Easy Peasy Books

086: How Self-Editing Can Make You a Better Writer with Katie Chambers

• Gillian Whitney • Season 3 • Episode 16

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0:00 | 37:00

If you think self-editing just means fixing typos and checking your grammar, think again. In this episode, I sit down with editorial agency owner and newly published author Katie Chambers to talk about why self-editing is one of the most powerful things you can do for your manuscript, and for your growth as a writer. Katie shares why most authors know they should self-edit but have no idea how to actually do it well, and how that gap ends up costing them both time and money.

Katie walks us through her four-pass self-editing system, covering content, organization, writing, and technical, and explains why trying to edit for everything at once is the biggest mistake authors make. We also talk about the importance of giving yourself distance from your manuscript, knowing when good enough really is good enough, and how handing your editor a stronger draft means they can take your book so much further. If you have a manuscript sitting on your desk waiting for a polish, this episode is your sign to stop stalling and start editing with purpose.