Self Publishing for Thought Leaders · 2026-06-02 · 24 min
Here’s the 411 on why hiring the right editor makes all the difference; since choosing the wrong book editor lowers book quality, which I've witnessed with clients who hired two professional editors, yet their books showed little to no editing. The right editor must be well-practiced in your genre, never use AI for editing since traditional publishers, including the big five, pull contracts for any AI use due to copyright infringement liability, understands your target audience expectations, has experience with similar books, and maintains communication styles. They also must be open to working collaboratively. Test editors by requesting industry-standard 500-word free samples rather than unprofessionally demanding full chapter edits creating "Franken editing" when authors collect chapter edits from multiple editors producing incoherent results. After reviewing free samples from your shortlisted editors, pay two or three editors to edit a chapter or 2000 words, determining fit before committing to full manuscripts.
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