Finding the Perfect Editor for Your Books

Book-Editing

 

Many self-publishing authors dread the costly editing process – which is a big mistake.  It might cost them not only readers but a valuable reputation as a marvelous writer.

Often, authors assert they are best qualified to copy edit and proofread their work, as they are most familiar with it.  In fact, this is the reason an author is least qualified for editing their work.  Writers often fail to catch basic typographical errors, misused word, missing text, incorrect punctuation, and awkward sentences because they are too close to their manuscript.

The first step is to find the right person for you and your work.  There is an editor for every kind of book and every author.  To find the perfect fit, study editors’ work profiles at their professional organizations:

Do your homework.  You can also learn a lot about an editor’s expertise and style by reading their profile – and the books he or she worked on.

Another way would be to check out bestselling books in your genre and who edited the manuscript for them.  A long list of editors can be found in an article at Kindlepreneur.
Freelance editors are also offering their services at EbookLaunch, ServiceScape, or on  Reedsy.
Last but not least: ask writer friends about their own editing experiences.  They can usually give you a sense of how reliable and professional an editor is.  However, they can’t tell you how well an editor will work for you and your book.
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Start Early!
It takes time to identify, screen, and select an editor who’ll be a good fit for you and your manuscript.  Good editors are likely to be booked at least several months in advance.
Contact half a dozen editors before choosing one who’s right for you.  Working with the wrong editor isn’t just a costly financial mistake, it’s also demoralizing…
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What to Send the Editor?
Once you’ve found an editor who might be a good fit for you, make an initial contact. In order to assess your manuscript, your editor needs a sample of your writing:

For a quick initial assessment, provide 5-10 pages from the middle of your book.  Why? If the editor can see the middle, where many authors’ writing energy tends to flag they get a better sense of how much time it will truly take to edit your book.  It also helps an editor to make some DIY recommendations that can reduce editing costs later in the process.  Include also a table of contents (TOC) with your 10-page sample if it is a non-fiction book.
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Developmental Editing
It addresses the structure of a book — how everything in the manuscript works together.
Big picture editing can be very expensive if you need to address a book’s structure after it has been completely written.  To save money is to get help structuring your book before you write it – by getting help from beta-readers.
Or, you could send your editor a detailed outline, or a detailed 10-page plot summary to see if he or she can spot any potential holes.
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Line Editing
In a line edit, your editor will point out specific things such as certain lines of dialogue that don’t sound convincing, or pacing problems in a given section.  It can also involve moving sentences around so that your meaning is clear.  Stylistic editing/line editing always aims to preserve the author’s voice, first and foremost.  But there are some catches:

  • You might use too many adjectives
  • The vocabulary isn’t suited to the intended audience
  • Your meaning is lost in too many big words or jargon
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Copy Editing
This kind of editing addresses grammar, usage and consistency issues.  In addition to consistencies in spelling and punctuation, British, US or Canadian English, a copyeditor will find issues of continuity.
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Proofreading
It means typos, repeated words, spelling, punctuation and formatting issues (how things look on a page) as they occur in your book’s final environment.  If your book will be printed, your editor will proofread a PDF.  Proofreading is the last pair of eyes on your book before it goes live.  It’s the last chance to catch an error before a reader finds it and gleefully points it out.
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A manuscript will go more or less through all four levels of editing before it is polished and ready for publishing.  But that doesn’t mean that you will need to hire an editor for each kind of editing.  At the very least, every manuscript will benefit from a copyedit.

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How to Save Money on Editing
There are several steps you should do with EVERY manuscript: Engage as many Beta Readers as you can find in reading your manuscript.  Ask them for their critique.  Join writer groups and attend their meetings (librarians often can give you valuable tips on where to find them) or sign up with a Meetup.com writers group and get into their critique meetings.  Start this early in the writing process.

Or join Wattpad – if you write in any of their popular genres, such as romance, sci-fi or fantasy.  Uploading chapter for chapter on their platform will eventually lead to many engaged readers who are also willing to give their insights about the manuscript.

Another important step is to run your text through at least two (free) online editing programs (American English) – chapter for chapter.  For example, PaperRater or EditMinion.  Both have a free version.  Each program has its own preference, but you will be able to detect:

  • sentences that are too long
  • punctuation errors
  • grammar errors
  • spelling errors
  • weak words, passive voice
  • frequently confused homonyms
  • plagiarism
  • phrases to avoid
  • vocabulary usage

If your editing budget is limited, these steps will help you to reduce the actual editing costs tremendously!  Approach the professional final editing process with a willingness to learn about your writing quirks.
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A positive and open attitude will not only get you a better book, but you will also save money on your next editing project with what you’ve learned from this one. 

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Read more:
Tips on How to Reduce Your Editing Costs

https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/3-tips-how-to-reduce-you-editing-costs/

5 Crucial Questions to Ask a Potential Editor
https://thewritelife.com/how-to-find-an-editor-crucial-questions/

Why Books Need Editing and Proof-Reading https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/12/23/why-books-need-editing-and-proofreading/

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