Do I need an editor for self publishing, and how much does professional book editing cost? Dave argues that AI now catches most of what a line editor does, for a fraction of the cost. Patty argues that an editor tells you what your book is missing, while AI only polishes what's already there.

You'll learn the four kinds of editing: developmental, line, copy and proofread. You'll hear why editing has no fixed price, and why you should get a written quote and a sample edit before you pay anyone. Dave shows how a style sheet and a "flag, don't rewrite" instruction keep the author in charge. Patty explains why AI tends to flatter your draft and can't see a sagging middle. Both cover what KDP and Apple Books say about AI-assisted editing as of October 2026.

In What Would You Do?, they help a first-time author who can afford one paid service, a series author whose editor is booked for months, and an AI publisher who wonders whether she still needs a human reader. Then comes a lightning round on flattened dialect, review swaps and editors who "guarantee" results. The takeaway: fix the structure before the polish, and let a human answer "what's missing?"

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Topics: do i need an editor for self publishing, how much does professional book editing cost, ai book editing, developmental edit vs line edit, copy editing vs proofreading, book style sheet, beta readers for self published books, kdp ai disclosure

Voices are AI-generated (ElevenLabs) versions of the hosts, Dave and Patty of Publish at Scale. Scripts are written with AI and checked against a dated fact sheet. Not affiliated with Amazon, Kindle Direct Publishing or Anthropic. No income claims: results depend on your books and your work.