SELF-PUBLISHING
THE PROFESSIONALS
In part four of her self-publishing series, indie author DJ Bowman-Smith helps you to find and work with the right experts
DJ Bowman-Smith
Congratulations, you have finally finished your book and after as much self-editing and rewrites as you could manage, you’re thinking seriously about getting it out there.
To get your copy ready for publishing, you are going to need expert help. An editor, a proofreader, and possibly a formatter to make the interior files readable and pleasing to look at.
High-tech help
Every writer needs an editor. There really is no way around this. Even if you have a very tight budget, this is the one area where you cannot do-it-yourself or enlist a well-educated friend.
The first editor the modern author needs, is a good robot. Yes, that’s not a misprint, get yourself a robot! The two most common ones are Grammarly and ProWritingAid (see box). Both have a free version if you’re strapped for cash. But if you can splash out and buy a licence, the extra tools are well worth it. Each have free trials of their paid-for versions, which is a good way to find out which fits your working method and writing style. Keep a lookout for discount codes. The whole point is to get your writing into its best potential state before your editor receives it. Because if they are not drowning in a sea of rookie mistakes, they can concentrate on the tricky, expert stuff that you’re paying them to fix. When you have squeezed every nuance out of the robot, it’s time to find an actual human being.