Out there in the vast universe of online publishing, there exists a number of companies looking to capitalize on inexperienced writers. We might call such a company a VANITY PRESS, a company that charges authors a large fee to print their book. They promise editing services and a host of other services, but most do not deliver. These places often conduct what I call a VANITY EDIT. They claim to read an author’s manuscript and offer critique…but most of the time, the “edit” that results offers almost no valuable feedback and instead serves to stroke the author’s ego with false praise. Not false because the book couldn’t possibly be good, but false because it was likely not read at all by anyone. I’ve read dozens of books “edited” by such companies that contain so many errors that it’s evident no edit at all was completed. Their goal is only to coax the author to pay more, submit again. As an author, you have every right to choose to print your book through a vanity press if that is your wish…but do your research and understand what you are and are not getting.
Also understand the difference between the “editing” you might get at one of these places compared to what you will get from an editor like me. I will find errors, I will correct mistakes, I will point out issues with story, voice, point of view, etc… I might point out things I love about your writing, but my real job is to find the things that are not quite right so you can fix them. More often than not, the editorial letter I send you at the end will make you a little bit angry–after all, it’s tough to hear criticism. My mother, published author Maggie Shayne, put it best when she said that good editors are the ones that have the nerve to tell you your baby is ugly. 🙂
So if you are looking for someone to tell you ONLY how wonderful and perfect your writing is, you might want to reach out to one of those vanity presses I mentioned above. If you hire me, I will most certainly point out your “baby’s” imperfections. But I will also give you the advice you need to address those imperfections.