May I make a point here about the importance of editing?
Two books I edited recently, Business Fraud: From Trust to Betrayal, and Baseball's Finest Moments, both by Jack L. Hayes, won Royal Palm Literary Awards from the Florida Writers Association. Both books were published independently.
These self-published books are highly regarded because both the author and I knew what we were doing. Jack Hayes knows a lot about business fraud because of his years of experience in combatting business crime, and he knows a lot about baseball because, among other things, he was once a batboy for the Washington Senators. You can perhaps imagine his knowledge of the game. I know a lot about editing books; I've been in the editing business for more than fifty years. Together, Jack and I created two books recognized in the marketplace as outstanding.
The truth is, electronic books are perceived, in the main, as badly written. I am sure you know this. This reputation stems from some bias among traditionalists, of course, but also from the fact that many independently published books, written by people who know their subject matter very well, are not properly edited. Most new authors do not know what they do not know: writers need editors.
In my editing work, I look for clients who know a lot about their subject matter. Then I help them, and they know it. I hasten to say that I am not alone in nurturing success; any competent editor can help make good work excellent.
If you want to be a writer, believe me when I say, sincerely, that you will need an editor. If you can't afford an editor, at least read the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style.
