How Can I Find the RIGHT Editor?

How Can I Find the RIGHT Editor?

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.  

 

How do You Find a TRULY Professional Editor for Your Work?

How do You Find a TRULY Professional Editor for Your Work?

How do You Find a TRULY Professional Editor for Your Work?

Many writers come to me and ask about what to do with their finished  manuscripts, where should they go next, and what happens. A lot of writers already know that they have to get a professional to look at their manuscripts before they send it to a publisher. If you didn’t know that until now, this is your sign. 

You need to find a professional to look over your manuscripts because publishers don’t want sloppy writing. But how do you find a professional that you can trust and can give you the kind of results that you need?

The right professional to look at your manuscript before submission: 

  • Knows the difference between a copy-edited and content-edited revision and the right time to do each one of these. Some writers do not even know these differences and leave it up to the professional to know them. You have to make sure that the professional you are working with is a quality editor. 
  • Is qualified to edit. This does not mean that a published writer can look over your writing and know exactly what to do. Writers do not equal editors. Don’t let this logical fallacy  tempt you into asking other writers to edit your manuscript. Someone who I have been working with at the Writing Gym is also working with a thirty-eight-time published author. You would think that this writer would have published by now. Yet she hasn’t. 
  • Has high success rates. Great acting coaches have high success rates in getting their clients into stardom. Similar to writing, great editors bring writers to success. When you;re looking for an editor, you want to ask them “How many authors have you gotten published?” In Write to Publish, you have seen me, my movies, my television shows, my books, client testimonials, and more. I have a full client list of published people. This is how you spot a professional–when you see their success rates. 

How serious are you about actually publishing versus playing around with someone who might be able to help you? If you are really serious about publishing, let’s talk

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