One topic of contention in many author groups is whether a professional edit should be completed on a manuscript prior to submitting that story to an agent or a publisher. After watching much of the back and forth, I'd like to provide my two cents. Part of the allure of traditional publishing is the absence of out-of-pocket expenses self-publishing authors have to plan for: cover art, formatting, illustrators, editing, and marketing. But in recent years, it's become necessary for authors...

Until recently, the concept of books written by artificial intelligence (AI) was unheard of, something one might expect from the sci-fi...

As a professional editor, I frequently help authors who have never worked with a service provider before. Whether obtaining the...