[HistoryWes]

I agree with practically everyone here. Cost is THE big factor. I paid for one professional edit and while it was not a horror story like some I've heard, he didn't catch every error and most of the suggestions for revision were things that I didn't want to follow-- specifically he wanted to correct the grammar in the dialog of characters who were supposed to speak incorrect grammar.

The past couple of books I've finished, I've had fellow teachers (eight to ten of them) edit for me and even then errors get missed. And I don't know of anyone who can self edit with real success and that includes simple proofreading. You can read through a familiar line many times without noticing that through should have been though or thought.

I'd certainly be interested in any volunteer editing services. I have the first draft of my latest book done and after the second draft will be looking for help.

Also, for those "I won't stand an error" folks, ebooks add a whole 'nuther problem as errors can creep in to a perfect manuscript during format conversion.