Budget-Friendly Ways to Edit Your Own Book

Getting your book professionally edited is quite valuable, but it can also be quite pricey. And if the price is a bit steep, that may cause you to pause. But that doesn’t mean you should lose hope. If hiring a professional book editor isn’t in your budget, there are plenty of ways to affordably improve your manuscript and get it ready for publishing. As a fiction editor, I have a few tips on budget-friendly ways to edit your own book.

Tip #1: Learn Basic Editing Skills and Self-Edit Your Own Book

Editing your own book is free. No one knows your story better than you. However, there is a familiarity blindness that can come with self-editing. Being too close to your story can cause you to not see the errors that someone with a fresh, new perspective can. If you choose to go this route, I suggest editing in these steps:

Let your manuscript rest. Give yourself a few weeks between finishing your manuscript and editing. Letting the story settle allows your brain to switch from writer mode to reader/editor mode. You don’t want to edit your manuscript when your mind is still deep in the world you created. Editing requires you to approach your manuscript with fresh eyes. So giving yourself that time will be a benefit.
Focus on the big-picture issues first. Once you’re ready to start your self-edit, focus on the plot, pacing, setting, and character arcs. Make sure your story is developing the way you intended. Find any major inconsistencies that cause bumps down the road.
Move on to sentence level edits. Once you’ve fixed the big picture issues, focus on the stylistic and technical stuff. How does your story sound? Does anything sound repetitive? Are there head hopping issues? Look over punctuation, grammar, and spelling issues. Notate any crutch or filler words and remove them.
Go over your manuscript again to catch any lingering issues.

I suggest creating and keeping a style sheet to maintain consistency in your story. For more insight, check out these books to help you along the journey. Here are some that I recommend:

Additional Quick Tips:

Print your manuscript for a different perspective.
Change the font or color to “trick” your brain into seeing something new with the familiar words.
Read your manuscript out loud so you can hear what doesn’t sound right.

Tip #2: Use Beta Readers

Beta readers are not a replacement for editors. But they can be a great resource for honest and constructive reader feedback. Beta readers should be readers from your target audience; they have experience in reading the genre you are writing. You can give them a list of questions to give you more insight. And once you get all the feedback, you can compare them for any patterns that they see in your book and work on them.

Tip #3: Take Advantage of Free & Low-Cost Tools

There are plenty of online tools available (some free, some low-cost) that can look at grammar and punctuation. You can also join writing communities and swap work with other authors for critique.

Please remember that online tools will never replace human editing. They can point out grammar, punctuation, and spelling issues, but they cannot understand character arcs or emotional nuance. They can’t evaluate pacing or tension. These are things that need a human touch.

Some non-generative AI tools:

Tip #4: Choose the Type of Editing that Will Help Your Book the Most

There are four main types of book editing: developmental, line, copyediting, and proofreading. Some authors pay for all four, but it’s not mandatory to get them all. Each type does something different, from big picture editing to a final onceover. I recommend choosing the one that you think will benefit your book the most.

Tip #5: Consider Alternative Editing Options

If one of the main four is still out of your budget, consider these lower-cost (or free) options that can give your manuscript a boost:

Sample edits: Usually a free service where editors will edit an excerpt from your manuscript.
First chapter critique: Receive in-depth feedback on your opening chapter to see if you’ve hooked your readers and established the tone of your story.
Manuscript evaluation: Get a professional critique of your manuscript overall, focusing on the big picture rather than line-by-line editing. You’ll usually get a report detailing the analysis.

NOTE: Ask your editor if they provide payment plans or bundled services.

At the end of the day, you have to know when it’s worth hiring an editor. If you’re unsure how to improve your manuscript, or if your feedback is pointing to a common issue, it might be time to start querying. Save up and ask for payment plans. It’s all about progress, not perfection. And most importantly, give yourself a pat on the back for finishing your manuscript—you’ve done the heavy lifting!

If you are ready for professional editing, request a free sample edit, or check out the editing services I offer to see if I can help.