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As others have noted, at absolute minimum you must have someone look over your work for technical mistakes (spelling, grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary). You must do this even if you self-pub...
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#4: Attribution notice removed
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/19255 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/19255 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
As others have noted, at _absolute minimum_ you must have someone look over your work for technical mistakes (spelling, grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary). You must do this even if you self-publish. No one is going to read a book so badly structured that it's incomprehensible. I think it is also imperative to have an editor, someone who is at least moderately objective and who will be honest with you about plot and character. It helps to have someone familiar with your book's genre, but for me it's not a requirement, because you also want readers who are outside your niche to find your story appealing and understandable. Also, remember that even the most loved books have detractors (and conversely, the most hated books have fans). Your goal should not be to please all of the people all of the time, because that will never happen, but to please some people enough that they recommend your book to others because they think it's worth sharing.