7 Thing to Look For In Your Fiction Editor
So your book is finished. Maybe it's your first, maybe it's your fifth. Now you need an editor for your novel. If you haven't been fortunate enough to use the same editor from book one and on, you need a new one. If you've never had one, you need to find the perfect one for you and your book.
What do you look for? Here are my top 7 requirements:
Testimonials: This is perhaps the biggest factor. These are other authors praising the editor you're searching for. If you see one or two, this could be disturbing. Because it means either A) the editor doesn't have much experience or B) they don't have very good testimonials. So unless they are charging you very, very little, make sure they have a good lineup of previous work and some solid testimonials. Second Pass/Stages: I've looked. Not many editors offer a second read-through or do their edits in stages. If you can, you should really try to find one that does at least one of these. This is even more important if you are having them do developmental edits, content edits, and line edits. Those are all different levels of editing. Logically, they shouldn't all be on the same draft. How can you "Tighten this scene" or "Develop the romance more" at the same time as fixing that dangling modifier? If you change something large, what you add will need to be edited, right? Likewise, if you have a ton of line edits on a page, it's quite possible you may miss some or add in additional errors while correcting them. A second read through to ensure you fixed everything, as well as to make sure your editor didn't miss anything, is beyond valuable. Pricing: This is all very opinionated. Ask anyone. Editors charge a very wide range of prices. First, find out what you can afford. And be generous. If you're hoping to edit your 100k book for $300, think again. For the most part, you get what you pay for. For the most part. So if you do find an editor willing to do it for that little, odds are they don't have much experience or education. That's just the way it is. The price can vary widely, but stick to $0.006-$0.05, as those are the most common prices I've seen and they aren't too low or insanely high. Personally, until I find an editor I want to stick with forever, I'm sticking to $0.01 or under for copy/line edits. Some charge more for developmental, some charge more for line edits. But no matter what, you should always feel comfortable with what you'll be paying your editor. If you are uneasy, STOP! And remember, just because one charges $0.04 and one charges $0.008, it doesn't mean the cheaper one does poor work. It could be because they want to help us poor indies. It could be becuase they love what they do. And the one charging more doesn't mean they are better. It just means they charge more. So if you're stuck between the two, obviously use this list as a guide, but let #4 show you who is really better. Sample edit: ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS get a sample edit! Most editors offer a 2-10 page sample edit. If they offer less than 2 pages, I'd be wary. If they don't offer one at all, I'd be even more wary. They should want to prove themselves and display how they operate. This will also put your mind at ease and you can compare sample edits to see who you feel can help you the most. Genre/Interest: Does your editor have experience in your genre? Or are they at least interested in your book? If they primarily do paranormal YA romance and you're wanting them to edit a serial killer suspense book, do you think you'll get the best help with your book? Or if they primarily edit fantasy and you give them a non-fiction book, do you think they'll be interested at all in your work and give it the most time/thought? If they don't do the genre, don't fret. Find out if they rae at least interested. Perhaps they've never had the opportunity to edit that genre, but perhaps they read it all the time? The most important thing is that they WANT to work on your project. Teaching: Your editor should also be your teacher. They shouldn't just fix your writing, they should point out problem areas and give you guidance on how to fix them. Your next book should be better, the book after that, even better. You shouldn't be repeateing the same mistakes every time. If so, your editor is doing you a disservice and just wants to charge you more. A good editor wants to make you a better writer. It's like a school teacher. They want to help you succeed because it reflects well on them and you'll keep coming back. They don't want to not teach you in hopes you'll be held back and provide them with job security. So if you've been with the same editor for a while and you haven't learned how to fix your big problem areas, consider his/her true value. Communication: Your editor is your partner in writing your book. Ask any bestselling author and they'll tell you they'd be lost without their editor. In order to secure that strong bond, you need to feel like you can communicate with your editor. Do you feel your emails are an annoyance or a welcome teaching opportunity? Do you feel they are too formal or like you're talking to a friend? Do your emails go days without a response or do you get it the same day? I personally HAVE to have an editor who is like a friend. I ask a LOT of questions. So I need to feel like I'm no an annoyance.
8. Humble: If your editor thinks they are the sh** and you don't need any other sets of eyes to look over your manuscript a final time (ie Proofreader) then you should pause. Most editors should end up reading your work at least twice. By then they are too close to your work for the final proofread. If they include the proofread with all the other edits, stay far away! If they offer to do the final proofread at the end, pause. I learned this the hard way. Go for a seperate proofreader who hasn't read your work yet. If your editor thinks they are the best and don't encourage you to seek other eyes, you should wonder.
So...you may be wondering if I've found such an editor? Well I have just secured a relationship with one but she, for the time, shall remain nameless until our first edit, but I will add her name once I've confirmed every step. But let's just say, so far, with only the sample, she has met EVERY one of these requirements. Stay tuned to find out who she is and if she continues to live up to my expectations! I'll also be working with a new proofreader, so stay tuned for that name too! They'll both be added to my Team page.
What about you? Do you have an editor you love? Recommend her/him below! If they're awesome, get them some more work! What do you look for in your editor?
What do you look for? Here are my top 7 requirements:
Testimonials: This is perhaps the biggest factor. These are other authors praising the editor you're searching for. If you see one or two, this could be disturbing. Because it means either A) the editor doesn't have much experience or B) they don't have very good testimonials. So unless they are charging you very, very little, make sure they have a good lineup of previous work and some solid testimonials. Second Pass/Stages: I've looked. Not many editors offer a second read-through or do their edits in stages. If you can, you should really try to find one that does at least one of these. This is even more important if you are having them do developmental edits, content edits, and line edits. Those are all different levels of editing. Logically, they shouldn't all be on the same draft. How can you "Tighten this scene" or "Develop the romance more" at the same time as fixing that dangling modifier? If you change something large, what you add will need to be edited, right? Likewise, if you have a ton of line edits on a page, it's quite possible you may miss some or add in additional errors while correcting them. A second read through to ensure you fixed everything, as well as to make sure your editor didn't miss anything, is beyond valuable. Pricing: This is all very opinionated. Ask anyone. Editors charge a very wide range of prices. First, find out what you can afford. And be generous. If you're hoping to edit your 100k book for $300, think again. For the most part, you get what you pay for. For the most part. So if you do find an editor willing to do it for that little, odds are they don't have much experience or education. That's just the way it is. The price can vary widely, but stick to $0.006-$0.05, as those are the most common prices I've seen and they aren't too low or insanely high. Personally, until I find an editor I want to stick with forever, I'm sticking to $0.01 or under for copy/line edits. Some charge more for developmental, some charge more for line edits. But no matter what, you should always feel comfortable with what you'll be paying your editor. If you are uneasy, STOP! And remember, just because one charges $0.04 and one charges $0.008, it doesn't mean the cheaper one does poor work. It could be because they want to help us poor indies. It could be becuase they love what they do. And the one charging more doesn't mean they are better. It just means they charge more. So if you're stuck between the two, obviously use this list as a guide, but let #4 show you who is really better. Sample edit: ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS get a sample edit! Most editors offer a 2-10 page sample edit. If they offer less than 2 pages, I'd be wary. If they don't offer one at all, I'd be even more wary. They should want to prove themselves and display how they operate. This will also put your mind at ease and you can compare sample edits to see who you feel can help you the most. Genre/Interest: Does your editor have experience in your genre? Or are they at least interested in your book? If they primarily do paranormal YA romance and you're wanting them to edit a serial killer suspense book, do you think you'll get the best help with your book? Or if they primarily edit fantasy and you give them a non-fiction book, do you think they'll be interested at all in your work and give it the most time/thought? If they don't do the genre, don't fret. Find out if they rae at least interested. Perhaps they've never had the opportunity to edit that genre, but perhaps they read it all the time? The most important thing is that they WANT to work on your project. Teaching: Your editor should also be your teacher. They shouldn't just fix your writing, they should point out problem areas and give you guidance on how to fix them. Your next book should be better, the book after that, even better. You shouldn't be repeateing the same mistakes every time. If so, your editor is doing you a disservice and just wants to charge you more. A good editor wants to make you a better writer. It's like a school teacher. They want to help you succeed because it reflects well on them and you'll keep coming back. They don't want to not teach you in hopes you'll be held back and provide them with job security. So if you've been with the same editor for a while and you haven't learned how to fix your big problem areas, consider his/her true value. Communication: Your editor is your partner in writing your book. Ask any bestselling author and they'll tell you they'd be lost without their editor. In order to secure that strong bond, you need to feel like you can communicate with your editor. Do you feel your emails are an annoyance or a welcome teaching opportunity? Do you feel they are too formal or like you're talking to a friend? Do your emails go days without a response or do you get it the same day? I personally HAVE to have an editor who is like a friend. I ask a LOT of questions. So I need to feel like I'm no an annoyance.
8. Humble: If your editor thinks they are the sh** and you don't need any other sets of eyes to look over your manuscript a final time (ie Proofreader) then you should pause. Most editors should end up reading your work at least twice. By then they are too close to your work for the final proofread. If they include the proofread with all the other edits, stay far away! If they offer to do the final proofread at the end, pause. I learned this the hard way. Go for a seperate proofreader who hasn't read your work yet. If your editor thinks they are the best and don't encourage you to seek other eyes, you should wonder.
So...you may be wondering if I've found such an editor? Well I have just secured a relationship with one but she, for the time, shall remain nameless until our first edit, but I will add her name once I've confirmed every step. But let's just say, so far, with only the sample, she has met EVERY one of these requirements. Stay tuned to find out who she is and if she continues to live up to my expectations! I'll also be working with a new proofreader, so stay tuned for that name too! They'll both be added to my Team page.
What about you? Do you have an editor you love? Recommend her/him below! If they're awesome, get them some more work! What do you look for in your editor?
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