While some writers still dream of landing a lucrative traditional publishing contract, others have chosen to become their own publishers. By opting to self-publish, writers are able to sell their digital and physical books directly to the public through online platforms, author websites, physical bookstores, and other venues. If the book becomes popular, authors who choose to self-publish may find that doing so can result in more profit potential and greater freedom than they would have under a traditional publishing deal. 

It is important to state, however, that traditional publishing companies generally include in-house editing services to ensure that each book they represent meets its quality goals before it is made available to readers. Authors who choose to self-publish should consider utilizing professional editing services to ensure their published works are equal in quality with traditionally published books. 

Simple Errors Can Gravely Impact Reader Satisfaction, Profits, and Reviews

With many readers choosing to read digital books, instead of purchasing a physical copy, books with grammar, spelling, or sentence construction issues can be easily abandoned at any point in the book. If the e-reader platform pays authors by the number of pages read, failure to read the entire book due to a lack of editing can gravely impact the author's expected profits on the book. 

Additionally, readers who become dissatisfied with a book's content due to a lack of professional editing may decide to post a poor review on the site where they purchased the book or on sites where book information is shared. Authors who receive poor reviews on their self-published books due to a lack of editing often experience falling sales and reduced profits. 

Editing Issues Can Impact Awards and Other Aspects of Self-Publishing Success

In addition to the financial damage that writers can experience by not utilizing professional editing services, they can also find themselves shut out of award competitions and the opportunity for additional sales by taking part in anthologies or co-writing efforts with other authors. Authors who submit unedited or poorly edited works into award competitions, or when requesting inclusion in a forthcoming anthology are likely to be refused if grammar issues, misspelled words, or sentence construction issues are present in the manuscript. 

Writers often make the mistake of thinking that self-editing their work is a good idea. Self-published authors who are interested in learning more about the importance of quality editing for their manuscripts should consider contacting a professional business editing service for additional information.