As the number of self-published books grows, indie authors need editors more than ever. Kirkus Reviews launched new editorial services this year, one way for self-published authors to polish their work.

In this encore edition of the Morning Media Menu podcast, we spoke with Kirkus editorial director Perry Crowe about these new offerings. Press play below to listen…

Crowe explained: “Having been the indie editor at Kirkus and seeing lots and lots of self published books, I’ve seen some very basic mistakes–like confusing different versions of their/there/they’re and punctuation issues.  There are simple things that need to be caught because it jars the reader out of the reading experience.”

He concluded: “We’ve seen a lot of books with really clever fun ideas and compelling stories, but there are these small errors. If there are enough of them, it ruins the reading experience … sometimes they just need  a fresh, professional eye on the book. Frankly, there are a lot of words to keep an eye on in an entire book. Sometimes you need to call in a pro.”

Self published authors can also browse our Best Editors on Twitter list to get more tips from editors around the publishing industry.