by 
The first draft of anything is shit.
– Ernest Hemingway
The most successful writers know that the hard bit is not writing the book in the first place but refining and polishing that book into the best possible book it can be. In many ways, this is the first secret to success as a writer. Don’t just write; review, revise, edit, polish and hone your work to the maximum level of excellence it can achieve.
In order to get published, it is no longer possible to give an adequate or acceptably good manuscript to a publisher and hope they will polish it to reveal the brightest gem contained within. In this commercially competitive market a writer must maximise their chances of success by submitting to a publisher the best work they have, the most refined manuscript and the most honed book possible.
Publishers and agents these days are swamped with manuscripts. In fact this is probably about as busy as they’ve ever been when it comes to the volume of submissions they have been getting. So, as a writer, you get one shot and one shot only at having your book read and considered by a publisher or agent. Where many writers make a fatal error is as soon as they finish their work they immediately send it off to a publisher or agent but if it’s not in the best shape of it’s life, that’s a lost opportunity to impress and an opportunity you can never get back.
If you have written a book, you’re halfway there but still short of the finish line. Now you need to review, revise, edit and hone it into the best possible shape.
The Literary Professionals’ editorial services include Manuscript Assessment to tell you what’s wrong with your work and how to fix it, Editing to refine and polish your story and words, Submission Assessment to ensure what you submit to an agent or publisher is more likely to be considered, Readers’ Reports for feedback and advice on ideas and subject matter and Ghost-writing for those with great ideas who need the writing skills to make them come to life.
Read more about some of our Editorial Services below.
