Ask the Publisher-Every Writer Needs An Editor

You can be a great writer and still publish a book that looks rushed. That’s the uncomfortable truth we dig into, starting with a simple question: do you really need an editor if you already know how to write? We say yes, and we explain why without sugarcoating it. When you read your own manuscript, your brain auto-corrects what’s on the page into what you meant to say, which is exactly how missing words, repeated sentences, plot holes, confusing timelines, and inconsistency slip through. 

We also talk about the part people don’t want to hear: readers can be unforgiving. Typos, formatting issues, sloppy chapter titles, and clunky flow don’t stay private anymore. A single bad reading experience can stop someone from recommending your book and can turn into an Amazon review or a social media post fast. Editing isn’t an attack on your intelligence. It’s the polish that protects your message and your author credibility, the same way coaching supports athletes and producers sharpen artists. 

Then we get practical about professional book editing. “Editing” isn’t just running Grammarly. We break down developmental editing (structure, clarity, story flow), copyediting (grammar, punctuation, consistency), and proofreading (final error catch before publishing). We also address cost head-on: editors are trained professionals doing skilled labor, and while you don’t need the most expensive option on earth, you do need trained eyes before you release your work publicly. 

If you care about self-publishing the right way, manuscript quality, and building long-term reader trust, hit play. Subscribe, share this with an author friend, and leave a review, then drop your next question so we can tackle it next.

Transcript

Quick Intro And Book Shoutout

SPEAKER_00 0:47

That's kingdom, that's classic. That's right, born selected. Um, you can find that on all stations worldwide. Okay. Uh, it's called Born Selected by, of course. Listen, Linda. Um, yes.

Do Skilled Writers Need Editors

SPEAKER_00 1:02

So, hey family, it's your girl, Dr. Jacqueline Cox, and I am back today for Ax the Publisher. So, today's Ask the Question, um, Ask the Publisher question is do I really need an editor if I already know how to write? Listen, this question right here humbles a lot of people. The short answer is yes, right? Yes. Even the best writers need publishers. I'm getting hot just thinking about this, so excuse me, I'm coming out of this gap. Even the best writers need editors. And let me explain why. Being a good writer and being able to edit your own work objectively are two completely different skill sets. When you read your own book, your brain already knows what you meant to say. Okay? So sometimes you'll completely overlook mistakes, missing words, repeated sentences, plot holes, inconsistency, grammar issues, or sections that would confuse readers. But an editor catches what familiarity makes you miss. And let me say this too because some people get offended when they hear editing. Editing is not somebody attacking your intelligence, editing is somebody helping to polish your presentation. Athletes have coaches, artists have producers, speakers have mentors, businesses have consultants. So, why do some artists feel

Why You Cannot Edit Yourself

SPEAKER_00 2:46

like editing is disrespectful? I never understood that. Baby, editing protects your credibility, okay? Because readers will notice when a book is rushed. They notice spelling mistakes, formatting problems, repeated paragraphs, poor sentence flow, confusing timelines, typos and chapter titles. And unfortunately, baby, readers, they can be unforgiving. One bad reading and sent uh reading experience can stop somebody from recommending your book to others, and they will go on Amazon and expose it, honey. They will leave all types of reviews these days. This is not back in the day. It's too much social media. People will run to social media and air out your your discrepancies before they even email you about it. And let's be honest, some people publish too quickly because they're so excited to say that they became an author that they skip the polishing process altogether. Oh, I don't need nobody do that for me. I'll publish it myself. I just purchased a book two days ago. I will never say the name. But it was somebody who just did not want to pay anything. And I get it. Sometimes you have to you have to lose to win, you have to make those mistakes. But you cannot cancel out coaching and somebody trying to teach you all together and just go out and throw something out, especially when you got other people involved in the project. Excitement is beautiful, it's it's it's it's a beautiful thing,

Reader Trust And Rushing To Publish

SPEAKER_00 4:40

but presentation still matters, and your your story deserves quality. And please understand this editing is not just using grammarly or word check. You got some publishers out here just using grammarly and word check, and when I get the book, it's two and a half spaces, line spaces. It's not just double space, it's double and a half space. And they throwing it together to add more pages to charge more work. But the formatting is horrible. There's no typography in there. If it is, it's the same like they do everybody else. They just throw it together and charge you a bunch of money. It's different levels to editing, okay? Developmental editing helps uh strengthen structure, storytelling, clarity, and flow. Then you got copy editing that helps with grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and consistency. Then you got proofreading that catches final mistakes before you publish. A lot of first-time authors think one quick spell check equals editing. No, ma'am, no, sir. And let's address the edit the elephant in the room. Yes, professional editing costs money because editors

The Real Levels Of Editing

SPEAKER_00 6:14

are professionals that are providing a service. Nobody owes you anything for free. You cannot expect somebody to spend hours, sometimes weeks, reviewing, correcting, restructuring, and polishing your manuscript for free. This is a skilled labor. People take classes and go to school for this. They owe uh uh college uh um they owe college loans for this. And honestly, editing is one of the best investments you can make in your book because bad um editing can damage your credibility before readers ever get a chance to experience how powerful your story truly is. Now, does every author need the most expensive editor on earth? No, but every author does need another set of trained eyes to work on their work before it releases publicly. Because once that book is published, readers are judging the final product, not your intentions. They don't care about that. A powerful message deserves professional presentation. Don't spend years surviving a story just to rush the process of telling. This is your girl, Dr. Jacqueline Cox, aka Listen Linda, and this has been another episode of Axe the Publisher. So drop your next question below, and I may just answer

Editing Costs And Final Takeaway

SPEAKER_00 7:49

it on my YouTube page next. All right. Love y'all like Christ, love the church, and I am peace.