Self-published authors take their titles too seriously.

They actually believe that they are the only ones that need to publish their book. But that’s not true.

Think about all the tasks before publication:

• Writing the manuscript.
• Editing the manuscript.
• Cover design.
• Typesetting.
• Formatting.

And then once your book has been published, next comes marketing.

Why would you make the process harder than necessary? You don’t need to be a one-person publishing company.

You can work with other professionals and delegate the other responsibilities to them.

One professional that you need is a copyeditor. Let’s find out why.

What Professional Copyeditors Bring to the Table

The editing process is the most important process in publishing.

Why? If your book is not properly edited and formatted, none of the other steps will matter.

You will have to spend additional time and money fixing mistakes that should have been eliminated with editing.

Copyeditors can assist with

• Applying a publication style to help maintain consistency.
• Correcting any errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
• Reducing any repetitive sentences and words.
• Verifying factual inconsistencies.
• Verifying any copyright permissions that must be obtained.

All these tasks help to make a book as polished as possible.

Here are the 5 benefits that a copyeditor can bring to a self-published manuscript.

Professionalism

Let’s be honest. When you come across a typo in a book, it’s all you can think about.

It doesn’t matter how much of the book you’ve read. That typo is a bad memory that sticks with you.

That’s why editing is so important. You don’t want to come across as an amateur who doesn’t know how to spell or use the English language.

Unfortunately, that’s the stigma that so many indie authors must fight when their manuscripts aren’t edited properly.

A copyeditor provides the necessary skills to review your manuscript and make it as professional as possible.

In addition to checking for any grammatical errors, they review the format and content of the manuscript. Their suggestions help to not only make the manuscript visually appealing but easier to read.

Their suggestions also help protect the author against any potential copyright issues. If there is any copyright material in the manuscript that the author hasn’t received permission to use, the copyeditor can remind them to do that before publication.

Consistency

Imagine reading a chapter heading with the word “the” capitalized – and then seeing it lowercased in another chapter heading.

That inconsistency stays with the reader just like the typo.

To review a manuscript, copy editors follow what’s known as a house style. This is an editorial style that consists of the following references:

• A style manual.
• A usage guide.
• A dictionary.
• A thesaurus.

Copy editors use these references to ensure consistency throughout an entire manuscript. A style manual explains how each part of a manuscript should be written – from capitalization to the treatment of names.

This helps make consistency so much easier to achieve.

Clarity

Another area that copy editors help with is clarity throughout a manuscript.

We all have read a piece of text that went on. And on. And on. And the more we kept reading, the further away we ventured from the point.

Copyeditors can help improve the readability of your manuscript. Readability is a manuscript’s ability to be easy and enjoyable to read.

Even when a manuscript is following editorial guidelines, there are elements of a manuscript that make it difficult to read, such as:

• Transitional phrases.
• Sentence length.
• Passive and active voice.
• Structure, and
• Organizational flow.

When these areas aren’t addressed in a text, they can cause the reader to lose focus.

Copy editors can increase a manuscript’s readability by including these suggestions in their queries. The easier a manuscript is to read, the more enjoyable it will be for the reader.

Improved Marketability

Not all publicity is good publicity. Poorly edited books are harder to market – regardless of the genre.

If you don’t believe me, watch any review of a poorly edited book on Book Tok or Book Tube.

Copy editors handle the hardest part of the marketing process for you. A book that’s well-written, professionally edited and formatted sells itself.

Copy editors help to ensure that the best parts of your book are highlighted. Instead of embarrassing errors getting attention, they can help you show more of your brand voice and exceptional writing.

Most importantly, it leads to the last benefit.

Increased Credibility

Increased credibility is the biggest benefit that a copy editor brings to your manuscript.

Unfortunately, indie authors are already coming out the gate at a disadvantage. There’s still a negative stigma that their books must overcome.

When you work with a copy editor, you beat that stigma. Even better, you increase your confidence as an author.

You don’t have to worry about coming across as an amateur. You’re doing what the professionals do – hire a copyeditor to assist with your manuscript.

This should make you feel more confident in yourself and your book. It has the professional feel that it deserves.

It also shows your readers the respect you have for them and your work. Instead of rushing and giving them low quality material, you’re showing them that you care about giving them high quality.

As a result, your author brand continues to grow.

Download the Light Copyedit Guide Today!

So, now that you know the benefits that come with working with a copy editor, what’s next?

You need to know what to expect when working with a copyeditor. To learn more about that process, download the Light Copyedit Guide here.

This guide not only helps authors become better prepared to work with a copyeditor. It also helps them perform light edits to their manuscripts if they want to develop those skills themselves.

If you’re looking for a copy editor to assist you with your manuscript, click on the link below to schedule a consultation.

Share your thoughts in the comments section below.