As a business owner, I understand the temptation to keep all tasks in-house. When I set out to create a logo for my proofreading and copyediting business, I drew up an exact sketch of what I wanted my logo to look like; however, somewhere along the process I realised that I do not know the first thing about creating a professional logo. I am a Muslim editor, not a graphic designer! So, I hired a professional to do it for me and my sketch became the basis for my graphic designer’s creative flair.
Similarly, when you as an author feel like your copy is ready for editing, you should hire a professional editor to work on your manuscript. This article is intended to tell you why you should hire a professional to look at your work, rather than attempting it yourself.
Throughout our academic education, from primary school through to university, we are told continuously to reread and proofread our own work. In some cases, we are told to get our work checked by our peers to make sure it reads well and is ready for submission. Proofreading your own work or getting it reviewed by peers is fine when the bulk of marks are awarded based on the quality of content, rather than the quality of writing. However, in the real world, the quality of the writing is as important as the content itself. Therefore, it is ideal for you to hire a specialist who is trained to correct the technical flaws in your writing (such as grammar and punctuation), as well as the more subtle ones (such as consistency in style and content).
The most basic reason as to why an author writes is because they have a unique or personal perspective that they would like to share with their audience. However, if your writing is loaded with grammar, punctuation, and syntax problems, the reader will find it very difficult to engage with your message and enjoy your writing.
If I had gone ahead and created a logo for my editorial business, it would not have been to the same quality as the logo my graphic designer created. It would have looked amateurish and unprofessional. So, when you reach the publishing stage, you need to make sure that you have done everything to be taken seriously as an author. A poorly edited piece of work will impede this. By hiring a professional editor, you are showing your audience that you have put the time, thought, and effort into producing the best version of your manuscript.