, because you know what you meant to write, you won’t actually read what is on the page, and you then miss the error that a reader will immediately pick up on. Also, after you have read a piece of writing so many times, your mind will just drift over errors rather than noticing them.
Editing is an intense process, and there is so much information your editor needs to know. Though writers and avid readers tend to have great grammatical knowledge and a sense of voice, editors have a greater understanding of the components that are essential to a book. They understand the importance of consistency, know genre standards, and have the resources and knowledge to be able to be able to look up or verify grammatical rules and style choices.
Much as you would want to hire an expert in anything, you should hire a professional editor for your book. A friend may be eager to help with your book, but a professional editor will be able to devote designated time to focus solely on your book. You also won’t have to worry about not getting accurate feedback. Where a friend or loved one may be afraid to give honest opinions or tell you any of their concerns, a professional editor will provide you with honest feedback regarding your story as well as suggestions on how to address what they see as possible issues.
The editing process is so essential to self-publishing a romance novel. Readers want books they can lose themselves in without stumbling over errors or inconsistencies. But, you need to go beyond just self-editing or having friends review your book because this won’t bring your book to the level needed to help it appear truly professional to readers. Professional editing will bring your book to a new level of polish, help grow your readership, and score you great reviews!
