You have written your first eBook and you are breathing a sigh of relief! Congratulations on completing your eBook successfully! However, just writing the content isn’t the end of the journey. There are a couple of more steps that you need to take before your eBook is ready to be published. The importance of editing and proofreading your own work cannot be emphasised enough. It is arguably the most important aspect of eBook writing and makes your eBook into a finished product.
Why is Editing Important?
Why should you edit your eBook? You are probably wondering, after all the thought and time you have put in writing your eBook, what could possibly be wrong, that it needs editing? It’s quite a common question. The answer to that is simple: To make your eBook the best it can possibly be!
An eBook which isn’t edited properly depicts unprofessionalism. The eBook is a reflection of you, and any simple grammatical and spelling errors in the eBook can be quite embarrassing for you. Editing also involves cutting out sections or characters of your story, which seem a little out of place or affect the pace of the story in general. It may also involve moving chapters around, to get the best out of your eBook. Editing the eBook will save you of that embarrassment, and will also make your eBook more relatable, easy to understand and enjoyable to the general public.
And Proofreading?
Proofreading is the absolute final step before your eBook is ready to be published. Once the editing is done and the rewrites have been written, the proofreading is carried out. Proofreading is vital, as it catches the various spelling and grammatical errors, punctuation errors, misapplied tenses and other typos, among other things.
You may think, readers won’t mind typos, as long as the story is good. That, perhaps, may be true. The readers will see that you are a good writer, and the content is the thing that matters, but typos can look silly and may end up costing you some business, and make you look careless.
Should You Hire a Professional?
The next logical question you ask yourself is, should I hire a professional to carry out my editing and proofreading work? While the idea is tempting, don’t hire professionals for editing your first draft. Re-read your eBook yourself and make note of the strengths and weaknesses. Rewrite it once or twice. Don’t bring in a professional unless you have written the best you possibly can. It will cost you both, time and money.
After you have drafted your best, though, a professional may be the best way to maximize the potential of your eBook. It may cost you money, but in the process, what you get is a highly polished and finished product, aimed at catering to the public. You should be prepared for feedback and criticism, though. Tell your editor what exactly you want out of your eBook, if you want to publish it and what is your target audience.
Final Thoughts
Editing and proofreading your eBook is as important as writing the actual eBook. It may be time consuming and may cost you a bit in terms of money (if you hire a professional), but in the end, what you get is what you pay for. To get the best draft possible for your eBook, never ignore editing and proofreading, you wouldn’t want to come across as lazy and careless. What you want is to come across as what you are: A great writer!
Image credit: Matt Hampel on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]http://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Pranay.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Pranay Kanagat is a freelance writer who has a love for writing on various subjects. In particular, he enjoys creative writing. He is also studying for an Engineering degree.[/author_info] [/author]
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