Sorry I’m late this week with the blog posts. I’ve been busy getting my first book into fighting order and battling Createspace. The good news is that “The Uncertainty of Death” will be available for purchase in print format soon and the ebook will be available for free (one day only) at the time of this posting!

I promised that I’d focus on revision, rewrites and editing while I’m going through the process with my new book, “In the Absence of Famine,” though I must admit I’ve been a bit sidetracked by the actual act of proofing the first. So lets start with editing or more importantly, the importance of a good editor.

In the “When To Pay, When Not to Pay” series of posts I discussed the merits of hiring an editor to go over your work and help give your final manuscript that special polish that’ll set it apart from the other unruly self published masses. Now I’ve actually received the edits from my editor and I’ve got to say over and above the merits of polishing your book to it’s best shine, I love having an editor for the headaches she saved me!

After squinting at your book for untold days, weeks, months or even years a fresh pair of eyes are invaluable to find those final nagging errors. Finding an editor whose work is top tier at your budget level is difficult but not impossible and like all parts of the self publishing lifestyle requires a considerable amount of personal research. In this instance I would say that google actually isn’t your friend, as a simple search for “editing services” will return you hundreds of results well out of the average indie’s price range. You’re much better off looking through other writer’s blogs and finding links and references to their editors. If you’re part of a writing group, you might even be able to ask the other members to hook you up with theirs.

Just remember, there’s a lot of work involved in writing well and talent will only take you so far. Polishing your books through a process of revision, rewrites and editing is the best way to set yourself above the pack as a professional, not a hobbyist with delusions of grandeur.