Another question. Sorry I know I've had a lot of them.

[Jena Grace]

I have to agree with CK here, Margaret. I've only depended on myself, my critique group, and various beta readers to catch any mistakes. You will always miss something, and no agent will hold the occasional screw-up against you. Even before I was published, I knew learning how to revise, edit, and proofread my work was part of the job of being a writer. Not once did I consider hiring an editor--and trust me, I've been out of school way, waaaaay longer than you, girl. If it's only grammar, punctuation, and spelling you're worried about, I'm pretty sure you can manage this yourself.

[Margaret Compeau]

Leslee,
Thank you for posting this. You hit the nail right on the head. I should've posted in my first post that I was thinking of doing this for my first manuscript. I agree 100% that I need to learn the rules of the road when it comes to editing. I do know some things, but there are others that I am still learning/relearning. Sometimes it is hard because I don't have that teacher there to ask questions, so I have to disect sentences myself and wonder if I'm right. I saw Franks post and plan on taking his advice when I feel the manuscript is as close to 100% ready as I can make it.

[Margaret Compeau]

Diane,
I didn't see the harm in having someone look at my first book either. I know that most authors have friends and family look over their manuscripts for errors, but I can't use mine. They aren't into reading much and it would take them over a decade to read it, due to not having the time. lol That was part of why I had asked what I asked. I think that by the time I'm finished and ready to edit my second book I will be at the point where I can do so just fine. My first book I know I don't have the full editing skills that a full on editor has and thought they might be of use to me in that area. I had someoen in line to edit it for me and he was my editor, but because of a lot of personal issues he had , he is no longer my editor and is working on fixing his own life and he will not be editing it.

[Margaret Compeau]

Avonne,
Thanks! That is also good advice.

[Margaret Compeau]

Jena,
That is all I was worried about. I have a habit of second guessing myself and just wanted a second pair of eyes.Plus some of those rules I am still unsure of. I fully intend to learn grammar and punctuation rules. I agree that it is a writer's job and that they should be able to do that without any help. My English 1 class helped me a lot, but I'm still fuzzy in some areas. I haven't fully gotten into my English classes for my English degree. That starts in the next few months. I think those classes will help me a great deal.

[Margaret Compeau]

Thanks Robert. I will look into him if Victoria Strauss can't recommend anyone.

[Avonne Writer]

Thank you, Leslee

[Emily MacGowan]

If you're just looking for someone to fix your grammar - I'd pick a friend or family member who writes and speaks well. Or a few. Between them, hopefully they'll catch the errors. An editor will do a lot more than fix your grammar - they'll strengthen passages, dialog, characters, etc, and show you areas you're constantly slipping up.

Personally - I bought a book on editing - Self Editing for Fiction Writers by Dave King and Renni Browne. It was absolute gold - it showed me a lot of areas newbie writers slip up, and how to fix them. It doesn't help with every grammar trick or big-time editing dilemma, though (as in, this entire chapter has to GO). I got a lot out of it. There's plenty of good books out there.

If I'm not sure about a grammatical quirk, I look it up online and see what people say there.

That said, I considered paying an editor to go over my manuscript a while ago. The 2 dollar per page fee seems about right. After I'd done a lot of my own editing, though, I felt more confident. Now I'm comfortable with it, and don't feel the need to get someone else to go over it.

The proof is in the pudding, though - and I haven't submitted yet. We'll see.

[Jena Grace]

Strunk and White's "Elements of Style" is my favorite resource (and the only one I've ever needed). Small, simple, and straightforward. No new writer should be without it.

[leslee]

The irony is, even when your manuscript is tight enough to get an agent interested, they may ask you to make changes. Then, if you sell the book, the publisher does another edit. The editing really doesn't end until the book is published.

And a writer usually thinks of things they would change until they die!