Editors are invaluable to the publishing process, whether you’re going a traditional path, self-publishing, or working with a hybrid press. Hiring and editor can be a necessary and one-hundred percent worth-while investment. If you’re paying out of your own pocket, however, it can be quite expensive. Last week, we reviewed the different kinds of editors, because in our experience what exactly and “editor” does is commonly misunderstood and often confusing, especially to first-time authors. Investing in your book is important, but it’s equally important to be strategic about when and why you’re putting money in. This week, we are reviewing costly mistakes when hiring an editor so you can avoid wasting both your time and money. Video below and scroll on for a written version.
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Hopefully, you know that hiring a high-quality professional editor is a must. If you want your book to be successful, either in the reader’s market and/or in the traditional publishing landscape, it is crucial that you get at least one editor’s eyes on that manuscript before you publish or submit to publish. However, understanding the process from a 10,000 foot view is important to avoid investing your precious editorial budget at the wrong time or for the wrong kind of editor.
Like with many other investments, often these kinds of mistakes first-time authors make is because they are trying to save as much money as possible. However, the adage that the poor man pays twice does apply to working with editors. That is not to say that editors with a lower price tag automatically do inferior work. However, editors set their prices according to the type of services they provide and where they are stepping into the process in the whole lifespan of the book project. Hiring an editor at the wrong time, or paying for the wrong kind of service can frequently mean doubling your investment and paying for services again later in the process.
Mistake #1:Hiring an editor right after the first draft
It’s so understandable. Writing is a long and often solitary process, and by the time you’ve gotten the first draft (or most of the first draft) on the page, many authors are eager to hand it over to a professional. Writers are tired and feeling desperate to hear how they’ve done and to see it in a more polished state. But this is not the best time to invest in professional eyes.
Your first editor should be you. Take some time to walk away and come back to that rough draft with clear eyes. You are going to be the person who knows best what you wanted from your book, so you can more easily see where things need to be clarified, what sections go on too long, etc. You don’t want to invest in someone to tell you what you already know. We have a great post on getting started on the revision process, so be sure you take on those first important edits for your manuscript yourself.
Developmental Editing
After you have taken your rough draft as far as you can, the next step is looking for a developmental edit. There are generally two kinds of services editors may offer that apply to this stage, and which you choose depends on what you feel your book needs, how much you can invest in this stage, and your personal preferences for how you receive feedback. If you’re feeling a bit lost and just need a push in the right direction, a manuscript review may be the more pragmatic and affordable option. However, if you want to invest in additional detail so you have lots of guidance on what steps you can take next yourself, a full development edit may be better for you.
Manuscript review
A manuscript review can occur a bit earlier in the process than a full development edit, especially if you feel stuck, unsure of which direction to take your draft next. The manuscript review is not a document markup, but instead an editorial letter that evaluates the structure, message, and frequent issues, giving advice for how to tackle the issues throughout. The review can give you an idea of how much and what kind of work is needed, but if does not do that work for you. Editors can also give analysis on what the key message and marketing tips to ensure you’re putting the best parts of your book in the forefront either in pitching to agents or selling directly to readers in future stages.
A full development edit
This is often a bit more of an expensive step because it is a more detailed report and analysis of your work, often including a document mark-up with revision comments in-line and in specific places where work is needed. Often editors will suggest even specific changes in line edits, but this is usually to demonstrate the types of changes that are needed that are needed rather a comprehensive copy edit on the whole document. Like a manuscript review, a development edit does not do the work for you or “fix” an incomplete or very rough draft so that it would be ready for pitch or publication after. This is an early step and will require more work on your part before it’s ready for the next stage.
Mistake #2: Hiring an editor for copy editing before revisions are finished
One of the most expensive mistakes an author can make is investing in a full copy edit when there are still large-scale revisions that are needed.
A copy editor will go through your work line by line, making changes and polishing the work on a page-by-page basis. They will not, however, fix large scale issues like continuity problems, structural issues, research gaps, or other matters relating significantly to content. A copy editor may point out some smaller scale content problems, especially like repetition, consistency in terminology, and other issues can be more quickly fixed. They will also mark passages that are unclear. Copy editing may be single round, but more often are 2 to 3 rounds in order to approve or make in clarity corrections needed from the author. But between these rounds is not the time to move sections around or add material. Copy editors generally expect the turn around between rounds to be 1-2 weeks.
A copy edit is a polishing stage. If you are going a traditional route, you may not need to invest in a copy editor at all, as this is a step most traditional houses will take on their end. Of course, if errors and line-level issues stand in the way of the clarity of your writing, it may be much harder to secure a place with a traditional house.
Most publishing houses have a policy that once a manuscript goes to copy editing, there are no other revisions. That is because if you add material, move sections around, or other content changes, those revisions have not been polished by copy editing, often meaning a whole new round of copy editing is needed (and paid for). Publishing houses don’t like paying for the same work twice, so authors should avoid this too!
Mistake #3: Expecting ghostwriting services when hiring an editor
The second mistake we often see first-time authors make is expecting ghostwriting level services from developmental or copy editors. They expect that as long as they hand over a book-length work to an editor, they will get back a publishable, polished book-length work. However, structural, research, and major content level changes are outside of the purview of an editor. These changes are largely the responsibility of the author. However, you do want and feel like you need more hands-on support in these larger scale revisions and work, there are two options available.
Book coach
Many authors sidestep book coaching, thinking they can just get an editor to step in later and correct any major issues. However, a book coach can help you see and revise for structural issues along the way, ensuring that when you’re done with the first draft, you have a clear idea of what work is needed and are much closer to being in finishing stages.
Ghostwriter
If you have a very rough draft of material and have no more personal energy to pour into it, hiring a ghostwriter can help you close the gap between what you were able to do yourself and a book that can be brought to market. If you want someone to execute large scale revisions, rewrite sections as needed, fill in research gaps, and /or ensure that the message is clear and consistent throughout, you don’t need an editor, you need a ghostwriter.
Mistake #4: Underestimating the skills, experience, and training of editors
Many authors assume that people like their English-teacher friend or their sister-in-law who went to journalism school can be a less expensive alternative than to hiring a professional editor. But a lot more goes into editing than an exacting sense of grammar. Depending on the style of book, editing for exact grammar can even make your manuscript worse if it takes away some of your personal voice and personality. Also, amateur, educational, or journalistic writers often have specific and narrow experience in terms of writing styles, so the editing will make your writing sound more like their field and less like you.
Mistake #5: Waiting until last minute
When hiring an editor, it’s important to work within both your timeline and that professional’s calendar. This usually requires booking out in advance, usually with a deposit to secure a slot in the calendar. Depending on the level of service, expect between several weeks to several months to get materials and feedback. Be sure you have clear understanding with your editor about the number of rounds of editing you will have under the contract.
Mistake #6: DIY from start to finish
Above, we emphasized how important it is to take your manuscript as far as you can take it on your own, especially early in the process. If you are going the traditional publication route, it is possible to take it far enough that the house editors can take it the rest of the way for you, saving you the need to invest in editorial help yourself.
However, for self-publishing authors, the temptation to invest nothing in professional assistance should be resisted, even and especially in the light of the AI and computer-driven services there that promise to give you the same edits as a human editor can next to instantly.
There are two investments you will make in a manuscript: time and money. Don’t do a disservice to the amount of time you’ve invested by trusting something like Grammarly to allow you to skip professional investment. In the end, your book will be in a much, much better shape when you have strategically invested in editorial help, either with the financial support of a traditional house or out of your own pocket.
