Indie Authors: If You Can Invest in Only ONE Thing for Your Book…

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I meet a lot of people at markets, festivals, and conventions. I also meet a lot of aspiring authors at these events, and many of them ask me questions about writing and publishing. I’m usually happy to discuss my experiences with them (if I’m not too busy with other customers) and share my personal advice.

Recently, an interaction with a fan caught me off guard. The fan had asked me about the release of the next book in my series. As I was explaining that the rough draft and first round of editing were finished but the manuscript still had to go through my beta readers and line editor before it was ready to publish, she asked, “Why? Can’t you just use Grammarly?”

It took me a moment to process the comment before I was able to reply. I’ve already been transparent about my feelings regarding AI (read my earlier post on that topic). Long story short, I’m excited about the prospects of AI being a useful tool to help writers, editors, artists… not replace them. Unfortunately, we seem to be trending in the wrong direction, which makes me even more resistant to using AI any more than necessary.

The thought of replacing my human editors with a computer program was stunning… but what struck me even more was the casualness behind the question.

That solution seemed like a no-brainer to the fan, who was eager for the next book to be released. From her perspective, why was I wasting so much time going through multiple rounds of editing and getting feedback from people when I could just run the document through a program for instant results instead? I would save a lot of money by not having to pay a line editor, and fans could get the book in their hands much faster. Shortening my turnaround time between books would be profitable for me. Sounds like a win-win, right?

Let me be clear: that is NEVER going to happen.

I can’t speak for all authors, but I have absolutely NO intention of ever replacing my human beta readers and editors.

In my humble opinion, paying for a line editor is absolutely essential for indie authors. Even if you’re on a tight budget (like me) — even if you’re trying to cut as many corners as possible — hiring a professional editor is one corner you should NOT cut if you care about producing a high-quality book.

You can design your own cover and do your own interior layout if you want to save money. But no matter how many times you, your friends, and your family read your manuscript, I can guarantee that a good line editor will make your story 1000% better and catch errors you didn’t even know you made.

AI isn’t really artificial intelligence because it doesn’t actually think; it’s just a complex series of algorithms. It has no creativity of its own. It has to be “trained” by inputting tons of existing data (and much of its “training” was used illegally without the permission of the original creators, whether it’s art, writing, etc.)

AI is a great tool for flagging typos, listing synonyms, and making prose suggestions. And it’s a perfectly fine tool for composing emails, doing homework, and drafting small writing projects like website copy. But it’s no substitute for humans. Here’s why I will never replace my human editors with AI:

Writers are at risk of losing their “voice.”

As I mentioned, AI has to be trained with a lot of content. It can write in different styles based on what it “learned” from other writers… but can it write in your style?

It takes years for writers to develop their own voice. I generally don’t use AI programs that use predictive text or offer rephrasing suggestions as I type. At least, not for any creative writing projects. It’s fine for quick email responses or Facebook posts, but AI’s goal of constantly seeking the most precise, cut-and-dry speech will wash out a writer’s natural voice if they lean too heavily on those tools.

I sometimes use sentence fragments. Or I’ll repeat words for emphasis, which means my sentences intentionally start the same way (and editing tools love to flag that as an issue to fix). Or I’ll use other little quirks that, as far as AI is concerned, are incorrect.

That’s where I trust a human editor to sift through my prose and find the actual errors that aren’t stylistic choices. AI is better suited for English homework than creative writing. My voice is important. I don’t need to whittle down my words to the shortest, technical choices every time. It strips away the variety and creativity.

Sometimes, I need to be wordy, especially if I’m channeling a character’s emotions in my sentence structure. I want them to ramble. I want them to keep interrupting their own train of thought and trailing off. I want them to explain something poorly.

That’s how humans operate. We’re not perfect, and don’t choose the most ideal words every time we communicate, and it’s the writer’s job to capture that experience in their own unique voice as well as their characters’ individual voices.

There’s more to editing than just spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

Writing a good book goes far beyond technical accuracy. AI is a long way away from being able to replicate human creativity, if it ever comes close at all.

I’m not the kind of author who recycles the same tired plot formulas over and over again. I let the story flow as it comes to me, and I love psychologically complex characters and in-depth worldbuilding. I rely on my editors to give me honest, thoughtful feedback on those aspects.

They alert me to potential plot holes, inconsistent details, flawed explanations, poor character development, and more. For example, my line editor noticed that I’d accidentally put a scar on the wrong side of a character’s face in one of the books. A beta reader gave me the simple yet valuable feedback that my word choice wasn’t right for a seventeen-year-old boy to use and I should phrase the description differently.

I encourage all of my editors to not only mark the issues that need to be fixed, but to also make notes about how they feel when reading scenes so I can make sure my audience is reacting the way I intended. If a joke lands wrong or a reader isn’t connecting with a character they’re supposed to like, those are problems I need to fix.

I can’t get that broad range of feedback by simply running my manuscript through an AI program.

A professional editor knows the traditional publishing industry’s preferred formatting styles.

When I was working on my first novel, my line editor provided valuable insights into how traditional publishers are formatting their books. She flagged parts of my manuscript that were not technically incorrect, but if I wanted my style to align with the books coming out of the Big Five publishing houses, I needed to make some tweaks.

Should there be a space after an em dash? Should your ellipses be (…) or (. . .)? Trends change, and a good editor should know the current industry preferences so your self-published book isn’t out of place among the traditionally published ones.

I use Microsoft Word, which can be notorious for tiny formatting issues. My line editor noticed that my quotation marks weren’t always consistent in my first manuscript. That wasn’t an error on my part; for some reason, Word automatically made quotation marks two straight lines instead of two curved lines if I ended a quote with a question mark or exclamation point rather than a period. I had to fix those inconsistencies, then get into the habit of watching for them as I typed.

AI would not have caught that problem or been able to educate me about formatting from traditional publishers.

Hiring a skilled, reputable line editor is the best investment you can make in your book.

I’ve had a lot of writers ask me for advice. It can be hard to give guidance, especially if a writer is a long way from having a manuscript completed, because there’s no “right way” to publish a book (despite what anyone else might tell you).

I thought I was going to publish traditionally until I learned more about self-publishing and realized that was the best avenue for me. But just because that worked for me doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for other authors.

Even among indie authors, we don’t all walk the same publishing path. I chose to not be Amazon-exclusive and opted for the wide distribution model instead so my books would be available to bookstores, libraries, and readers on other platforms around the globe. Other authors prefer to grant Amazon exclusivity to their books and take advantage of the corporation’s inside marketing tools.

Regardless of distribution preferences, I always, always advise writers to invest in a professional editor. I promise, if you can find a good editor who does a thorough job and understands your vision and your voice, it’s worth every penny. There is a CLEAR difference between an edited vs. unedited book, even if you think you caught all of the typos yourself.

Yes, it can be expensive. Save up for it if you have to. Create a Kickstarter. Communicate with your editor and see if they can work out a payment plan with you. Whatever you have to do, this is the single most important investment for your book that you should make.

Trust me, AI is no substitute for a human editor.

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