Editing is the key to everything…

Editing is so important, especially for Indie writers.
 
As an Indie writer, your book has to be close to perfect simply because our novels are judged much more harshly than traditionally published books. Readers don’t seem to notice or care if there are grammar/typo blunders in a traditionally published book. Here’s an example of a novel published by Tor: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson.

No one gives him a hard time about it, but if an Indie author makes the same exact mistake, readers give them hell!
 
So you can either complain about it, or do something about it. I choose to do something about it! 
 
Finding an editor can be a challenge, especially a great editor. I’m a lucky girl because my father-in-law is a professional editor and one of my best friends used to edit novels for a living. But for those of you who don’t have an editor in the family there are many inexpensive resources out there that you can use.
 
Nowadays, you can google: “book editing services” and a number of websites pop up. I’m trying out CreateSpace’s editing services for my most recent novel since my two editors are swamped with other things right now. It’s a bit expensive (close to 800 bucks) but hopefully they’re worth it. I’ll keep you posted.
 
But paying for an editor is worth it. Definitely. You don’t want readers to be able to tell the difference between your work or a traditionally published work.
 
And as the picture shows above, the traditional route doesn’t guarantee your book will be error free!  Realistically, mistakes will be missed, so don't beat yourself up about it! Be as meticulous as you can and be proud of what you put out there!