So You Need to Hire an Editor

Here’s a quick rundown on working with a freelance editor to polish your writing for publication. All projects are different and may not follow the same path to publication; this guide is written to help writers learn more about the resources and services available to them.

What are the different types of editing?

Self-editing: You don’t often see this listed as one of the types of editing, but I include it here because it is an incredibly important part of the process. You know your own story and goals best; the closer you can get your writing to match your vision, the better job your editor can do polishing it. Your self-editing process should include analyzing the structure and flow of your text, reworking repetitive and unclear passages, and proofreading for errors. Re-read while focusing on your unique voice as a writer and on the point of view of the story—keep them consistent from beginning to end. There are many resources out there for authors who are editing their own writing. Visit my resources page where I’ve compiled a list of books and websites that will guide you through the process!

Developmental editing: Writers typically work with a developmental editor while crafting the initial outline of their manuscript and/or through the first several drafts. Developmental editors give writers feedback on the structure, content, character development, point of view, voice, and pacing of a manuscript. Since they are usually familiar with the genre and target audience of your book, they can help you with market analysis and other research. Developmental editors usually write a lengthy cover letter outlining their suggested edits and make comments throughout the manuscript, providing concrete examples of how the text can be improved. Working with a developmental editor can be a lengthy process—expect to go back and forth with your editor re-structuring, re-writing, and possibly adding content to your work. 

Line editing: This focuses on polishing and refining your text, but on a line-by-line level. Like developmental editors, line editors sometimes reorganize sections—or add transitions—to improve the structure. Line editors revise passages that are wordy, unclear, repetitive, or inconsistent. You can expect a line editor to help you develop the voice and point of view in your manuscript. Line editors usually send you a cover letter that discusses their edits alongside the original document with in-line tracked changes and comments.

Copyediting: Copyeditors correct all grammar, spelling, punctuation, and word usage errors. Your copyeditor will ensure that there is a consistent style used across the entire manuscript and that your voice as a writer remains clear and strong. They also work with you to resolve any major structural issues, apparent factual errors, and passages lacking in clarity. Copyeditors will even check over non-textual elements like pictures, tables, or references. Copyediting is all about improving the clarity, consistency, and correctness of a text without altering the style and meaning of the original writing. As a copyeditor, I prefer to provide my clients with a cover letter summarizing the edits, a Word document with in-line tracked changes and comments, and a style sheet. Style sheets to track character details, the plot timeline, names of places, other proper names, spelling choices (i.e. amid versus amidst), stylistic choices, punctuation and hyphenation, treatment of numbers, and more. You should keep your style sheet so that you can send it to your proofreader. 

Proofreading: A proofreader checks over the final draft of the text—usually once it has been formatted for publication—and corrects grammatical errors, formatting issues, and omissions. They may check the proof against typesetting specifications and previous versions of the text. Even the most thorough writer and experienced copyeditor will let an error slip through occasionally, so getting a fresh set of eyes is incredibly valuable. Proofreaders typically work on Word documents with typesetting codes or on formatted pdf documents. A proofreader may add to the copyeditor’s style sheet if necessary.

When should I start working with an editor?

Every writer is different! Some writers want to get their manuscript edited before submitting to a literary agent or publisher, lest clunky wording or plot inconsistencies distract from your work. Once you begin working with a publisher, you’ll follow their in-house editing process.  

Some self-published authors work with a developmental editor, a copyeditor, and a proofreader, while others may only have the budget for a copyeditor. If you think that your story could benefit from additional work on the structure, plot, character development, and voice, you’ll want to contact a developmental editor before you’re done writing, or after your manuscript is complete (depending on the person). On the other hand, if you feel confident in your story, perhaps having received positive feedback from beta readers, you can consider going straight to a copyeditor with your completed manuscript. It’s always a good idea to hire a proofreader to review your final, formatted document before you publish!

What can I do to get my manuscript ready for editing?

Most editors prefer to work in Word, using the Track Changes feature to transparently share all suggestions and edits. If you’ve been writing chapters or sections separately, you’ll want to put it all into one document. If you have any photos, pictures, tables, or other non-textual elements, you may want to create a separate document for those. Title them (i.e. “Picture 1” or “Table A”) and then mark the place in the manuscript where you want each element to appear. Your copyeditor will make sure these details match up correctly.

If you’re feeling tech savvy, you can use the Styles section in Word to format your chapter and section titles as headings. Read my Word Styles tutorial to learn more about this great tool. It helps a lot with navigation!

If you have certain stylistic preferences (oxford comma, internal thoughts in quotation marks, ellipsis format) or invented proper nouns (names of fictional places or languages), let your editor know in advance.

No matter what state your manuscript is in—your editor will be able to help you fix it up!