So, you’re thinking of DIYing your novel’s edit? Cool. Here are a few things to look out for and others to get excited about:
Pros
There are some distinct advantages to editing your own novel. Here are just a few:
Total Creative Control
If you have a very specific vision for your story and want limited feedback before you’re finished, self-editing is a great option. By working with beta readers and critique partners, you’re likely to receive feedback based upon their own limited experiences, which will allow you more creative freedom to take and ignore any feedback without guilt.
Money Money Money Money
There’s no doubt about it. Self-editing is the least expensive way to revise a novel. There is no editorial equivalent to a beta reader, though they certainly can help you find good places to make changes. So if you’re trying to minimize your financial investment, doing it yourself is the way to go. But if you are still hoping for a little help, many editors have tips for how to minimize costs.
Produce Stories Outside the Shelf
If you’re wanting to write a story that’s very different from what you see at your local library, doing it without an editor can be a good choice. It’s an editor’s job to understand and help identify the right tropes, archetypes, plot structure, and literary trends for a given story. If you’re wanting to sidestep all of that, editing without that knowledge could mean one less point of resistance.
You’re Going to Be Doing It Anyway
No matter how much you pay for professional editing services, you’re still going to have to go through your book again to double check the work. Or at least I highly, highly recommend you do because it’s possible your editor is going to misinterpret something that will need reviewing. And in most cases, your editor is going to pose questions and considerations that you’ll need to take action on. So, if you’re already there, why not take on the project entirely?
Cons
Even though you’re definitely going to be doing at least some self-editing of your novel, going alone can have some difficult obstacles. Here are a few:
Slow Growth in Craft
You only know what you know about writing a book. That sounds silly, right? The more you write, the more you’re going to know about writing, which is why so many authors find their first few pages abysmal after finishing their novel. So, you’re likely to find growth, but it will be slow over the course of many rounds of edits, and there may be a plateau. But the more collaborators that you bring into your editing process, the wider a breadth and depth of knowledge you’ll have to pull from, and the more you’ll learn from your experience.
Limited Industry Knowledge
As I said before, it’s an editor’s business to know about what’s going on in the publishing industry, and it’s likely you don’t have as many touch points with it. That’s okay, but it’s the same situation as with slow growth in your craft. You’re going to have to slowly learn what the industry is looking for, and it might mean making some big mistakes along the way. So many authors have to shelve their first novels for this reason and start again.
Lack of Support
Writing is hard. Editing is hard. Querying is hard. Publishing is hard. But it all becomes a lot easier when you have a great network of support for your story to bounce ideas off of, to keep you accountable, and to build you up in the hardest moments. Having one and not can often mean the difference between achieving your dreams and otherwise.
Missed Authorial Bias
You’re very close to your story. You know everything about the world and the characters in it. Of course you do. You made them! But sometimes that means you don’t have a way of seeing things that get missed in the text. Editors are great at pointing those moments out.
Less Polished Final Product
Ultimately, a more polished product is what everyone wants from their editorial experience, and there’s a reason why they’re still around. They deliver. The inverse is true for most authors who don’t go with an editor. You’re going to miss some of that polish. Whether that matters is up to you.
Whether you choose to DIY your novel’s edit or work with an editor can be a hard decision to make and feel confident in. But there’s no shame in going either route, and everything comes down to what you want from your editorial experience and how best to make that possible. Be honest about it and your skill level, and the rest will come with time. Good luck!
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