Hire an editor. I know those are three words you probably don't want to hear, but let's face it, every writer needs a little help checking for mistakes. I'll be the first to admit that I'm so close to my work that it's hard for me to catch simple errors. And sometimes, I don't want to admit to myself that my story's not perfect.
Now while I have a strategy to help with this, it's not foolproof. After I finish a novel, I set it aside for 3 to 6 months and go to work on something else. Then I come back to the previous piece and check it thoroughly for any mistakes. This is part of my personal revision process. I don't recommend it if you have a habit of setting tight deadlines for yourself, but it can work for those of you who don't mind taking a little more time developing your story. I don't send each draft of my work off for evaluation. I like to wait until I've hit draft 5 before I send my manuscript off to be edited.
I used to be convinced that my work didn't need a second pair of eyes. But I have learned that that is never true. Even having a college degree under your belt doesn't mean you're immune to error. I keep a dictionary as well as a thesaurus within close reach of my writing space. I'm a frequent user of spell check and I Google words to make sure I'm using them correctly.
Let's face it: we all have some level of uncertainty about the quality of our work. That's why you should never be afraid to get a fresh perspective. If you don't have a retired English teacher for a mother, then you will have to shell out some cash for a professional editing service. They will check for content errors, spelling and grammar mistakes, and some might even help you fix those paragraphs that made more sense in your head than they do on paper.
How do you find a good editor? The answer is simple...use your favorite search engine. Check reviews of the company if there are any. Ask for references before you let money exchange hands. And start small. If you're testing out an established company or even a new one, I recommend starting with one chapter and seeing what result you get. If you're happy with the service then go ahead and send them the entire manuscript. If you don't like them, then you can try a different business. Finding the company that works for you is simply trial and error. But I definitely recommend using an editor. Because once you're finally ready to sell your work, you want it to have the best possible start.
