Whilst attending an on-line forum and interesting questions was asked which produced an interesting answer.
"should you pay for a professional to edit your work before sending to an agent/publisher?"
One of the answers from an anonymous source was really interesting and got me thinking.
He or she said: "Having your work professionally edited can be frowned upon by a good publisher/agent and may throw your ability to write into question."
Not sure I agree but wanted some opinion on it.
Wish I could edit my question ;) Thanks guys. All very much what I though but for some reason it made me doubt myself. Love this site it has really helped. Thanks again.
If I was sending a ms to an agent or publisher I wouldn't mention whether or not I'd had any professional help, so how would they know? If you struggle with spelling/ grammar an editor can help you present your work in the best possible light, but I don't think many publishers expect to find a ms that they can't improve.
I would only pay for editing if I was self-publishing a book because I know (from experience) that no matter how carefully you think you've checked your own work mistakes do slip through!
There's no shame in using an editor, and I doubt agents or publishers would really care (it's not the kind of thing you need to mention in submissions). The only thing that makes me wary is that some editors can take a lot of money from less experienced writers. As long as the company / individual is legitimate and you know what you're getting, there's no harm. Personally, I've never used one, but that had more to do with my approach to writing than any universal publishing rule.
The comment about 'throwing into question' sounds more like snobbery than wisdom!