10 Must Knows Before Hiring a Professional Editor
You’ve finished your manuscript. You’re ecstatic. If there were a mountaintop close by, you’d hustle up to the top and shout it to the world. Preferably, this mountain would have a gondola.
The next step – hiring an editor – is a critical step in the process before publishing.
There’s nothing I love more than helping people take their story to the next level, but it takes two to tango. If you want to be a great client — and get the most out of your editor — check out this list to up your game, too.
Here are 10 tips to help optimize your experience.
10 Must Knows Before Hiring a Professional Editor
1. Know the different kinds of editing.
There are three widely accepted types of editing, each addressing different aspects of your book. Familiarize yourself with them and consider what kind of editing you think would be most beneficial for you and your book. Your editor will likely have ideas once they review your manuscript, but it’s important to go into that conversation with your own understanding and reflections.
2. Consider the kind of person you want to work with.
What’s your personality style? Are you a straightforward person who cuts their teeth on unadorned truth? Are you someone who wants a gentler hand and frequent contact? Assess your preferred style and consider it against your potential editor.
3. Communicate clearly…perhaps on the phone.
An editor’s least favorite thing to do is guess at what someone wants them to do. My job is to deliver high-quality work, and hopefully exceed my client’s expectations. However, when clients don’t have expectations, or worse, reveal them later, we’re both likely to be frustrated and unhappy.
Be very, very clear with your editor:
What kind of help do you need? [See #1 above]
What do you expect from them?
What kind of follow-up support do you agree upon?
What do you want to accomplish?
If you feel they’re missing the mark, jump on the phone and iron out the kinks. Sometimes email isn’t the right tool for agreeing upon objectives, especially if you’re making a big investment.
4. Co-create an exit strategy.
Although it’s uncomfortable to discuss, projects don’t always go as planned. Projects get interrupted. Whether it’s on your end or your editor’s, have an agreed-upon plan for aborting the project. Then you’ll at least be able to split on good terms rather than leaving one party bitter or feeling slighted.
5. Before sending your manuscript, read through it again. Or, at the very least, spell-check.
You want your editor to match your enthusiasm when working on your book. If they’re reading your manuscript and it’s riddled with punctuation errors, missing words, or lazily-completed sentences, it conveys that you didn’t care enough to address relatively easy aspects of your own book. If you didn’t put in the time, your editor is likely to feel an equal drop in enthusiasm. Help them feel stoked by being stoked about your own book. Show that you care by putting in the time and work.
Oh, and make sure you send the right version of your book to be edited. Yes, one client sent me—and I edited all the way through—the wrong version of their book. We worked it out, but it was a shock for everyone.
6. Respect your editor’s source of income.
Many first time clients ask if I do spec work (i.e. free sample) or if I could edit a few new chapters after we’ve completed our project.
When’s the last time you walked in to Target or Whole Foods and asked for a free rotisserie chicken or kombucha?
Most professional editors make their living helping people tell their stories.
If I did spec work or work outside the scope of the project, it’s not fair to me, my livelihood, or my other paying clients. I can’t give my best to everyone because I’d be stretched too thin. Expect add-on investments for add-on services. It’s the best way to protect and honor everyone involved.
7. Your editor is working in your best interest, but you’re the captain of this ship.
I always tell my authors that my suggestions are just that. I will use my skills, talents, and knowledge to make edits that could improve their story. However, at the end of the day, this is the author’s book, not mine. Your editor is like your second mate. They might make suggestions for how you could get somewhere, or where to pillage next, but you’re the captain. You hold the steering wheel and wear the cool leather hat. Trust your instincts. Trust yourself.
8. When in doubt, ask.
If you receive your edited manuscript and some of your editor’s notes are confusing, hop on the phone. Know what follow-up support they offer. It’s likely that if you make a large investment, your editor wants you to optimize their work. They don’t want you to be confused. When necessary, ask for clarification. You earned the right to access any and all edits to your book, helping it be the best it can.
9. Your editor is still human.
There is a human behind the words in your email exchange. This human makes mistakes, has feelings, likely wants to do an amazing job and earn your approval.
They might miss errors in your book. They might forget to congratulate some amazing parts of your book because they’re focused on helping iron out the wrinkles. They might respond a few days late to your email because a cell/internet tower burned in a wildfire and all phone and internet service is disabled in town (true story).
Be kind. Forgive them. Thank them.
10. Take a deep breath.
You did it. You wrote your book. Your heart is out in the world, and now being held in someone else’s hands.
Your nerves might be crackling like loose electrical wires. Take a deep breath, have a soothing cup of tea, and go to candlelight yoga.
Too often we think publishing our book is the accomplishment, but really, we need to celebrate the journey. Use this opportunity to reward yourself for all of your hard work. Your book is in capable hands. Relish in a deep breath.
{About Laura Thomas}
Laura founded Next Level Story to help authors unlock their stories' true potential. She's an in-demand developmental wizard, er, editor and writer who's helped dozens of writers, speakers, and thought leaders. She's been writing and acting for over 20 years, including 2X Storytelling State Champion (Go Eastview!). Laura publishes around the web daily and is a Top Advice Writer for Medium. Full bio
