Self-Editing Checklist Before You Hire an Editor
Clean up your manuscript first and your editor spends their time — and your money — on the things that actually need a professional.
Hiring an editor is one of the best investments you can make in your book. But an editor’s time is valuable, and if they spend it fixing problems you could have caught yourself, you’re paying premium rates for basic cleanup. Running your own self-edit first does two things: it lowers your editing cost and it lets the editor focus on the deep, high-value work only a professional can do. Here’s the checklist.
First, step away
Before you edit a word, put the manuscript down for at least a week — two is better. You cannot see your own draft clearly the day you finish it. Distance is the cheapest editing tool in existence, and skipping it is why so many authors miss obvious problems.
Pass 1: structure and big picture
- Does every chapter earn its place, or are some there out of habit?
- Does the opening hook, and does the ending deliver on the promise?
- For nonfiction: is the argument in a logical order? For fiction: does every scene move the story?
- Is anything important missing — or repeated?
This is the layer a developmental editor works at, so fixing what you can here makes that stage far more efficient.
Pass 2: cut the fat
Most first drafts are 10–20% too long. Hunt for and cut: filter words (“he realized that,” “she began to”), redundant phrases, throat-clearing openings, and scenes or sections that restate what the reader already knows. Tighter prose reads faster and costs less to copyedit.
Pass 3: line-level cleanup
- Weak verbs and adverbs: replace “walked slowly” with a stronger verb.
- Overused words: use Find to catch your personal crutch words (everyone has them).
- Passive voice: convert to active where it strengthens the sentence.
- Dialogue tags: trim fancy tags; “said” is usually invisible and best.
- Consistency: character names, timelines, hyphenation, and spelling (US vs UK).
Pass 4: read it aloud
Reading your manuscript aloud — or having your computer read it to you — surfaces clunky sentences, missing words, and unnatural dialogue that your eye glides over. It’s tedious and it works better than almost anything else on this list.
Pass 5: run the tools, then ignore them wisely
Use a spellchecker and a tool like a grammar assistant to catch typos and obvious errors — but treat their suggestions as prompts, not commands. Software doesn’t understand voice, and blindly accepting every suggestion flattens your style. Fix the real errors; keep your voice.
What to leave for the professional
After all this, stop. Don’t try to be your own developmental editor or copyeditor at a professional level — you’re too close to the book, and diminishing returns set in fast. Hand off a clean, tightened manuscript and let a pro do what they do best. You’ll get a better edit for less. See what each level involves in developmental editing vs copyediting vs proofreading, and the ranges in how much book editing costs.
Helpful resources
Frequently asked questions
Should I self-edit before hiring an editor?
Yes. A thorough self-edit lowers your cost and frees your editor to focus on deep, high-value work rather than basic cleanup. Handing off a clean, tightened manuscript almost always gets you a better edit for less money.
How do I self-edit my book effectively?
Step away for a week or two, then edit in passes: structure first, then cut excess words, then line-level fixes, then read aloud, then run spelling and grammar tools. Editing in layers is far more effective than trying to fix everything at once.
Can self-editing replace a professional editor?
No. Self-editing cleans up what you can see, but you’re too close to your own book to catch structural blind spots and consistency errors reliably. Use it to prepare the manuscript, then hire a professional for the work only they can do.
Should I trust grammar-checking software?
Use it to catch typos and obvious errors, but treat its suggestions as prompts, not rules. Software doesn’t understand voice, and accepting every suggestion flattens your style. Fix genuine errors and keep your own way of writing.
Manuscript self-edited and ready?
Author’s Craft editors take your tightened draft the rest of the way — structure, line editing, and proofreading — so your book reads like it was made by professionals. Get an editing quote.