[rhadin]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I notice, in various threads, that a number of people have said that they don't have their books professionally edited, and I was wondering what the reason for that was. Is it simply down to the cost involved, or are there other reasons?

There are lots of reasons, Harry. I've heard many of them in my 25 years as a professional editor.

The problem begins with expectations. Authors sometimes have unrealistic expectations about what an editor does and can do. And when those expectations aren't met, the idea of hiring an editor gets circulating bad press focused on how the editor failed the author. This is particularly true when an author believes that hiring an editor will lead to a publisher picking up the book.

Cost is also a major factor. Many people believe, incorrectly, that a quality edit can be done in a couple of hours for less than $100 and are shocked when they learn that it can take hundreds of hours at a rate of $35 to $100 or more an hour. When an author starts sinking that kind of money into his or her book, they expect that the final version will be picked up by a publisher and are furious when it isn't.

Then there are authors and author groups who tell their colleagues and members how they can do it all themselves and save themselves a lot of money. There are a handful of authors who can, in fact, do it all themselves and do it very well, but most authors cannot. The SFWA, for example, pushes the do-it-yourself approach.

There is also the reputation that the vanity presses have engendeered. Vanity presses are noted for taking one's money and providing little in return. Many authors view hiring professional editors as a vanity press scam, which it is not.

Some authors believe that every word, every bit of punctuation in their manuscript is sacrosanct and perfect and thus hiring an editor would be a waste. One cannot improve on perfection.

And there is the problem of friends and neighbors who believe that because they found 3 misspellings in the latest tome by bestselling author XYZ that they can do the same job as a professional editor and they are willing to do it for free or for a nominal fee. Because saving money is built into the consumer psyche, authors often adopt this approach. They also find that their colleagues and professional guilds promote this method as well.

There is also the difficulty in telling the professional from the amateur and being certain one is not being ripped off.

There are numerous other reasons given, but in the end they all boil down to cost and the lack of certitude that hiring a professional editor will result in a publisher picking up the book.

For those wanting more information, here are some articles at my blog:

1. The Professional Editor's Bookshelf
2. On Words: Is the Correct Word Important?
3. On Words & eBooks: Give Me a Brake!
4. Publishers vs. Editors & the Bottom Line: Readers are the Losers
5. For the Lack of an Editor, the Debate Changed
6. Truman & MacArthur & Why a Good Editor is Important
7. Professional Editors: Publishers and Authors Need Them (Part 1)
8. Professional Editors: Publishers and Authors Need Them (Part 2)
9. Editor, Editor, Everywhere an Editor

The last one, Editor, Editor, Everywhere an Editor, describes the what a developmental editor and a copyeditor do.