As a publisher, I often feel camaraderie with the ancient prophet Jeremiah, from whose name we have derived the word jeremiad. A jeremiad is a harangue, one that is often ignored, about the dire consequences that can follow from flouting a law or a set of standards.

Do you need a high-powered copy editor, or could your 10th-grade teacher do the job just as well? At the end of the day, it all comes down to one thing—your goals and your writing ability.

I am a firm believer in the notion that everyone has a story to tell and that everyone’s story should be told. The primary consideration for copyeditors in relation to this principle is the writing ability of the author. POD publishing services, such as AuthorHouse and Xlibris, offer what they call “copyediting” services for a single per-word fee. Are they claiming that all writing is equal? If you have superior writing ability, will you be forced to pay for more than what is necessary for a light edit? Or, if your writing ability is somewhat lacking, does this mean your work will be given a limited, subpar copyedit?

What’s Behind a Proofread? - Who needs a proofread? Quite frankly all books should receive a proofread in addition to a copyedit—many books, especially those with a heavy amount of copyediting, even call for multiple proofreads.

Unfortunately, in the publishing world, there is no one way to describe anything. Take page layout, for example—I have heard it called typesetting, page composition, formatting, and layout. The resulting pages are then referred to as things like first pass pages, master pages, P1s—and my personal favorite—first pour.

Readers and reviewers can spot a poorly edited book from a distance. You’ve put much time and work into writing your book, and a poor review could nullify all that effort. A professional copyeditor will give you open and honest feedback that will, if done correctly, improve the quality of your finished product.

It always amazes me that so much time, effort, and money is spent on marketing a book, and many times little thought or discussion is given to the editorial quality of the titles in question. Let’s think about it—if a book is not edited by a professional, the end result can be devastating to even the most well thought out marketing plan. Here are some common misconceptions regarding quality editorial services.