How To Find The Editor Of A Book

A closeup of the tip of a red pencil by suzumi3 via Flickr — by suzumi3 | via Flickr

In today's guest post, indie writer Teymour Shahabi explains how to notice an editor for the draft of your self-published book and what to look for in an editing human relationship.

In traditional publishing, submitting your draft to an editor is an inevitable footstep on the route to bookstore shelves. But how much editing is required for self-publishing? Does a self-published author need to find an editor? And if yeah, when and where, and how?

First things first:

Do y'all need an editor?

The answer is yes.

The greatest benefit of an editor is that he or she is not the author. An editor is someone else. Some editors are professional writers, but every single one of them is a professional reader. As a writer, yous're probably a voracious reader, merely you can never be a true reader for your book. Past bringing forth a book into the world, you're asking other people to read something you've never read. If you sincerely want the volume to be the very all-time that it tin can be, then you must ask someone else to read information technology first. You owe it to your volume, to yourself, and to your readers.

What an editor does is discover your characters, your situations, and your images without seeing whatsoever of the creative process that brought them to life. Where you lot might see all the crossings-out and labors, all the accidents and decisions, the editor sees only a page. This is the clarity you demand, and you lot tin never accomplish information technology for your own writing, just because you envisioned it starting time. The editor will tell you what an attentive, an educated, and, most importantly, a new reader will experience while reading your book.

When should you hand your manuscript over?

It's hard to answer this question without first addressing what an editor actually does. Editors can review the content of your writing (characterization, pacing, plot, etc.), which is often referred to as content editing; the grade of your writing (the grammar, the punctuation, etc.), which is often referred to as copyediting; or both. (Past the way, proofreading is indispensable, but it's the concluding step of checking for typos and other glitches once the volume is ready for print—any writer who thinks that proofreading is editing is in grave danger of getting ripped off.)

Then when should you expect for an editor? Logic indicates that content editing should come before copyediting, though what exactly yous demand might depend on the book. But in every state of affairs, you need to mitt over your manuscript at the point where in that location'south no comeback left for you to brand on your ain.

In other words, yous should edit, tweak, and refine until yous achieve the point where the next alter no longer enhances your book. Most probable, you'll know the point when you reach it (you'll start to feel that you're running on a treadmill, as opposed to covering new basis).

But it might exist helpful to inquire not-professional readers (or "beta readers") to take a look at your typhoon before turning to an editor. To utilise a painting analogy: paint every bit many coats every bit you have to earlier applying the varnish. (You could always paint over the varnish, but wouldn't that exist a waste?)

How do you lot find an editor?

There are about every bit many ways to find an editor in today's world every bit there are to discover love. Instead of casting a wide net through search engines and outsourcing databases, it'southward usually better to focus your efforts by targeting specific communities, such every bit the Editorial Freelancers Association.

Merely as in dating, a seal of approval from someone trustworthy is ideal: you can ask for recommendations in places where authors assemble (such as WritersCafe.org). One useful listing is available hither at JaneFriedman.com; Joanna Penn also has a list.

Don't just reach out to ane editor; contact several. When choosing the right person for the chore, there are at least 3 considerations you should keep in listen: volume, business concern, and (bedside) manner.

1. Volume

The single nigh decisive factor should be the quality of the edit itself: Volition this editor help improve your book? In social club to assess this, nothing beats a sample edit (even if y'all take to pay for it). Testimonials and credentials (such as experience at a major NY publisher) tin help y'all narrow your list, but you lot should submit the same sample to a variety of editors and compare their work adjacent. Some editors will button too hard, and some won't push difficult plenty; some will just "become" your writing, while others will seem to speak another linguistic communication entirely. In my experience, the editor'south résumé is far less revealing than the quality of the sample edit. In fact, the higher an editor'south pedigree, the more reluctant the editor might be to provide a sample edit. Don't be afraid to insist: no i should wait you to invest in a car without a examination drive!

ii. Concern

An edit is a business organisation transaction. This ways that money will exchange easily. Therefore, you lot need to approach the edit as both a writer and a businessperson (an increasingly mutual office in the historic period of self-publishing). Compare the deals you're offered. Editors with make-name backgrounds might offering less user-friendly terms (such as hourly rates, which are less predictable than fixed contracts), while less established professionals might offer discounts and extras (such every bit volume formatting and publishing consulting). Don't be agape to inquire. Hiring an editor is a professional investment. A sample edit will allow you to estimate the value of the service, but never forget about the price.

3. (Bedside) Manner

Technology may have changed the way books are produced and distributed, but ultimately the connection between reader and author is 1 of the most enduringly personal in history. You need to pay close attention to an editor's mode and decide if the human relationship is likely to be pleasant, professional, and productive. Is the editor overly short or dull to answer to your emails? If the comments in the sample edit are too harsh, how volition y'all make it through hundreds of pages of cerise-inked barbs? Beyond the financial expense, editing tin be an intensely emotional journey; make sure that your editor will be a expert travel companion.

No matter how much the industry changes, authors will ever need editors. Just always remember that an editor is more similar a therapist, rather than a surgeon. The editor doesn't agree the scalpel, and you're not lying helpless: as presently as y'all step out of the edit, the book's life is entirely in your easily.

For more on editors:

5 Means to Observe the Correct Freelance Editor by Stacy Ennis
What Is a Developmental Editor and What Can Y'all Await? by Katherine Pickett

Teymour Shahabi is an indie author living in New York. He is currently working on the upcoming release of his start cocky-published novel, The Surreptitious Billionaire. You can find him on world wide web.teymourshahabi.com and follow his weekly adventures on YouTube.