On my pet peeve post about self-publishers who don’t bother with editors, Miguel commented:
“Well if even natives mix lay with laid and lie, there’s hope for me. 
Now a bit more seriously, I think the whole issue has to do with money. An editor, obviously, isn’t cheap, and it’s very easy to have a panic attack as the costs of self-publishing rises and rises.”
I felt the need to bring this up because I thought I may have come off as insensitive to self-publishers who don’t have big budgets. The fact of the matter is that, when having the conversation that inspired the pet peeve, I mentioned money troubles as a possible reason for not hiring a professional editor.
First off, my complaint about lack of editing comes from self-published books that have glaring mistakes – beginner mistakes. I wouldn’t complain over mistake here and there; we are all human and I make mistakes in my writing, too. It is when you compromise the quality of the book (and of the industry in some cases) that I start getting fussy.
With things being as they are, money is the big issue on most people’s minds. However, that is no excuse to skip a crucial step in the writing/publishing process.
If looking at the prices of editors online starts to get you feeling down, don’t stop looking! The people you are likely to find first are likely to be the more expensive editors. Just keep looking and you’ll find someone in your price range.
I assure you that there are plenty of freelance editors out there who don’t have a lot of credit to their names just yet who will edit your manuscript for cheaper prices. Heck, I’m one of them. Talk to people, use your networking skills both offline and off to find someone who is right for you.
And who knows? Maybe a friend of yours has an editing fetish you don’t know about and is willing to offer you a deal because you’re friends.
There are plenty of options out there; you just have to look for them.
