How To Decide Whether You Need A Writer, An Editor, Or Just Some Simple Revision

Writing regularly and publishing a book can be life-changing. But it can also be challenging and scary to put your work out there, and publish it in your name.

That’s one of the reasons why authors, bloggers and most publications hire or use so many other professionals before their work goes out into the world.

You might have wondered which one is most important if you’re on a budget, or which one you should hire to work on your book or another project.

The answer isn’t as simple as most people think: many professionals in the field can and do write, ghostwrite, edit, revise, proofread, and perform other tasks during the course of even just a single project. Other professionals offer just editing services, or are pure ghostwriters, dislike revision, and are very upfront about that fact. So where should you start for your project? Let’s start with some definitions to understand the difference between writing, editing, and revising.

Writing

Writing is a proactive, creative process. You may have found this yourself: when you write, you research the topic, perform interviews, and write from your current knowledge. You choose the concept, the ideas behind the work, and define the scope, tone, and structure of the piece. A ghostwriter may also do this process for you.

Editing

Editing, on the other hand, is a reactive, refining process you have probably also done once you’ve written something. Professional writers also edit their own work, even if they plan to pass it on to an editor afterward.

Professional editors can transform your work, too. They work with your goals in mind, rewriting sections, replacing flat words with punchier ones, rewording anything that’s off-brand or doesn’t sound like it was writing in your voice… They may also help make your work more accessible so it’s more attractive to your target audience.

Revising

Have you ever received an assignment back from a teacher that’s covered in notes like “incomplete thought here,” or “what is the goal of this section?” And, “weak point, consider removing this.” As cringe-worthy as it might be, this type of feedback is crucial to making any written piece stronger. It allows more readers to get to the end of your book, or article.

Revising is not about grammar, mechanics, or style; there’s no cutting and pasting, restructuring or fleshing out involved. It is all about your arguments, your thinking, agenda, thesis, analysis, evidence, and terminology. The semantics (or meaning)!

This job usually gets done before the final edit of a piece of work.

So Who and What Is Most Vital For You?

Well, this depends on where your strengths and weaknesses lie. Do you find it difficult to express your ideas on a screen, or on paper, or simply just struggle to get started? Are you so busy, it’s hard even to find half an hour to write?

If so, you could benefit from hiring a ghostwriter. A ghostwriter will help you define your ideas, structure chapters or develop an editorial calendar, plan, and research on your behalf, and write in your style, or your preferred style. They may also write so well, that little editing, revising and proofreading is necessary later, saving you time and money.

Do you love writing, and get good feedback when you create a piece? Then you may not need the help of a ghostwriter, but you might benefit from the help of an editor if you want to get more written without going back to fine-tune what you’ve created. You might also find that your writing becomes a little monotonous on occasion because you have certain habits in the way you express yourself. An editor can support you there.

Editors are particularly nice to have around when you’re writing a book because it’s easy to get lost during bigger projects, struggle to make decisions and act on them, and end up giving up halfway through because there’s no one expecting your chapter or draft to arrive in their inbox soon, or looking forward to their paycheck. (Ghostwriters help to take some or all of the pressure off your shoulders, too, of course.)

What’s more, professionals who help with revision are fundamental for larger projects. These guys might be mentors, professors, or other experts in your subject. Ghostwriters are often able to help revise your content, too, if they write a lot in your area of expertise.

However, it can be nice to get more than one person to revise your work before the final edit. You might also like one of them to write your foreword, once you’ve implemented their suggestions, post revision—or perhaps review your book or work and provide a quote to go on the cover of your book, on your website, or elsewhere, depending on what type of project you publish.

The Best Of All Worlds

As mentioned above, in reality, a lot of pros offer a range of services. And many editors are great writers... Some professionals can simply do everything, and excel in every area! Others have strengths in one or more areas…

So the key to enjoying the best of all worlds is to find someone whose strengths lie in your areas of weakness. You’ll also want to find someone who has a deep level of experience in your area of expertise.

When you find that person, it can change your world.

I see this every day: When health experts like you get support, more books get published. The content is more accessible and enjoyable to read… And more information gets out into the world to help others improve their health.

And when you do get your work published, and it’s fabulous, you will also receive more positive attention, be taken more seriously as an expert in your field, and feel more satisfied in your work. This approach just makes life easier.

Can you imagine how good it would feel to have someone to bounce all your ideas off, to put to work on your next chapter because you’re busy elsewhere, or to polish and refine what you’ve already created…

How would it feel to have someone by your side the whole way, someone whose only intention is to support you through the most enjoyable, efficient creation process possible, no matter what you’re writing?

I work with bestselling authors, bloggers, and practitioners who work in functional medicine and other health fields write books, articles, newsletters, and more through ghostwriting, copywriting, editing, revision and other services. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you on your journey here: jessie@jessiemaguire.com.

I hope this article has been helpful to you. Feel free to comment below!