Yes: If you are really serious about publishing (i.e. selling this book to more than family and friends), the above example skips a very important step. That step is utilizing the services of a professional editor. As nice as your friends and English teacher might be, chances are they are not editors. Virtually ALL successful books have been professionally edited and proofread long before they reach the general market. Editing costs vary by the amount of editing that needs to be done. Keep in mind that all editing is based on an hourly rate. Hourly rates may vary from editor to editor but the number of hours to perform a particular type of editing should be comparable from editor to editor.
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No: If you are on a limited budget and really intend to turn this publishing venture into a hobby and not a second job, you might be OK. Between the spell checker in MS Word and maybe your English teacher, your work will more than likely be readable. It may even be saleable. You have a good attitude and realize that the worst that’s going to happen is you’ll have presents to give out until you run out. |
Maybe: You might want to try a combination of the above. Start off with a few hundred using the spellchecker/English teacher editing combo. Aggressively market these books as “Unedited Galleys” or “Reader Proofs”. Get your reviews, sell to your friends, set up your website, set up distribution and if the groundswell of demand starts, know that you are going to need to spend the money for a professional editor before your main print run. |
