I self-published my own book, Alphamania: An Alphabet Resource for Teachers and Parents, in January 2012. I did a lot of reading on the subject and learned a great deal. After strictly following the Smashwords style guide, my book showed up on the web and was ready for buyers.
Image via CrunchBase
When I launched this site as a book reviewer more than a year and a half ago, I really had no idea what to expect. What I imagined was that I would read lots of books (already doing that anyway) and then review them here so potential readers could get an idea what the books were about and whether or not they would appeal to them. This also benefitted the author, as someone (me) gave an honest opinion (usually favorable) about their hard work.
Slowly, authors began to contact me for reviews. That was (and still is) so exciting for me. I take great pride in being selected as a reviewer of someone’s hard work. What I also discovered during this time are a tremendous amount of errors in people’s writing. Someone who reviewed my own book pointed out an error that I had made (I left something out of the text that should have been there).
In the self-publishing world, you have to rely on yourself for a great deal. Often, writers self publish because (1) it’s so easy these days, (2) it doesn’t cost anything, and (3) your book gets “out there” right away. The problem with that is that writers often don’t get a professional to proofread or copy-edit their writing. After all, that’s a service that costs money.
The phrase that pays. (Photo credit: pirateyjoe)
I think that a proofreader or copy editor provides a very valuable service. After all, your writing and your message are important. They should be presented in the best possible way. That doesn’t happen when there are misspelled words, typographical errors and subjects and verbs that don’t agree.
Sometime in 2013 I will launch this site under its own domain (readerjots.com) and I will begin providing professional proofreading and copy-editing services for a fee in addition to my always free book reviews.
I am heavily researching proofreading and copy editing services so that I will be able to provide the best and most cost-effective service possible.
Let me know what you think!
It’s very, very difficult to proofread your own writing. If you’ll be providing proofreading and editing services for a fee, you should be sure that your blog is error-free since it is a reflection on your abilities and attention to detail. Try proofreading this post again and see if you spot the mistake in the title of your own book, a homophonic error, unnecessary words, and repetition.
Yikes, Laura! That’s what happens when you blog at 5:00 in the morning! You are definitely correct. It is always more difficult to proofread your own writing. Thanks for your comment and for pointing out my errors.
We all overlook our own typos. Especially at 5 in the morning!
Pingback: Doomsday Book Launch: Outside The Men’s Room