Hiring a professional book editor is a serious investment.
Is it really worth it? What will you actually get out of it? Will it really help you in any significant way?
Before you make the choice to hire an editor, you should be as well-informed as possible when it comes to what an editor can and cannot do for you and your book.
In this post, we will be discussing exactly that.
Why Every Author Needs an Editor:
You may think that self-editing, using online tools, and getting other people such as critique partners and beta readers is enough to perfect your book before publishing.
But that just isn’t the case.
While your beta readers and critique partners may give good feedback, you’ll most likely find that they don’t necessarily help you solve issues in your story and writing. An editor will be able to point out areas that need improvement and give you specific, detailed suggestions on how to do fix them.
Using online tools, like Grammarly, is a great start to cleaning up your writing, but it won’t replace all the things an editor will do for your book. For a more in-depth look at using Grammarly as a writer, check out this post here.
Self-editing is also a crucial step in the writing process, but there are a few key reasons why that isn’t sufficient.
Your brain will gloss over details after looking at the same thing for so long. An editor will read both on the lines and between them, creating the best experience possible for your readers and bringing your vision to life.
You are too close to your work and cannot look at it objectively. An editor can help you identify the strengths and weaknesses in your story and your writing. Ultimately, we can help you become a better writer.
You can’t discern what doesn’t make sense because it already makes sense to you. You just can’t see where clarity is needed. We can help you find areas that need to be fleshed out more, or find areas of fluff to cut.
Professional editors have spent years perfecting the craft and gaining experience and education. We are your best opportunity for achieving your publishing goals.
Editors are knowledgeable about the publishing industry and genre conventions. Our expertise will help to make your voice shine through in the best way possible.
If you truly want to become a successful author and further your career as a writer, you need to take it seriously. Just as you want your readers to take you seriously as an author, you need to treat your work professionally as well.
You need a professional editor. Even professional editors hire other professional editors when they are publishing.
An editor’s feedback will not only help you find and correct any errors, but will also help you articulate your intentions for the story in the best way possible. We can help you hone your voice and craft memorable, immersive stories.
I can guarantee that your favorite and most prolific authors will tell you they always work with an editor as an essential part of the publishing process.
No matter how good we are at writing, we can always be better.
If you want to learn more about how to choose the right editor for you and your book, check out this post here.
Now, let’s get into more detail about how exactly an editor can help improve your book.
What an Editor Can Do for Your Book:
Solve Problems in Narrative
The developmental phase of editing is like an art form, making judgements on the narrative aspects and aesthetics of the story. This is the big-picture approach that takes place during the final drafting process.
A developmental editor will help you find what does and doesn’t work about your story, and will be able to give you specific suggestions on how to fix it.
A this stage, we are looking at the building blocks of narrative craft (character development, plot arc, pacing, etc.) and helping you to finalize the structure of the story before moving on to sentence-level corrections.
Solve Problems in Writing
Copyediting is all about the nitty-gritty details of the language, involving the techniques for style and syntax. This is what most people think of when they hear the words “book editing”. We will help you with more than just grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Copyediting also involves clarifying your intentions effectively to the reader, stylized word usage for your tone and voice, and many other aspects of writing that will help your book be the best version possible.
Let’s face it, the English language can be seriously difficult. Not only are there tons of rules, but every rule has tons of exceptions.
A professional editor will know when you can effectively bend or break certain grammar rules and genre standards. We have extensive understanding of the rules and conventions of writing.
Our focus during this stage of editing is on accurate and logical language, as well as the flow and style of your expression. A professional editor will make sure that nothing is confusing to your readers so as not to undermine your authority as the author.
Realize Potential
The business-side of editing is understanding that we are creating a product that must generate revenue for an author to be successful. A good editor will be knowledgeable about the publishing industry and your particular genre especially.
An editor is your guide to success. We will help your book (and you as a writer) realize its full potential.
Editors are committed to ongoing further education. Writing, publishing, and language itself is constantly evolving. You can depend on a professional editor for the expertise, knowledge, and solutions that will help to make your book a success and further your career as an author.
“Editing is a gift, not an insult.”
Carol Fisher Saller, author of the subversive copy editor
Clarify Your Vision
It is our job to solve problems in writing while maintaining the author’s message. We do our best to help you voice your intentions in the clearest way possible.
We know why and how certain books connect and why others don’t. We can give you the exact feedback you need to enhance your story’s structure and sentences.
A professional book editor will have the solutions you need to really bring out the best in your story. We are able to take your vision and bring it to life on the page.
You needn’t worry that an editor will ruin anything, in the end it is still your work and you will have the final say on every change we suggest. Trust in their advice, but also trust in yourself. And if you’re ever unsure about suggestion that an editor makes, just ask!
Improve Readers’ Experience
Our number one goal is to do no harm. In other words, an editor should never change anything unless it objectively improves the readers’ comprehension and experience.
Essentially, it all comes down to good communication. The reader is ultimately the boss of both editor and writer, who should work as a team towards the same goal – making the reader’s experience the best it can be.
This is the ultimate purpose, merging readers’ expectations with the author’s vision.
What an Editor Cannot Do for Your Book:
While there are so many ways that an editor can help, there are limitations to what we can do.
Fix Your Book for You
We cannot actually fix your book for you. You will need to review the feedback you receive and choose to either implement the suggestions or not. You will need to incorporate the editor’s insights and revise your manuscript.
Editors will give you suggestions on how to correct issues. View them as opportunities for improvement.
Yes, this may seem like yet another daunting step in the publishing process, but don’t fret, because this is a good thing. It means that you get the final say on everything that happens with your book, which is exactly how it should be.
Give You Perfection
Have you ever been reading a book and noticed errors? It happens to the best of us.
We are not perfect. We are human just like everyone else.
Editors sometimes make mistakes and sometimes miss mistakes. Even so, you can be sure that after working with an editor your book will be as close to perfection as is humanly possible.
Have All the “Right” Answers
No one knows everything. And, really, who wants to work with someone who thinks that they do?
The publishing industry and the nature of language itself is constantly changing.
When it comes to sentence-level corrections, editors in the publishing industry typically use the Chicago Manual of Style as their reference guide. This means that they have a set of standards to explain any suggestions they make for changes to your manuscript.
When it comes to developmental phases of editing, however, this can be a little more subjective in nature, as there is no one way to write a story. We do our best to use our extensive knowledge and experience to effectively create the story that you envision and that your readers will love.
(I have a super detailed post that goes into the different types of editing, you can check that out here.)
We may not always have the “right” answer. But we most certainly will be able to point you in the right direction to make improvements.
Make Guarantees
Although editors are professionals in the industry, we cannot guarantee that your book will be a bestseller, earn you a fortune in royalties, gain a book deal, or fulfill any other type of measurement of success.
The publishing world can be a fickle one and there are many things that contribute to a book’s success irrelevant to the writing and editing process.
We want you and your book to be successful as much as you do. Your success is our success.
At least I know I can speak for myself that I get joy seeing author’s dreams become a reality and reaching their goals.
But the reality is no one person has the ability to make a book successful. (And you should not trust anyone who says otherwise.) While we can most certainly push you in the right direction, we cannot know for certain what the outcome will be.
An editor’s job is to use their education and experience to help you see where you are doing really well and where things could be better.
Every writer has a unique voice and we want to help you develop it and make your intentions shine through on every page.
The editing process doesn’t have to be scary or make you feel vulnerable. A good editor will be encouraging your growth in the craft of writing and narrative.
Remember that your editor wants your book to exist in the world, and we wouldn’t have accepted the project if we didn’t believe in it.
We want you and your book to be great!
We love helping writers, take pride in our work, and enjoy seeing your dreams come true.
We take our work seriously and will be your greatest ally and champion all the way to publishing and beyond.
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