There are many ways to go about editing your work, and they don’t all necessarily involve hiring a professional editor, but professionals typically know best because they’ve spent their time dedicating it to their craft of editing which is finding errors in yours.

Self-Editing

For individuals who choose the self-editing road, knowing the foundations of the language and the rules is usually a good place to start.

Self-editing individuals can access classic language reference books for free from Bartleby. If you want a more modern take on grammar, check out Mignon Fogarty’s blog, Grammar Girl.

A few downsides to self-editing include:

• You’re probably not going to be completely objective with your own work. This piece is your baby, and you think it’s perfect. You put so much blood, sweat, and tears into your work the first time, why would you ever want to change it?
• Sometimes you just don’t see the mistakes. If you’ve been staring at the same document over and over again you may need a pair of fresh eyes because sometimes your brain and your eyes simply won’t see mistakes. I know this is a problem I often encounter with my own work. Despite how many times I’ve combed through it looking for errors, they inevitably slip through. One way to overcome this is to leave it for an extended period of time and then go back.
• You may not be completely familiar with the rules. If you don’t know the rules, then how are you going to adhere to them or intentionally break them?

If you’re willing to invest some money there are services that exist, like Grammarly, where you can submit a document, and you will be provided a report of errors and suggestions. Also, Grammarly has a fantastic Facebook page that will keep you laughing even though it’s all about grammar, which has the potential to be a total snoozefest, and it’s not.

Peer Editing

Peer editing is asking someone in a similar position or level of understanding of the topic to look at it and critique for errors and suggestions.

Great peer editing resources include family, friends, and close coworkers. Choose people whose opinions you trust and who you feel enough experience to provide good constructive criticism. Choose individuals who may or may not fit into the target market readership because someone who isn’t likely to read your work can give a whole different perspective.

One of my personal favorite suggestions is joining a writing group on Meetup.com. I know we are here in Houston, so the overall pool of possible talented individuals is greater, but I get great feedback on work from published authors and people pursuing PhDs in the English language, and former English teachers, for FREE! Just because they enjoy doing it, how wonderful is that?!

The downsides to peer editing are very similar to the same ones you would run into with self-editing. If your mom is reading your book, she’ll probably have a more difficult time being objective, which can go both ways depending on what kind of mom you have. And then there’s also the issue of familiarity with the rules.

Professional Editing

Professional editing involves hiring someone who has specific knowledge and experience in the editing process, and as we mentioned in the previous post, there are three different levels of editing. In the upcoming posts, we’ll give you some insights on characteristics to look for when choosing the right editor.

Some of the downsides of professional editing include having individuals purport to be more skilled editors than what they are in reality. Also, the cost of some editing services is enough to induce sticker shock, but as the adage goes, “you get what you pay for.”

If you’re ready to publish, don’t forget to create your Kbuuk account today at http://kbuuk.com.

We look forward to seeing your work on our platform soon, and happy reading, writing, and editing!