Before you hire an editor, it’s important to have some foundational knowledge about the process. Here are five key bits of intel to get you started.
1. There Are Different Types of Editing
Many writers get to a stage where someone tells them to hire an editor (or comes to that decision on their own). But it’s important to know there is more than one type of editing, and those types usually need to happen in separate passes (and sometimes with different editors). Editing for character and pacing is difficult to do if you’re also correcting commas and hyphenation.
Different editors use different terms for their levels of editing, but you as an author need to know whether you’re looking for big-picture feedback (usually available in services called developmental editing, substantive editing, or manuscript evaluations), prose-level finesse (usually called line editing), or cleanup for grammar and usage errors (usually called copyediting for a manuscript and proofreading for a laid-out book).
If you aren’t sure what type of editing you need, check out our publishing map or learn more about different types of editing.
2. No Editor Can Edit Everything
Not all editors have the skills to do both big-picture editing and the fine-tuning of copyediting. Some of those who do have both skillsets prefer to specialize in one direction or the other. But even editors who do different types of editing can’t edit everything well. For example, I enjoy copyediting sweet romances, and I do a good job. But I don’t read enough romance outside of work to have the market awareness and genre literacy to be a good developmental editor for romances. I’m a much stronger developmental editor for science fiction, fantasy, literary fiction, and middle-grade books (I spend a lot more time with these genres).
Find an editor who not only has the skills for the type of editing you need but also has a deep awareness of books like yours. Don’t hire someone who specializes in adult horror to do a developmental edit on your early-reader book for first graders (and vice versa).
3. You Should Get Free Advice First
Good editors are skilled professionals, and working with them can help you improve your work by leaps and bounds. But before you pay a professional, make sure you’re in a position to use what they give you.
Receiving and incorporating feedback into a book-length work is a skill, and like any skill, it takes practice. Writers need to know how to hear feedback with an open mind and also how to filter that feedback based on their own goals, vision, and style. More than that, they need to practice finding the right place to make changes. Does the book need a tweak near the beginning to get the foreshadowing right or changes every scene or two to adjust the tone? If you’ve never revised a long piece using external feedback, an editor might give you a mountain of feedback you’re not ready to use.
Work with a writing group or some critique partners before working with a professional editor. You’ll still get good feedback, you’ll hone your revision and feedback-taking skills, and you’ll go to an editor with the best book you can produce without them—which means you’ll get even more valuable feedback!
4. You Should Schedule in Advance
Independent book editors usually aren’t ready to edit your work as soon as you ask them to. They book projects and set up a schedule so they can preserve time to focus on authors’ manuscripts. Because working on a novel takes a lot longer than, say, proofreading a blog article, that means each project can take up weeks of an editor’s time. So it’s rare to find an experienced editor who’s ready to take your 100,000-word novel on a moment’s notice.
There are exceptions. Some editors have cancellations, and requests for editing come in unpredictable ebbs and flows. But that sort of timeline is not common.
Book your editor in advance. Plan on waiting at least a month and up to six for the most in-demand editors. (Looseleaf is usually booked 1–3 months out.) If you forgot to schedule in advance, be patient and enquire about a waitlist. Some editors have systems set up to notify you if they have a cancellation.
5. It’s Worth Finding the Right Fit
Just because an editor is awesome doesn’t mean they’re the right kind of awesome for you. It’s important to find the right fit for your work. Look for a professional with an editorial approach, genre specialties, timelines, pricing, and a communication style that work for you.
Research your options and get recommendations from other writers. If you end up with a shortlist of editors you’d be happy working with and you’re not sure who to hire, ask for sample edits. (Some editors do sample edits for free and some do not. It depends on each editor’s workload and other factors.) Then you can evaluate the samples and find the best fit for your style and story.
