I realized I wrote "copyright" in title... I meant copyediting...there is no option to edit the thread title. My apologies! I have an editor who has given me a very reasonable price to copyedit my book..is it worth it? I want an editor who will also look at story structure and plot more than grammar and spelling (which I am very good at to begin with). Is it worth it? Or should I just find an editor who will do everything at once and invest a bit more? What has been your experience?
I'll tag @mammamaia here just because I know she has a huge experience pool in this matter and hopefully she can reply and give you her sage advice. Correct me if I'm wrong
here i am, amp!... thanks for the tout... golden feather... as for hiring an editor, since this comes up so often on the 3 writing sites i post on daily, i've had to prepare a stock post, to save typing time... hope you won't mind: in re hiring an editor [i provide editing services, though i caution against it], you need to accept the fact that the money you spend on having someone else do what writers must be able to do on their own will most likely never be recouped from the sale of your work... so, if you do go ahead with it, be sure you don't need to make it back, because not even the best editor in the world can ever guarantee the work will be accepted by a paying publisher, or will sell well enough to come close to equalling what you paid, if it is... same goes for if you self-publish... also, no editor who can do a good enough job for you will be cheap... it will cost many hundreds, to several thousands of dollars [US] for a good, professional editor to bring your book up to publishable/readable standards, depending on how much work it needs, as there are several levels of 'editing'... from simply correcting typos, punctuation and minor grammar glitches, all the way up to a complete rewrite, if the writing quality is poor... those who offer to do it cheaply, will not be able to do much [if any] better than you could do on your own... anyone can set up shop and call themselves 'editors' these days, but few will actually be worthy of the title, so vet any you consider using very carefully and be sure to get a sample edit before entering into any agreement for services... love and hugs, maia
The only thing I can add is to be wary of people who are so willing and eager to help you that they don't stop at just correcting grammar and spelling. They seek to change your whole style - to suit their own needs and view of the world. Just be yourself. Those who enjoy your ideas will easily forgive a few mistakes along the way. Don't ever change to become more like others.
