I Need an Editor!

Picture it.

You’re writing your manuscript and are almost done. Or you’re done, and you want it to shine before you release it to the world.??I get it.

You reach out to your friends and associates with “I need an editor!”??They turn you on to a publishing contact in their network, a freelancer site where contractor editors are ready to get to work for you, or a friend who majored in English in college.??(Don’t get me started on why the latter is not the best option … [No shade ... I minored in English.] Yes, they may save you money, and they may know the difference between first-person point of view and a hole in the ground; but that person is not necessarily well-versed in the publishing industry or the conventions of?The Chicago Manual of Style,?the book publishing industry bible.??Don’t get me started …)

You arrive on a discovery call with an editor, and the first things they want to know are how many words is your manuscript and what kind of editing you want, which leads to a conversation about what kind of editing your manuscript needs.??And as you can imagine, they are not one and the same.?

Wanna know the difference and why it’s such a big deal???

Wanna be smart about how you use your editing coins???

Wanna do right by your book?

Read on, my friend.??Read on.?

Developmental editing?covers big-picture issues and deep-level restructuring. When people ask for an editor, most of the time, this is the professional they want but don’t realize it.??And this type of pro comes with a price tag ... something else a lot of peeps don’t realize (or that they don’t?want?to realize [and respect] it)!??A developmental editor looks deeply at the organization and strength of a manuscript and will expose and question weak ideas.??A developmental editor scrutinizes your manuscript with an eagle eye, assessing its flow and consistency. This type of editing pro asks questions such as …

• Is this the right number of chapters???
• Could there be more because an idea needs to be more fully developed???
• Are the chapters and paragraphs in the right order???
• Would it make more sense for ideas to get moved around???
• Are there any places in the manuscript where the pacing lags???
• Are there areas where information doesn’t fit or where the author goes too far down the rabbit hole???
• Is there a gap in the information presented?

A developmental editor will ask all these questions and more and will then make recommendations for how you can strengthen your manuscript.?

Developmental editing considers all the aspects of a manuscript that will make your book readable and that make it enjoyable, that will keep the reader wanting to turn page after page after page. That’s what authors want, right???This is the first type of editing that should be conducted on a manuscript and typically costs $0.10 to $0.15 per word.??Yep ... I know you're doing the math ...??If you have a 40,000-word manuscript, that means this level of editing can cost you anywhere from $4,000 to $6,000.

Next is mechanical editing, and it?includes reviewing grammar (the structure of written language that refers to the parts of speech and how they come together); mechanics (the rules of writing language such as capitalization, punctuation, and spelling); and any other style rules, using the most current edition of?The Chicago Manual of Style. Sometimes referred to as line editing or copyediting, this type of editing ensures there are no errors in these three areas. Mechanical editing can require several passes at a manuscript to ensure as close to 100% of the errors as possible are caught and corrected.??A mechanical editor will ask questions such as …

• Is this comma in the correct place??
• Does the subject agree with the verb??
• Are there any misplaced modifiers?

Mechanical editing is a totally different skillset from developmental editing and tends to be less expensive than developmental editing, coming in at the $0.05 to $0.10 per word cost range. ?For a 40,000-word manuscript, mechanical editing can cost you anywhere from $2,000 to $4,000. That's on top of the cost for developmental editing. You may have an editor who will do both developmental then mechanical editing for you, charging something like $0.12 per word for performing both jobs.

Proofreading?is a final once-over of your manuscript to make sure it’s ready to go to market. Proofreaders work to catch any lingering mistakes, looking for anything that has been missed from the previous line or copy edit.?Proofreaders are the ones you call upon only when you know you have gone through your manuscript with a fine-tooth comb yourself and/or via other professional editors and it’s just about ready for publication.?

Proofreading is the last type of editing that should be applied to your manuscript and is the least expensive type of editing with editors expecting to receive anywhere from $0.01 to $0.05 per word.??Now, don’t try to pull a fast one, sending over your manuscript for proofreading, knowing *good-n-well you’ve skipped developmental and/or mechanical editing.??The editor will politely send it back, letting you know you it’s not ready for proofreading, or depending on the editor’s skillset, they may offer to perform developmental and/or mechanical editing for you at an additional cost.

Bear in mind you typically do not want the same person performing all three levels of editing for you.??It gets hard to objectively look at content through different lenses and, therefore, errors and opportunities for improvement can inadvertently be missed.

The bottom line is make sure you understand the different types of editing and that because each one calls upon a?different?skillset, they require a different price point. It's like saying “I need maintenance done on my car,” but in one instance, you need your tires aired up. In another, you need your oil changed, and in yet another, you?need compounding to?restore damaged paintwork and to prevent rusting.?Yes, they are all types of car maintenance, but each requires a different skillset, different?tools, and different levels of investments.?There are different types of editing, and each requires a different skillset, different tools, and different levels of investment.

Too often, I see editing quotes getting met with big surprise.??Do your research.??If you come across anyone charging far less than the ranges I provided, then you’re going to want to tread lightly after you give them the side-eye.??Unless you have one of those jazzy electric cars, would you let someone change your oil for a mere $5, and that $5 supposedly includes five quarts of oil as well as a new filter?

Right.

Write (and edit) on.

*This is the shortened version of the words "good and well." When I was growing up and I heard someone say "You know good-n-well...," it was synonymous with "You know damn well ...." As you can imagine, as a child, I loved taking any opportunity I could to use that phrase!

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