How Can I Find the RIGHT Editor?

Are you serious about getting published? How do you know if you’re ready to be a published author?

I was speaking to a would-be author who’s been writing for a while, and we were talking about getting published. She was really excited, because she hired an editor. 

It turns out she hired an editor for about $125 or $150. I got really honest with her and cautioned her about low price points, because at the end of the day you get what you pay for.

I love all of the writers in Write to Publish, and I don’t want to see anyone selling themselves short and not getting what will truly help move their writing careers forward.

The author and I looked at this editor’s website. He seemed like a nice guy, but he also seemed to be doing many different things that didn’t have a lot, or anything at all, to do with editing. He was a book editor, but he was also a web designer. Not to mention his website was a little hard to navigate, due to other icons being over each other and some animations over text that it distracted me.

I was honest with my client and told her that this editor may be a nice guy, and might want to sincerely help writers, but he does not specialize as a copy editor. I told her she was selling herself short by hiring someone who wasn’t a specialist.

So, how do you choose someone to help you with your manuscript? 

What are the criteria for a quality editor? 

• They follow the editing guidelines. There is a very large rule book for editors from publishing houses. The rules are extensive and every good editor must know to look for more improvements to be made than missing commas. Many times, editors throw manuscripts to the slush pile when books are simply not up to publishing standards. Why? Because the authors might have hired someone who didn’t follow the rules. So please, find someone who knows the guidelines of editing to help you make your publishing dream a reality.
• They specialize in editing. When you look for an editor you might want to ask them how many hats they wear–are they only an editor or do they mostly do graphic design? Maybe they can do both really well. You just have to make sure that they specialize in the thing you hired them for. 
• They have inside knowledge of what the industry is like. You want someone who can tell you what is selling on the market and what isn’t, because this will ultimately determine if you will be able to sell your book. I know this because I speak with industry professionals every single week. I get the inside scoop of what is trending and what is out of trend. What is marketable today may be passé a month from now. 

I want you to take this to hear, because this is really serious. You’ve spent a lot of time working on this manuscript. Why would you hand it over to the cheapest option?

If you’re ready and really serious about becoming an author, if you’re willing to invest in yourself and in your writing true, let’s talk. We help writers get published every single day at the Writing Gym. If this sounds like it interests you, let’s chat.