And yes, I am in the surgery recovery phase...but I peeked!

Thank you for all your wonderful thoughts!

Aren’t you supposed to be recovering?

You’re smart, it’s sooo important to get the story right before it goes out to readers!!

It really is one of the most important parts of the publishing process. And if the ones that most authors feel like they can skip.

First of all congrats on finishing your novel, that alone is a huge step!!

A lot of authors use Grammerly for copy editing, but you still need to buy the software. One thing you can do to save money on editing is offer some kind of trade for editing services. If you’re a copy editor yourself, you can trade with an author who does developmental editing. Heck, I’ve even traded bird sitting for copy editing. It’s one way to cut costs on editing. But there really aren’t any good AI services for developmental editing since it is more about making sure the story, characters, and plot are all in order.

SavvyAuthors is a great site. They offer very cheap classes, pitch opportunities to editors and agents, and like you mentioned the critique match. I’ve done a lot with them in the past and found the site and the authors on the site to be a lovely group of people.

You could also look for local area writers groups to get more eyes on your story, and also possible find a couple of authors you can work with regularly. I’m not sure it’s a thing anymore, but when I was first starting out I used MeetUp to help me find my first writers group. But you can also do a simple google search.

Classes through places like Lawson writers Academy will also help you find like minded authors to work with and help
You build an author support group.

Beta readers and critique partners are a little different. Beta readers are usually readers, not writers who will help you figure out which part of your story works and what doesn’t, but they won’t give you level of detail that another writer will. Most beta readers come from people you already know.

I hope this helps a little.

I am wet behind the ears in this writing craft world but have just finished my fourth self-edit run-through of my premiere long fiction - a cozy crime novella. I am currently tailoring it for a contest submission, but that will likely change in the longrun.

My budget is ...well non-existent, and I think, for me a developmental editor is what I need to save my pennies for. Having said all that, what do you think about some fo the AI-based software for copy editing, e.g., ProWritingAid, etc.?

Also, if you have any thoughts on finding beta readers or know anything about websites like SavvyAturhors which I believe recently launched a 'Critique Match' program, I would love to hear.

Thank you, again, for your enlightenment.