The first thing a self-published book needs is a professional edit. Why? Because it will make the book stronger, tighter and better. If it´s better, readers will like it, and when they like it they will recommend it to more readers.
You've probably showed your book to someone already, a friend or a family member. They liked it, and you are encouraged to publish. These friends are probably not professionals, though. Most likely they are also too supportive to give you the harsh criticism you really need. Consider their comments but do not write them down as definite proof that your manuscript is ready for publication.
Editors represent the reader and can help you develop a product which appeals to your target audience. A common misconception is that editors tear the manuscript to pieces, that they ruin the manuscript the author has worked so hard to create. Perhaps that is even why the decision to self-publish was made in the first place, to keep it safe from those ripping keystrokes of an editor.
An editor´s job is to work with the author, as a team, not tear a manuscript to shreds. They will work with every part of the manuscript to make it as good as it can be. Not just that, but they are professionals who will bring in a fresh view on your words and spot mistakes and flaws you cannot see yourself.
There are many types of editors, and their roles might be separate or mixed, depending on the task and the publishing house.
One of these editors is the development editor, who will look at the concept and do her best to improve it. She looks at plot and characters, catches gaps in the story, suggests points to make the manuscript stronger. If a part of your story lacks credibility, it will be caught in the edit. If it starts at the wrong end or contains too many flash-backs, alterations will be suggested.
The line editor goes through the manuscript line by line to polish your writing style. It is not to be confused with correcting errors, but has to do with strengthening the narrative style of the author. This is why a professional line editor is infinitely more helpful than your friend or your mother. They can bring out the oh-so-important voice of the author and give it an edge.
Copyediting may or may not be included in the line editing. This corrects errors in punctuation, typos, misused words, unintentional word repetition, incorrect grammar and what else might be needed.
The proofreader is the last to look at the manuscript before it is published. Her job is to check that page numbers are correct and that the style is consistent throughout the manuscript in terms of hyphenation and capitalizing. It is also the job of the proofreader to make sure the words are integrated with other parts of the layout, like design, illustrations and graphs etc.
You might not think you need an editor, but considering the improvements they can suggest for a manuscript it is always highly recommended before a book is self-published.
Alice Northwood is a marketing consultant at http://www.kindlekillermarketing.com, helping self-published authors to format and market their book. She also writes for http://kindlekillerblog.com, the reviewsite for e-book owners and publishers.
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