I’m now planning to self-publish on Kindle. It seems this is the way of the future. Joe Konrath and Barry Eisler have published an eye-opening conversation on the subject here
Near the end of that discussion, Barry says:
“To turn a manuscript into an actual book and get it into the hands of a reader, we still need an editor, line editor, copyeditor, proofreader, jacket copy writer, bio writer, cover art designer, and digital formatter.”
I wonder if this is true. I have read here that Scrivener version 2, the software package running on Apple computers, will convert text into various formats for epublishing, including the .MOBI Kindle format.
One notable bestselling book that I have read on Kindle shows no evidence of having been edited or even proofread by anyone.
I accept the need for a cover art designer. As for the rest, surely I can write my own blurb (jacket copy) and my own bio, and do I really need all those editors? And if not, who ensures the quality of what’s published?
Editors can do a couple of useful things for authors who are going to self-publish. First, weeding out the typos, messy punctuation, etc. Sure, there are definitely plenty of ebooks out there with poor spelling and punctuation and awkward sentence structure, but they also get slammed pretty hard by book bloggers for it. Those bloggers can do a lot to help sell books (as the Amanda Hocking situation illustrated). Second, editors can also delve into developmental issues that might be to close to the author’s nose for him/her to see. Unfortunately, *good* freelance editors are expensive.