How to Find an Editor For Your Book?

Table of Contents

• What Does a Book editor Do?
• Choose the Right Editor
• Why Hire a Book Editor?
• Types of Book Editing Services
• Things to Consider Before Hiring an Editor
• Tips for Choosing the Right Editor
• Conclusion

Writing a book is a solitary job, but before a story can be published, it will require some outside assistance to polish it. An editor polishes a story before it is published. Even the most successful authors hire experienced book editors to improve their stories.

What Does a Book Editor Do?

Professional editors play an important role in the book publishing industry, whether they are full-time editors at a traditional publishing house or freelancers working on their own.

An editor goes over a piece page by page, line by line, and word by word, looking for things like grammar, clarity, correctness, and content to see if it’s ready to move on to the next stage and be published.

Choose the Right Editor

When choosing a book editor, it’s critical that you get a recommendation from someone who knows what they’re doing. This validation is a professional stamp on the person if they have been in the sector for a long time. Pose the following questions to yourself:

• Is this individual referred to you by a friend or by other writers who have collaborated with her?
• Is there anyone you can call for references?

This will assist you to figure out how much work experience they have. It will also help you understand how they worked with other authors.

Why Hire a Book Editor?

Whether you plan to self-publish your book or submit your manuscript to one of New York’s major publishing houses, it’s critical that your work is polished and ready for others to read.

Depending on the type of editing you require—developmental editing entails a big-picture approach, whereas line editing necessitates a closer reading—a book editor will go over your work in depth. Editors look for methods to improve their work on both a technical and creative level.

Types of Book Editing Services

To get feedback, writers frequently begin by self-editing their manuscript and hiring beta readers (those who are paid or volunteer to read a copy). A professional editor delves even further into a book’s mechanics, refining words and phrases to improve the tale and make it simpler to sell.

To pick the correct editor, you must first figure out what kind of editing you require. The following are the various sorts of editing services and editors that you can hire:

1. Developmental Editing:

A Developmental Editor is someone who looks at the larger picture. They help with content editing and character development, as well as the overall structure of fiction and nonfiction books.

2. Line Editing:

A line editor is responsible for meticulously editing sentences. Structure, content, word choice, and flow between sentences and paragraphs are all examined by the editor.

3. Copy Editing:

A copy editor is someone who works on the finer points of words and sentences. They look for mistakes in spelling, punctuation, and grammar. They also ensure that a book stays consistent throughout.

4. Proofreading:

Before a book is released, one of the final phases in the editing process is proofreading. A proofreader checks for technical problems such as typos, formatting flaws, and repetitive or missing material.

Things to Consider Before Hiring an Editor

Hiring a professional editor is a huge decision for new writers. Many published authors find an editor they enjoy working with and continue to collaborate with them on many projects. If this is your first time, here are some things to think about while selecting an editor:

• What kind of writing experience do you have? If you’re writing your first book, you may require multiple types of editing. Copy editing can help you improve your writing skills, while developmental editing can assist you build and structure your characters. Some editors even provide ghostwriting services, in which they write under your name.

• Self-editing a first draught is a good place to start when it comes to editing. Using beta readers—people who either volunteer or are paid to read a manuscript and provide feedback—is another approach to assist in the shape of a tale before bringing on a professional editor.

• Determine what type of editing services your book requires. You’ll almost certainly need expert editing in addition to your own changes. There are various stages of book editing. A developmental editor will look at the broad picture and assist with structure and content if you hire them. You could even bring them in at the beginning of the writing process. Sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, word choice, and page flow will all be examined by a line editor and copy editor. Basic typos, consistency, and formatting will be checked by a proofreader.

• You should be aware of your numbers. Know your word count as well as your page count. Editorial fees vary, although they are frequently expressed as a charge per word or page. A manuscript with 100,000 words will cost more than a book with 50,000 words.

• What is the scope of your project? Due to the complicated nature of the editing involved, the cost of editing a nonfiction book with a particularly specific subject matter will be greater than a simple narrative. If you require fact checking, this will increase the price.

• Examine the editor’s background. Find out how many years of experience a freelance editor has before hiring them. Inquire about their experience working in-house at a publishing business, which is beneficial for an editor. Examine their references, testimonials, and previous work—if they edited a best-selling book, that’s a good sign. Ask if they’ll do a sample edit on a few pages of your book if you want to see how they operate with your material.

• When do you have to submit your work? Editing will be more expensive if you have a tight deadline and need a quick turnaround.

Tips for Choosing the Right Editor

Finding the ideal editor for your project, especially if it’s your first, requires some research. You’ll start by writing a query letter to potential editors. Send concise, to-the-point emails to editors. Introduce yourself and your proposal, and inquire if they are interested.

They’ll respond if they’re interested. If you do not, you may not receive a response. It’s all right. Simply scroll down the list. Finally, you’ll need an editor who can keep your voice while making adjustments to your manuscript that will help it get published.

When looking for the perfect editor, keep the following qualities in mind:

• One of the first things to consider when hiring a book editor is their experience. Inquire about a sample of their work. Find out how many years of experience they have as an in-house editor. Many experienced editors have worked for traditional publications. When you’re ready to send your book to a publisher, an editor will have an inside track on what’s popular and who to approach. Analyze their testimonials and obtain work references. It’s a good sign if they’ve written a best-selling book.

• Is there a genre that they specialize in? Look for an editor who has worked on books in the same genre as yours. You don’t want an editor who specializes in self-help books if you’re creating a children’s book. If your story is a fictional narrative, a fiction editor is a better choice than a nonfiction book editor.

• What is their area of expertise when it comes to editing? Determine the extent to which you require expert editing services. Starting with a developmental editor to assist shape the framework is a good idea for new authors.

• How much do they cost you? The price of book editing is determined by the editor and the sort of editing they provide. Editors work on a per-word, per-hour, or per-project basis. Determine your budget and the level of assistance you require with your book.

• What kind of software do they employ? Some authors compose their manuscripts using specific software tools such as Google Docs or Microsoft Word. Despite the fact that many people are proficient in a variety of applications, make sure the editor can use the same program as you so you can keep track of the changes they make.

• Don’t just look for “editors” on Google. Yes, you will get a LOT of search results if you do this. And the ones at the very top will be the most popular, most expensive, and most likely fully booked months ahead of time. If you have the financial resources, go for the best! If you’re on a budget like me, this will most likely discourage you.

Turn away from Google and go to your favorite online writing community. NaNoWriMo, Goodreads, Kboards, World Lit Café, the official Kindle boards, and many others, all have boards where people can advertise their skills, and you will find many posts with people offering their editing services. 

Conclusion

You worked hard while writing your manuscript, and now we’ll make sure our editors at TrueEditors work hard when editing it as well! Book editing is a vital process that improves your work by giving you a third-party perspective on what you should modify, what you should maintain, and what you should improve.

At the end of the day, you have exclusive power over what to do with your work, but it’s always best to have a helping hand and a friendly but strong voice guiding it in the proper path.

We at TrueEditors make sure to make your book immaculate and absolutely error-free.

-Isabell S.