Steve Frost Editing

Developmental editor, researcher and fact checker

Professional editors are often asked the question: why do I need to go to the expense of employing the services of a professional editor like Steve Frost Editing when I can do it myself and save some money?

The answer is simple. Yes, on the surface you could, and most professional editors worth their salt will expect that you have undertaken at least one self-edit before submitting for professional editing.

However, to do it completely on your own would be a false economy, because as much as we think we don’t, we become blind to our own mistakes. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the moment of writing a particularly juicy or exciting scene and lose track of the bigger picture. Let me give you one example, you wrote something in a chapter or scene earlier. For example, a character breaks a leg. Then a few pages later that same character is running around, leaving you with a very confused reader. It sounds daft, I know, but believe me, it does happen.