I Don’t Sell Business Editing and Proofreading Services

Yes, the site is called Michael Edits, so it’s logical to conclude that I edit and proofread. And, in fact, I do. But that’s not what I sell.

I sell candor.

I sell perfection.

I sell peace of mind.

I give you one less thing to worry about.

I guarantee that you always look professional.

Every author I know, and every author I don’t know, does not see what he (or she) has written. He sees what he thinks he’s written. They’re not always the same thing.

I don’t care who you choose to edit your writing. It can be me. It can be somebody else. My competitor is not another editor up the road. It’s not even a bloated mega-service where the editor only gets half of what you pay and where you’re never allowed to communicate with him or her (usually her) directly.

No, my greatest competitor is the unedited manuscript.

I don’t know why any author would send something like that out into the world. One slip, be it a lapse in clarity or even a simple typo, will make you look like a careless amateur. What makes you think anybody wants to do business with a careless amateur? If your sales copy is shoddy, what else is shoddy? What you’re selling?

All major corporations have in-house editing departments. Why? Because editing matters. Proofreading matters.

If you’ve ever clicked “send” and then seen your mistake, that cringe is why you know editing and proofreading matter. If you’ve ever seen a mistake (or five) in another vendor’s literature, your laughter is why you know editing and proofreading matter. It’s also why you probably took your business elsewhere.

But there’s probably a compelling reason why you don’t have an in-house editing department. You don’t write enough to need one. And yes, if there are more people in your office than just you, everyone can review each other’s writing. Assuming you’ve got people with the right skill set in your office, whenever you need them, who can focus on your writing rather than their own problems and deadlines.

But if you’re doing that, you’re not doing whatever it is that made you go into business in the first place. Like hiring an accountant, a lawyer, a cleaning service, or a security company, you outsource those aggravating but necessary chores so you can focus on what it is you want to be doing, what you should be doing, what you need to be doing.

Focus on what you do best. Let me focus on your words because that’s what I do best.

Editing and proofreading services are not an expense. They’re an investment.