Book editors play a crucial role in the publication process of any book, not minding if is self-published or traditionally published. Whether if it is a traditional publishing route or self-publishing, the significance of an editor cannot be overemphasized.
However, there are instances where authors choose to publish their books without the guidance of an editor hence why there are many substandard publications that make comprehension difficult. That is why having an editor is essential to guarantee that there is good quality and to ensure the worthiness of a book, making it valuable for recommendation to readers.
In this blog, we discuss the reasons why you need a book editor before you publish:
We basically have:
- Beta readers
- Developmental editors
- Copy editors and
- Proofreaders
Now, let us look at their roles in book publishing
Roles of Editors in Book Publishing
- Refining the Book:
A professional editor will ensure that there is perfection in grammar, punctuation, spelling, vocabulary, and sentence structure. These things listed can easily be missed by the writer or author, which will affect the outcome of the book when it is published.
An editor has to make sure that everything in a book is as it should be, where it should be, and how it should be for proper presentation and readability.
- Facts Checking:
Book editors at every level of the publishing process must ensure that the claims of a writer or an author are properly verified. Things like word usage, punctuation, grammar, and structures of sentences must be corrected by an editor at each level before a book is published to avoid it being unreadable which would affect the reputation of the author.
Editors, like beta readers, play a great role in confirming the claims of an author before he or she proceeds to the next stage of writing. Because, often, it is best to know at an early stage what has been done wrong in the writing process to avoid repetition of the process.
- Amplifying the Author’s Voice:
The focus of editors remains to modify what the writer has written, removing all the unwanted while still maintaining the unique voice of the author. Editors make sure that at the end of their work on a book, the message of the author is still being passed as he or she wants it to be communicated with perfection.
Their goal, generally, is not to glorify themselves in anyone’s book, but they work strictly to make sure that the author gets the result that was intended before writing the book.
- Increasing the Market Value of a Book:
The work of an editor is to ensure that every book edited by them is presentable with no errors or mistakes worthy of reviews from its readers.
Even though money should be the least worry of an author while writing a book, it is often the reward for a well-written and edited book.
The end product of an editor’s work on a book is increased market value for the book. When a book is well-edited and enjoyed by some readers, the feedback will automatically influence others to get copies of the book, and the more copies an author sells, the higher the profit they make from their hard work.
Conclusion
Editors remain the structural engineers for every bestseller. Good, value-packed books sell themselves in the market because when people are sure to get value for their money, they will buy. This does not mean that authors should write solely for the money. The focus remains to impact readers and give value.
At Pen-Impact, we have all that is required to help you with your book editing and publishing. We can be reached via info@pen-impact.com