It may be just me, but I think self-editing anything of real significance is unwise. Most people know themselves, so even with some distance they will know wha

It may be just me, but I think self-editing anything of real significance is unwise. Most people know themselves, so even with some distance they will know what they meant even when it is unclear to the general reader. They will also often be blind to their own idioms (especially if they have not traveled) which may be highly local and not translate well to a broad audiance. I have never attempted to write anything book length, but I have published some short technical articles, and it is always clear which ones benefitted from a good editor and which ones did not.