3 ms·

> I felt confident I didn't need a professional editor. FWIW, I think this almost always bad advice. Being your own editor is a bit like being your own lawye

by ska 5y ago

> I felt confident I didn't need a professional editor. FWIW, I think this almost always bad advice. Being your own editor is a bit like being your own lawyer - even if you have the right skills you don't have the right perspective. It's obvious when something is desperately in need of editing. What's less obvious is how much better something "ok" could be with a good editor.

belval 5y ago
Well from a purely monetary standpoint, if you make 4x more money when publishing yourself you can afford to sell 4 times fewer books to make the same amount, so the real question is: can the editor impact my book so much that it will increase sales 4 times? Not saying that you are wrong, more that there are legitimate reasons why an editor might not be the right way forward.
- ska 5y ago
  > more that there are legitimate reasons why and editor might not be the right way forward. I think this is true, and certainly didn't mean to suggest otherwise. It's just that "a (good) editor wouldn't improve my output" is approximately never true. Whether that improvement is worth whatever it costs you to get it is a separable question.
  - quickthrower2 5y ago
    Also what is the cost of hiring an editor if you are self publishing? That’s another route and I bet you could find a good one at a more reasonable cost.
    - snowyrue58 5y ago
      For fiction editing (developmental and copy) I've spent around 550-700 USD for 80k words. Not sure how that converts for a programming book but the editing was well done and really improved the manuscript which resulted in a big increase in sales for follow up books.
- chrisweekly 5y ago
  Self-publishing and use of a professional editor are not mutually exclusive!
mtlynch 5y ago
I agree. I hired a freelance editor to help me with my blog, and it was the best money I ever spent for improving my professional writing.[0] You can get a good editor and still self-publish. If money's tight, there's still substantial value in just having an editor review a portion of your book and telling you about anti-patterns in your writing. [0] http://mtlynch.io/editor/ http://mtlynch.io/editor/
WalterBright 5y ago
Looks like there's a lot of potential for people to start their own online business offering editor services to writers.
coldtea 5y ago
>FWIW, I think this almost always bad advice. Is it though, or is it merely a century of the professional publishing industry justifying its necessity? Neither Plato, nor Nietzsche had an editor. Now those are just two historical examples two and a half millenia apart, but this group also includes any author in between these two.

by ska 5y ago

belval 5y ago

Well from a purely monetary standpoint, if you make 4x more money when publishing yourself you can afford to sell 4 times fewer books to make the same amount, so the real question is: can the editor impact my book so much that it will increase sales 4 times? Not saying that you are wrong, more that there are legitimate reasons why an editor might not be the right way forward.

ska 5y ago
> more that there are legitimate reasons why and editor might not be the right way forward. I think this is true, and certainly didn't mean to suggest otherwise. It's just that "a (good) editor wouldn't improve my output" is approximately never true. Whether that improvement is worth whatever it costs you to get it is a separable question.
- quickthrower2 5y ago
  Also what is the cost of hiring an editor if you are self publishing? That’s another route and I bet you could find a good one at a more reasonable cost.
  - snowyrue58 5y ago
    For fiction editing (developmental and copy) I've spent around 550-700 USD for 80k words. Not sure how that converts for a programming book but the editing was well done and really improved the manuscript which resulted in a big increase in sales for follow up books.
chrisweekly 5y ago
Self-publishing and use of a professional editor are not mutually exclusive!

mtlynch 5y ago

I agree. I hired a freelance editor to help me with my blog, and it was the best money I ever spent for improving my professional writing.[0] You can get a good editor and still self-publish. If money's tight, there's still substantial value in just having an editor review a portion of your book and telling you about anti-patterns in your writing. [0] http://mtlynch.io/editor/ http://mtlynch.io/editor/

WalterBright 5y ago

Looks like there's a lot of potential for people to start their own online business offering editor services to writers.

coldtea 5y ago

>FWIW, I think this almost always bad advice. Is it though, or is it merely a century of the professional publishing industry justifying its necessity? Neither Plato, nor Nietzsche had an editor. Now those are just two historical examples two and a half millenia apart, but this group also includes any author in between these two.