The first draft is black and white. Editing gives the story color ~ Emma Hill
 
Writing without revising is the literary equivalent of waltzing gaily out of the house in your underwear ~ Patricia Fuller


Editing is a big part of writing. And, even though you will want your manuscript or other materials professionally edited before publishing, there are certain steps you can take before handing it over that can save you money in the long run.
 
Here are a few.

Change the font and format you’ve been using. By seeing things differently, you will catch things you missed the first time through.

Read your manuscript out loud. You will catch a lot of the small mistakes by hearing what your eyes might gloss over.

Change repetitive phrases and words. Your work deserves originality. And again, those words and phrases will stand out more when you read your work out loud.

Remove weak adjectives. For example: 

          Instead of saying – He was very
          scared of heights, or really  
          scared of heights, say he was
          terrified of heights, 

          Or, better yet say – Heights
          terrified him. Feel the
          difference?

Before giving your writing a last read-through prior to handing it to a professional, you get some distance from it. Give it at least a couple of hours. This will help you catch the little things that take the editor time that you pay for.