Book Editing

Book Editing or Writing?

I used to think that I wanted to become a book editor. It seemed like the idea life for me. From a very early age, I was excellent at manuscript editing. I would edit books for many of my friends – fantasy tales based on people we knew from our classrooms – and they always liked the results. Then suddenly it dawned on me – I didn't want to get into book editing, I wanted to be the one writing the books.

Deciding to become an author was not an easy choice for me to make. When I first thought about it, I wanted to be a Novelist in the same way that most kids want to be a fireman or a police officer. I knew that I liked book editing, but I knew that my own stories turned out even better than the ones that I edited for other people. When I finally got the courage to read a story that I had written in front of the class, everyone was very impressed with what I read.  This boost to my ego got me even more interested in literature than before.

Unfortunately, I did not understand what was involved in becoming a published author. After spending three years toiling in obscurity, I decided to become a book editor. I had not given up on my dreams of being an author, but I thought that through book editing, I would be able to support myself while working towards that goal. I would get to read many different manuscripts from talented writers, and I could draw inspiration from them.

Book Editing For a Living?

After working in book editing for a few years in a major publishing house, I got a little bit sick of it. You see, I never had very much autonomy. Book editors are not the same people they once were. They are not the courageous souls, bent on finding that one diamond in the rough and catapulting the author to fame and fortune. Instead, bookediting is a moneymaking proposition. The books that get selected are never the best – just the most profitable. I decided to get into bookediting for myself. I set up a business where I would edit a novel by an aspiring author for a fee.  Soon, book editing was a lucrative freelance business for me. I even learned about book self publishing, and I am just about to put my first novel out. Book editing has helped me greatly in my life.