Think of it as being able to look over your book, fine tuning your masterpiece, making changes in areas that you just didn't think of when you wrote it.
You get to make those changes and make it even better than it was originally! What can be more cool than that? ANSWER: Nothing.
When I edit I find little areas where I could have worded it better, change the scene to be more dramatic and alluring to the reader, and of course to correct the typos and grammar that I inherently put in when I wrote it. All these things are amazing aspects of editing.
Also think of it this way... Do you want to be a good writer or a GREAT writer? I opted for GREAT. But perhaps that is just me. I know I may never be a Hemingway or a Tolkien, but I want to be the best I can be, and I hope to get even better.
You could get an editing service to edit for you, but... there are two MAJOR drawbacks of using such a service...
1. The cost - the cost of such a service varies greatly, From my research it runs 250.00 USD to well over 2,000.00 USD. OUCH!
2. The editor will not change scenes to make them better, they don't think of new things to put in, they only correct grammar and the like. So yeah it will look more professional but what about those awesome new ideas you get when you edit yourself?
So keep in mind all the great benefits you get when you read over your work with a, fine toothed comb so to speak, doing the editing yourself.
What are some ideas you writers have on the subject? We really want to know.