From the Mailbag: On editors

Do you have any professional editors that you would recommend?

The short answer is “No.” All the professional editors I know work for publishers, and I don’t think any of them do freelance work on the side.

The longer answer starts with a question: Why do you think you need an editor?

The answer to this is usually one of two things: either the writer in question thinks they need to have their book professionally edited before they even try to sell it to a publishing house, or else the writer...