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Indie authors

Do you have a book baby you want to share with the world? Make sure your baby looks its best by getting professional editing. 

Help! How do I publish?

You need help navigating the self-publishing world. There are lots of predators out there, including vanity presses and many so-called “hybrid” publishers whose business model is charging naive authors thousands for very little service. 

On the other end, there are unskilled, unprofessional editors who charge pennies, but it’s because they either run your manuscript through far-from-perfect editing software in seconds or they simply don’t have the skills of a trained editor. Getting an A in high school English class thirty years ago does not make someone an editor. Even if it did, the publishing world is constantly changing, and editors need to keep updating their skills just as all professionals do. 

Yes, editing is a profession that requires training.

Did you know that the standard of using only one space after a period goes all the way back to 1949 in Chicago style? (Almost all books published in the United States follow The Chicago Manual of Style for editing, and yes, I have a subscription.) Yet on social media there are still many people who cantankerously proclaim that they use two spaces after a period and they will never stop, as this is what they were taught in typing class in 1982. It’s been seventy-five YEARS since this standard was changed for US books. 

You need someone who is good at grammar and also keeps up with the current standards in editing and publishing. I’m part of the Editorial Freelancers Association, and I keep up with the trends through their courses and in numerous online groups for editors. I’ve completed training through Edit Republic as well. 

I’ve worked with several authors who have self-published, and I can help guide you through this process as well. I can give tips on marketing your book and building your writing career if that’s your goal. If your goal is to submit to a traditional publisher or agent, it’s still a smart idea to have your book professionally edited in order to give it the best chance of being picked up. 

Please check out my services to see how I can help you clean up your book baby and make sure you’re proud, not embarrassed, when you share it with your readers. 

Email me at erica AT ericaediting DOT com, and let’s see how we can work together to make your book shine.