The Importance of Book Editing

Early in my career, I edited a manuscript of an expository essay in which the author asserted that the presence and existence of ISIS signaled that Armageddon, as described in the Book of Revelation, is here.

I had to do a lot of fact checking, especially making sure the author correctly cited the Bible passages. I also had to do a ton of basic copy editing, especially grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

When I was finished, I gave the manuscript back to the author, who proceeded to ignore much of my edits and publish it in a rawer form. I know this because I received a copy.

I recently went looking online to see if there were any comments about the book. I found one on Amazon and none on four other Christian book websites.

I’m sure there were other factors for such low enthusiasm, but I can’t help but wonder how much better the book could’ve been with my edits.

The bottom line is this: Book editing is crucial because it ensures a manuscript is free from grammatical errors, enhances clarity of writing, improves the overall flow of the narrative, and ultimately presents a polished and professional product to readers by addressing inconsistencies, plot holes, and style issues, making the author's intended message more impactful.?

According to the founder of The Writers Ally, an editing and marketing firm, the first critical mistake authors make when trying to turn their manuscript into a published work is to skimp on the editing.

“It’s tempting to rush to publishing, but even the best writers need professional editing,” Allyson Machate wrote. “A polished manuscript can make or break (a) book’s success.”

The reality is every piece of work is edited. Without it, no book would ever see the light of day, would never reach a wide audience, and would never touch the souls that would be helped from reading said book.

Actually, to fully understand the importance of having a manuscript professionally edited, ask the following questions.

Want your work to have no grammar errors, no misspelled words, no punctuation problems? Hire a book editor.

Want your book to be of high quality, that’s easy to read, that demonstrates you are professional and credible and should be taken seriously? Hire a book editor.

Want your book to have a consistent writing style? Hire a book editor.

Want your story, fiction or nonfiction, to be free of ambiguities, plot inconsistencies and character actions that make absolutely no sense and come out of nowhere? Hire a book editor.

Want a true partner in the process, one who recognizes that your story is compelling, significant, and must be told because it will help so many? Hire a book editor.

These people can find errors that the author won’t see because the author is no invested in the work and has read the manuscript so many times that he or she no longer can see the mistake staring them in the face.

Book editors are an extra set of impartial eyes that have no ties, links, or biases about the work. All they want to do is make the manuscript the very best it can be.

That means they find the right words in the right places that magnify, emphasize, highlight, and bring out the points, emotions, facts, messages, or anything else the author is trying to say.

“Writing a book, in particular, is a dream many share,” Machate said, “but the path from idea to publication? That’s where most get stuck.”

A book editor is the first step.

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