Don't Be Like Every Other Writer and Hire the Wrong Editor

If you're at the beginning of the book writing process, the word "editor" may not even be relevant yet. Or it may be terrifying.

It really summons up an image of a humorless person holding a Number 2 pencil and shaking their head in disgust, no?

It’s easy to resent someone who’s there to tell you that you could do better. But we need another person’s brains and eyes to help us see what we can’t.?

Look, some editors suck. That’s why it’s on you to do your research before getting stuck with a bad one. But even the ones that suck usually suck because they don’t do enough. It’s pretty rare, in my experience, for an editor to go in and really work on your manuscript and then make it worse.

Fighting with your editor is like stabbing yourself in the foot (hopefully something none of us have done) or poking yourself in the eye (which, alas I have done, so do as I say not as I do). That being said, if your editor’s not good, get a new one. The person you hired simply may not be qualified. And while we can’t all go barreling into hospitals offering to operate on people because we’ve declared ourselves doctors, ANYONE can call him or herself an editor.

Get really clear with any editor you hire about what sort of editing they do. Developmental editors not only correct the little things but they also go into your copy, re-organize and ask you questions to fill in blanks. If you’re a new writer, you surely need that. A copy editor just corrects spelling errors, grammatical mistakes and the superficial. If you give a book that needs developmental editing to a copy editor, Mr. or Mrs. Copy Editor may not even tell you it needs a developmental edit because they may not be trained to even KNOW that.?

If you’re working with an editor who hasn’t written or edited bestselling books, ask to see samples of their work or even ask them to edit a sample of your work.?

You’re paying for a service so make sure it’s good. And when it is, thank them for making you better.

HERE'S A CALL TO ACTION TO ANYONE WORKING ON A BOOK: Research editors out there— through personal recommendations as well as Google searches—and start keeping a list of who you’ll reach out to when you’re done with your book.

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