Indie publishing gurus often advise would-be self-publishing authors to hire professionals – editor(s), proofreaders, cover artists, etc. – to produce their books in order to raise the perceived level of quality of indie published books. They are told that it is “best practice” to do so. I find this advice disingenuous, at best. The people who dispense this advice are certainly aware that for most would-be indie authors seeking advice, taking this advice the author will lose just about every cent they spend on these professionals, with no discernible result. I shall focus my rant on editors, but my points apply to all freelance professionals offering their services to indie authors.
First off, indie publishing is not traditional publishing lite. Mimicking traditional publishing processes is expensive and unnecessary, since traditional and indie publishing serve two distinct markets, each with their own requirements. Traditional publishing serves casual readers, discerning readers, and lovers of physical books who enjoy the popular culture around well known authors. Indie publishing serves avid, story orientated, value conscious readers. Consumers understand that if you pay a tiny fraction of what another similar item costs, you should expect something less. In the case of indie readers this compromise includes reading stories as ephemeral digital files on ebook readers or phones, with perhaps, nondescript style and less polished grammar, compromises they are willing to accept as long as the story itself is compelling. The story is king in indie publishing. And thus whatever value editors bring to a book is greatly devalued in indie publishing.
The role of editors in traditional publishing and indie publishing are significantly different and are likely to produce different results. In traditional publishing, authors are casual labor hired by the editor. The editor is their boss, and while they may only “suggest” changes in an author’s work, the author is wise to comply with the editor’s suggestions or risk being labeled “difficult,” and likely less employable. Unless, of course, they write books that sell. On the other hand, in indie publishing, authors hire editors, making editors the casual laborer. While freelance editors may, or may not be selective about the projects they take on, editors still know that they need to please their boss, the author, or risk being labeled, “difficult,” making it more difficult to land future gigs. Given this dynamics, it is not unreasonable to expect that the results of these two types of editorial processes will differ, with the indie editing process being potentially far less rigorous. In addition, in traditional publishing a number of different types of editors and proofreaders go over the manuscript, so that hiring a single editor is not the complete traditional editing process.
The next thing to realize is that editors are pretty bad at their job, if their job is to help you sell books. Editors, with the input of the marketing department and perhaps the publisher, are the people who buy the books in traditional publishing. The editorial team then goes to work to shape and polish these stories into books that sell. Nevertheless, in the end, only about one book in three turns a profit in traditional publishing. What other business would tolerate a 35% success rate? Given their success rate in traditional publishing, how likely is it that professional editing will have a positive effect on sales when it comes to indie publishing? What is undeniable is that it will have very adverse effects when it comes to making a profit.
Luckily, in indie publishing editors can easily be replaced, since there are many free or inexpensive alternatives. If an author feels the need to get an outside opinion on their work, their manuscripts can be vetted by partners, friends, beta readers, or critique groups for free. In addition, the free version of the app Grammarly will check for both spelling and grammar usage. While I have not used it myself, I understand that over the last dozen years or so, Grammarly’s AI has greatly improved, and that it can be trusted to correct your spelling and polish your grammar, thus doing the job of both editor and proofreader. Plus, you can choose to follow its suggestions or not, without being labeled “difficult.” In short, there is no reason to employ a professional editor to polish your prose.
Lastly, indie publishing is all about freedom. You don’t have to conform to the expectations of editors or the “industry.” You can write the story you want to tell, how you want to tell it. No one – agents, editors, publishers, critics – need to be looking over your shoulder when you write and publish your own book. You can write a product aimed at a specific bestselling market, or you can write a work of art that is a unique personal expression. The choice is yours. This choice should be celebrated and valued.
The bottom line is that indie and traditional publishing are not the same business. The differences need to be recognized and the process of producing a book approached from different angles. Mimicking traditional publishing procedures in indie publishing is both unnecessary and potentially very expensive. And given the realities that most indie published books – like traditional published books – will not turn a profit, it is wise, in my opinion, to increase your chances of turning a profit by minimizing or eliminating production expenses. This includes not only editing but cover art and all the bells and whistles that people are quite willing to sell to indie authors – before the book even has a chance to earn a cent. Perhaps once you have become a best selling indie author you might want to employ professional editors and artists, and such, knowing that the sales of the book will pay for them, and that you have more important things to do, like writing your next novel to get it out the door in three months. But until then, I’d say, produce your own book from chapter one to hitting the publish button.
As always, what do you think? Do you use, or have you used, the services of a professional editor? What has been your experience with editors?
Writers Supporting Writers 
You make the case well, Chuck, including the idea of “indie readers” as a distinct market for plot-driven books with lower production values, analogous to pulp fiction of the past.
I will link to this post on my blog later today.
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Thank you. I really think it is important to realize that while there is obviously an overlap of readers, expectations are different for trad and indie published books. You certainly need to meet those expectations, but you can do so without spending tons of money as an indie author.
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That is what I’ve done. My single major expenditure was for cover designs for four of my books. Since then I’ve designed my own covers as well as done my own editing and formatting. I obtained input from a critique group and/or beta readers for all my books.
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This seems to support the stereotype of indie books being “less than.” I’ve read a number of bad reviews of indie books on Amazon and Goodreads that were criticized for lack of editing.
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I’ve had people say that about my books. Every reader is entitled to their opinion, and I respect that. Still, what is in my books is what I want in them. I know that you can’t please everyone, and you shouldn’t try to.
On the other hand, I know of a best selling author who uses a professional proofreader, and one of his first reviews on a new book complained of the usual number of self-publishing typos. It’s money down the drain if the professionals you hire don’t satisfy some picky reader.
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Great post. I agree with the conventional sentiment that editing is essential. That doesn’t mean, however, that hiring an editor is essential. That’s the quick but expensive way of doing it.
The slow but cheap route is to edit it yourself. This is hard to do and I personally dislike the editing process. But as you say, most indie authors are operating on a shoestring budget, so that makes the choice obvious.
Telling an indie author they should hire an editor to polish their stories is like telling an average person they could save time getting places by hiring a private jet and pilot. It’s technically true, but it ignores other factors.
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I love “editing.” The hard part for me is putting words down on a black screen. Once I have those words down, then I can play with them. I guess I view editing as something someone else does to your work. When I do it myself, it’s just producing a second and a third draft, which I expect to do in any event. I’m never going to get it right the first time.
It really bugs me when people tell potential indie authors to spend money when I know the chances of making it back are very slim. That’s preying on the innocent. I know of one writer who, if he decides to go the indie route would want to hire an editor and a cover artist and marketing person to “do it right.” They want you to think it’s just like traditional publishing, except that you have to hire your own professionals..
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Often the advice to hire an editor (or several of them!) comes from individuals who offer editing services. Fair enough, but writers should consider that before following the advice.
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Another big problem is that anyone can call themselves a freelance editor. There is no licensing or certification process.
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Now that you mention it, Audrey, the assertion that indie authors must get their books professionally edited doesn’t pass the Purpose criterion of the librarians’ CRAPP text when the assertion comes from someone trying to sell them editing services. https://researchguides.njit.edu/evaluate/CRAAP
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Exactly! Advertising works on our primitive emotions–desire and fear. Fear is the one most often invoked by posts predicting doom for any book that isn’t “professionally” edited. Never mind that there is no licensing body for editors. Anyone can call themselves one.
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I like your way of looking at it; “playing with the words.” Timely, too; as I’m currently revising a draft of my own. I’ll try to approach it with that mentality! 🙂
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For my current novel-in-progress, I checked the cost of professional copyediting/proofreading. For the length of the manuscript, it would be $2,000. I don’t have that kind of money to pay someone for work I can do myself. Based on potential ROI for a character-driven literary novel, it would be a waste of money.
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I think anyone who aspires to write well should develop basic editing skills. And the “developmental” stuff can be handled by a good group of fellow writers or intelligent beta readers. The worst thing is when writers on the submission trail are persuaded that expensive “professional” editing will guarantee that their book will be picked up by a publisher or agent.
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Head Hitters.
“Consumers understand that if you pay a tiny fraction of what another similar item costs, you should expect something less”
The above statement isn’t one I agree with. A little back story about my writing journey is called for, so indulge me. I’m a proud Indie and I’ve written in just about every genre but I’m best known for my sci fi such as the Craggy series, starting with ‘Last Flight for Craggy’ and more recently I self published Drifta’s Quest.
I’m on the cusp of my 70th year and have been bashing the keys for over fifteen years. I was in at the start of finally waving goodbye to the old Trad ways, send in three chapters and wait for the knock back frustration.
I’ve been taking a break for my painting and sculpture but I’m dipping a toe in the water with a new idea for a book.
Craggy ebook 1 on Amazon has clocked up around 150 reviews weighing in at about 4 . 2 rating. Very nice and I’ll take that thank you very much. BUT! I bet there’s at least seven or eight reviewers of that book alone telling me they enjoyed the story but I needed a pro head hitter.
They have a point ( I just couldn’t afford one). Thankfully over the years as my alcohol fueled, speed of light typing improved, I picked up a couple of writer friends around the world who offered to be my other pair of eyes for free as long as they were the first to read the books. Thankfully they picked up on a whole bunch of typos, for which I’d have been rightly slammed had I let them slip out.
Our ebooks are our opportunity to showcase our ability with the written word. DO NOT accept second best because you’re a mere Indie. Put out the very best work you can get and rope in a couple of other literate folk to keep you honest.
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Less doesn’t necessarily mean the quality of writing or the story. It can include making due with a digital copy rather than a physical book to add to your bookshelf. It can mean not being part of a broader social circle of fans which often surrounds the books of well known authors on Goodreads and in the wider bookish media. It can also mean more typos in the text than you typically encounter in traditionally published books.. The value proposition is something everyone judges for themselves.
I’ve encountered a number of booktubers who are discovering just how professional indie published books can be. Indie published books don’t have to be less polished than traditionally published books. Heck, traditional publishing puts out plenty of clunkers.
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I don’t differentiate between Trad / paperbacks and ebooks. Thanks to Amazon / createspace, it’s just a little more effort to produce both but the actual content is the same. I only wish it could be as straight forward to make audio versions but at least Apple and D2D are trying to make this more achievable for the poor Indie. More power to them. A great story well told should be the goal.
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I always have someone proofread my material for essays and such merely because although I proofread for others I often miss my very own errors in text. Usually, errors like “the the ” or “see” for “sea” which spellcheck won’t catch.
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I have 4 to 6 beta readers who read my ms after my wife goes through it and finds most of my typos. I am always amazed at how little overlap there is between the typo list of my beta readers. Everyone reads just a little differently and different things pop out at them. Just about nothing pops out at me…
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Thanks for the insight. I am still at blogging stage but even with flash fiction I wonder if I am doing it right. I’ll take on board some of your excellent suggestions.
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I agree with you that the type of editing you describe here — that a traditional publisher/agent performs — is not necessary for an indie author. One of the reasons a lot of us are indies (besides we can’t crack the secret code to traditiona publishing) is that we want the freedom to publish the book we want to publish instead of the book the publisher wants to publish.
That said, I do believe that a level of editing is needed for any book published. Call it copy editing or proofreading or what a beta reader might do for an author. I have used a professional editor for several of my published books, but not to do the kind of editing you seem to referring to. It’s more the proofreading/copyediting level. Finding typos, punctuation and grammar problems, plot holes, etc. He is very, very reasonably priced. I don’t use him for everything — for instance, the novella I published last August. For that I had three friends read it. Each of them found issues with the story and made for a better final version that was published.
Another way of going about this. I read manuscripts for a lot of writers. Most recently, I’ve read three manuscripts for another writer — lesbian romance. She recently returned the favor and read the first ten chapters of a WIP I’m struggling with. We then spent an hour talking about it and brainstorming about how to move forward. It was incredibly helpful and helped me see a bigger picture for the story.
I wonder if that’s something that would be helpful to more writers. I think I develop tunnel vision when I’m working on a story. I see a certain path forward and follow it without looking for branches in that path that might take me to a better place.
Ultimately, there are all sorts of ways to edit or proofread a book and writers should chose the level they are comfortable with. And I agree, I hate recommending something to indie writers that will cost them money because it is so difficult to recoup. (That’s why I have never charged an indie writer for my proofreading services.)
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If you can find a group of good beta readers, I think that’s the best way for indie authors to get feedback on works in progress. Working with a paid editor is an individual choice, but isn’t always necessary.
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Agreed. It’s why I don’t always pay for editing. Depends on the story, to be honest.
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My wife is not afraid to tell me things she doesn’t like in my stories as well as doing the bulk of the proofreading. I have half a dozen beta readers who mostly, but not always, just provide corrections for the typos my wife misses. I listen to, and usually act on all these suggestions. I have to wonder if the free version of Grammarly would serve as proofreader and line editor. Has anyone ever used it? I now upload my stories and open them in Google Docs which does some of this work. I’m giving my wife a lot cleaner copy these days than I did eight years ago.
I complete my story before anyone else sees it. I will make some modifications to address concerns raised if I feel they are valid, but otherwise I really don’t see myself soliciting input while I’m writing since I look on writing as an expression of one’s art. – but hey, this might be a good topic for future posts by everyone.
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If you’re relying on a friend or family member for proofreading or editing, they have to be willing to give it to you straight. If not, it’s not very helpful.
My parents read a draft of my first novel. They gave me some valuable criticism and it caused me to rewrite the whole thing.
With my current WIP, the writer who provided me input gave me a lot of different suggestions. I’m only following those that are consistent with my vision of the thing. For instance, a character dies early on in the story. She really wants that character to not die. I’m not changing it because without the death a huge piece of motivation for everything that follows goes away. On the other hand, she suggested changing the POV from multiple first person narrators to third person. I agreed that this change will make for a better, deeper story consistent with my vision.
As for Grammarly, I’ve never tried it and don’t have any plans to. I’m not impressed with the suggestions that come from these types of grammar checks. I write in a way that doesn’t always check the correct grammar boxes so a lot of suggestions are a waste of time for me.
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This raises the question of who is responsible for a published work. It’s the author’s name on the title page and cover, but (for trad-pubbed works certainly), there is input by a number of editors, and for indies, critique partners and alpha and beta readers. Of course it’s the author who actually changes the text (I would hope so, anyway), and it’s their name on the thing. I’m fine with input from others, but in the end it’s my book and I’m not going to make a change that feels wrong. It’s possible that this attitude may not be defensible in the trad-pub environment. And yes, this might be a good topic for the future, including a video chat.
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Loving this post! While it is not the role of the editor to help sell a book, editors do help make a book better by providing feedback and suggestions. I love that you point out the differences to take into account in the traditional and self-publishing industry, as each one certainly needs a different yet equally effective approach. ❤
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I was a writer and editor for years, including a one year stint editing books for a company that indie authors pay to publish their books. I worked remotely, never met these people in another state, and was paid by the book, not the hour. I always put more effort into them than necessary. I went beyond grammar and punctuation to putting story notes in comments. Basically I gave these indie authors FREE writing coaching,.
Of all the books I did there was only one that I had words about. I don’t know if they just didn’t want the content editing anymore, or they went out of business but they stopped sending books, wouldn’t return my emails or calls, and stiffed me $40 pay.
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Thank you for your comment. I am curious, have you followed the books that you edited for this company? Do you know how well they did, commercially? You know what the company paid you, but I am suspect that the authors paid the company significantly more for your services and all the others that they offered, so do you think the money these authors spent, was well spent?
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That’s a different perspective, for sure, JM! It shows part of the ugly underbelly of the writing/publishing world. And please accept my apologies for this belated comment; I’m not as methodical about following up on posts here as I am on my main blog.
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Hi Chuck, this is an interesting commentary and I enjoyed your well considered thoughts. When I wrote my first novella, I made use of a developmental editor from within the Indie community. It was my first book and my only education for writing is extensive reading. She was hugely helpful and taught me a great deal about creating a book that flowed. When I wrote my fist novel, the following year, I did the same, using the services if a different lady but still from within this community. Again my learning was huge and my book vastly improved. My next novel was also developmentally edited and my learnings were big but related to smaller issues. The construction of y book was sound so I had learned and improved. Now, I use beta readers and a critique group for my prose. I ask a poet to read and comment on my poetry. This is enough now I’ve done the initial big learning investment. I considered the developmental editing process to be tuition as I had no formal education in creative writing.
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Hi Robbie, I think most people think of editing in terms of checking grammar, spelling, and issues such as word choices and continuity. Your experiences with developmental editing make it clear there is much more to the process, and that in a way it can be a learning opportunity for the author. Thanks for sharing your thoughts here, and my apologies for the tardy response to your comments.
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Thank you for your comment and sharing your experience. I suspect that hiring a developmental editor is a whole lot more affordable than a BFA degree, and probably more helpful for what you want to write, so looked on as education, it is probably a good deal. I know of one self and traditionally published author who is paying a developmental editor $2500 to help him write in a new genre. Looked on in this light, it is certainly something to consider, as it may pay off in the long run, if not the short run.
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After I gave up trying to reach them, I tried again. Found the books on their website but no other information. The last book they sent me, the author pulled out. I had started the edit already but not gone far. She offered me $40 compensation which I thought was fair. Except they never paid me.
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Also, your questions are good ones but I didn’t care enough to see. The authors definitely paid more for editing than what I was paid. They were mostly really bad books.
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