You typed "The End." It could have taken six months, or six years. In either case, you feel tremendous pride at having completed your manuscript.

A terrifying thought now creeps into your head: is this really the final version?

Your gut feeling is right, because almost every writer feels that something is wrong in their manuscript, but they can't quite put their finger on what. The middle is dragging, a few passages feel unnecessarily clunky, and you misspelled one of your character's names in two places. You've read the thing so many times that it's burned into your retinas.

This is the eureka moment for book editing services, and the reason why they exist in the first place. Before you decide to go ahead and invest in book editing services, however, let's explore some of the most common issues with self-written work and what you can fix yourself.

Why It's So Hard to Find Issues with Your Own Manuscript

When you write a book, you create a detailed internal image of everything that's on the page. What that means in practice is that when you go to re-read your work, your brain fills in a ton of the detail that would otherwise be absent.

As such, confusing passages and leaps of logic in your writing don't seem like much of an issue to you, since you know what you meant to say and where the missing context is. Your readers aren't afforded the same luxury.

This is why even the most seasoned authors and professional book editors tend to leave their work with someone else for a while before re-reading it.

The Most Common Manuscript Problems

Below are a few of the most common problems that arise in self-written manuscripts, including ways to identify and fix them.

1. Unclear writing

Unclear writing is a catch-all term for writing that doesn't convey your intended meaning, or can't be understood at a glance. Sentences that say next to nothing or require two reads to understand fall into this category, as do ideas that are poorly explained.

Try reading a particularly confusing passage out loud to test how unclear it is: the more stumbling you have to do as you read, the more work you'll have to put into making it clear. Another good test is to try summarizing the passage in one sentence: if you can't, it almost certainly needs work.

2. Poor structure

Structure is the skeleton of your manuscript, and it's often the most difficult part to identify and fix. Signs that your book has structural issues include chapters that say the same thing, openings that don't hook the reader, important information that comes too early or too late, nonfiction chapters that don't provide a takeaway, and fiction chapters that don't change any part of the story.

A good exercise to spot structural issues is to write a sentence about each chapter that summarizes what it accomplishes. If any two chapters have the same sentence, or you can't think of a sentence for a particular chapter, you may have some structural issues.

3. Grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes

Spelling errors are easy to spot for anyone who reads your manuscript. With that in mind, you should err on the side of caution when it comes to spelling mistakes, since one or two will make your manuscript look amateur, and several will raise eyebrows.

Many common grammatical errors, such as run-on sentences, comma splices, or incorrect use of commonly confused words (their vs. there, affect vs. effect) will also stick out to most readers. Spellcheckers can only do so much, and can't catch every misuse of a word, such as using affect instead of effect.

4. Inconsistent formatting and style

Formatting and style are largely invisible to most people, which means that most people don't notice subtle formatting and style issues. These can include inconsistent spelling of the same word (e-mail vs. email), mixing up title-case and sentence-case for your headings, and mixing number formats (2 vs. two).

While these are each minor issues on their own, together they can give the impression that your manuscript was sloppily written. A style sheet is a simple reference list of all the stylistic choices you make in your manuscript, such as preferred spellings, header styles, hyphenation, and number formatting, and is invaluable for fixing these kinds of issues.

5. Poor readability

Most people would say that readability is a quality inherent to any given piece of writing, but it's more useful to think of it as a series of issues that can detract from a reader's enjoyment of the piece. Signs of poor readability include extremely long paragraphs, long sentences running straight into one another, excessive use of jargon, and lack of paragraph breaks.

Short paragraphs and varied sentence length improve readability, and as such, make a manuscript more enjoyable to read. Most notably, using plain language instead of unnecessarily complicated words creates a book that can be called "well written" without qualification by most readers.

The Things You Can Fix Yourself

You may not need a book editor, but there are still a few things you should do to improve your manuscript before seeking outside help. In order of importance:

• Take a break: ideally, wait at least two weeks before re-reading your work after your initial draft. The longer you can wait, the better.

• Reread your work: print it out and read it in a different format if possible (different font, e-reader, etc.). Reading your work in a new way will allow you to notice problems you might have missed otherwise.

• Read it out loud: this may seem silly at first, but it's actually one of the fastest and easiest ways to spot and fix issues with your writing. It only takes about five minutes. You don't really need a reason to do this, besides wanting to make a better manuscript.

• Be brutal: cut down on filler words ("really", "very", "in order to"), remove repetitive or redundant concepts, and any parts of the manuscript that simply don't work.

• Build your style sheet: go through your manuscript and note any style choices you make as you go. This will be invaluable for keeping your manuscript consistent.

• Get a beta reader: a beta reader can spot any issues that you might have missed, and will be able to tell you where their interest in the book was piqued and where it flagged. Don't ask a beta reader if they "liked" the manuscript, and ask them to be brutally honest.

This process allows you to fix any obvious issues before handing your manuscript over to an editor, letting them focus on the bigger issues.

When to Hire a Book Editor

There comes a point in every book's lifecycle when you're no longer sure if it's ready to be published. You've revised and revised, to the point where the words are bleeding together on the page. You know something is off, but you can't put your finger on it. Or, you're about to launch your manuscript and want it to stand up to the competition.

This is what book editing services are for: a good book editor has fresh eyes, and sees the manuscript as a reader would. They know what a good book looks like in your chosen genre, and will be able to help you get your manuscript to that level.

It's also important to remember that book editing is a spectrum, and picking the right service can save you both money and heartache. The three most common types of book editing are:

Developmental editing

This type of book editing focuses on high-level issues like plot, pacing, argument, structure, and characterization. It examines whether a book's contents match its title and meets the expectations of readers in its genre. Developmental editing should be your go-to option if you think a manuscript has structural issues, or you've never had your manuscript edited before.

Line and copy editing

This form of book editing is all about tweaking sentences at the line level to improve flow, clarity, and tone, and fixing grammar, punctuation, and consistency. If you're looking for this type of book editing, you'll want to specify whether you want line editing, copy editing, or both.

Proofreading

This is a final pass through a completed, formatted manuscript to catch any typos or formatting issues that might have slipped through the cracks. Note that this should not be used as a substitute for developmental or line editing, and only serves as a last polish before publication.

A common mistake is to pay for proofreading when the manuscript requires a developmental or line edit. Proofreaders will only correct typographical errors, not structural, grammatical, or sentence-level issues.

How to Find the Right Editor

Not all book editors are equal. Here's what to look for when shopping around for a book editor:

• Genre experience: a thriller book editor and a memoir book editor will have different skill sets. Ask to see samples of work in your genre or ask for references.

• Sample edit: most book editors will do a sample edit so you can see their work and communication style before committing to an entire manuscript edit.

• Clear scope and pricing: make sure that you understand what comes with your book editor's services, including how many rounds of revisions you can expect to receive.

• Respect for your voice: a good book editor should help you hone your voice, not rewrite your manuscript in their own voice.

• Transparent communication: most book editors should be able to explain their recommendations clearly.

When shopping around for book editing services, always be wary of anyone who promises to turn your manuscript into a bestseller or quotes a flat rate without reviewing your manuscript. Book editing is an art, and the value of the service should reflect that.

How to Prepare Your Manuscript for the Editor

Preparing your manuscript for the editor is a quick way to save both of you time and money. A few tips:

• Do your own revision pass first: don't pay an editor to fix issues that you know are there.

• Save your manuscript in one document, using one font and consistent spacing throughout.

• Turn off any old track-changes or comments before sending your manuscript.

• Share your style sheet and let the editor know who your target audience is.

• Be clear about your goals for the edit: going through traditional publishing channels, self-publishing, or do you want to publish a business book to help build your personal brand?

Once you receive the edited version of your manuscript, give yourself time to process it. You may feel blindsided by some of the changes, but give yourself time to let the initial sting fade. When responding to the editor, it's best to go through each issue in order of importance and address them one by one.

One of the best things about professional book editing is that the end result should instill a sense of trust in the reader. Clear sentences, strong structure, and consistent detail all signal to the reader that someone took the time and effort to put this book together. Once that trust has been lost on page 3, it can be incredibly difficult to regain. You don't need to have a perfect manuscript to seek out book editing services, but you should always be open to making adjustments to your manuscript from your own, or a beta reader's, perspective.

A gentle reminder

If you've done all you can on your own and are still unsure if your manuscript is ready for prime time, a professional opinion can save you months of guesswork.

Most book editors offer a free sample edit, or at least a brief phone consultation, to determine how far along your manuscript is and how much help, if any, you might need. Your book required a lot of investment on your part to get to this stage, and it deserves the same amount of attention to detail to get published.