Hey Reader,

Longtime readers might remember when I used to do the 3@3. New readers, welcome to the explanation: a few years back, I used to go live once a week at 3pm and answer 3 questions that had been pre-submitted. It was all live, no editing, just raw talk. Turns out, I've got a pile of those clips sitting around, and honestly, most of the advice hasn't aged a day. Would I add some information or say it a bit different? Maybe. But these are still so solid, I decided to resurrect them and share them with you again!

The question this time:

What editing advice do you have for a new author who can't afford an editor, but doesn't want their first self-published book to look bad?

I'll be honest, I used to be one of the people who said you shouldn't self-publish without professional editing. I've changed my mind on that. There are so many people with genuinely great stories who just can't afford an editor right now, and I don't think that should be the thing that holds them back from publishing.

So here's what I'd actually do instead. Build yourself a real self-editing process, not a vague sense of "I'll fix it as I go," but an actual checklist you follow every time. Take craft classes if you can find ones you can afford. Find critique partners and beta readers who will give you honest, critical feedback, not just "this is great, publish it." If you have a skill someone else needs, swap services with another writer who's strong at editing.

And here's the part I really want to land: focus your energy on story and characterization first. Readers forgive typos and missing commas far more easily than they forgive a book that didn't fully deliver on story or character. That doesn't mean copy editing doesn't matter, it does, but it's not where your limited time and energy should go first.

One more thing worth saying out loud: not every manuscript needs to be published. Sometimes an early book is just practice, and that's genuinely fine. Write the next one. You'll improve with each one you finish.

Spend a few minutes with my new video "What if I Can't Afford an Editor?" and get my full advice!

This is also exactly the territory Before You Hit Send is built for, real self-editing strategy when you're doing this on your own. And if you want the fuller philosophy behind how I think about editing your way through a book, Edit Your Way is the one to grab.

And if you haven’t grabbed my freebie about building an editing process, do that now!​

And still asking: would you want live 3@3 back, or something like it, so you could bring your own questions?

Happy writing!

~Angela
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