Is Your Editor A Fool?
Have you ever heard the saying about people who try to defend themselves in court? They say that they have fools for lawyers. The same might be said about the majority of authors who try to proofread and edit their own work. In this case, they may have fools for editors.
Some authors have the patience and tenacity to be able to set their own work aside for awhile, and then return to it with a fresh outlook. A few authors actually can perform a credible job of proofreading and editing their own books and articles. If you find one, she may tell you that she prefers to hire an editor anyway so she can go on to the next book.
Most authors have a hard time editing their own books. Glaring errors get passed over because of something that I call "Author Blindness." Our eyes tend to deliver the wrong message to our brains. It could be that we are just so close to the work that we never really use our eyes at all, but just read what we think is on the page. This is why most experienced and successful authors will have beta readers, proofreaders, and editors.
Sadly, lots of great concepts and new authors' careers get spoiled or set back because the author has a fool for an editor!
