Hiring an editor for your book

How to hire the right editor for your selfpublished book. As you can see, hiring an editor is an expensive proposition. Luckily, its easier than you think find the perfect editor for your. That being said, weve yet to land a publisher, but hopefully soon. Oct, 2016 here are some questions to ask when interviewing your book editor to be sure you find the right editor for your project and the best value for your investment. Ballpark figures to help you make decisions when hiring an editor for your book. One of the important things ive found with editors is that it is soooo much easier to work with. You can then approach several editors at the same time with a project brief and sample of your book. Knowing what type of editor to hire requires some level of selfawareness about where in the writing and revision process youre at, and what you would benefit from. The qualities youd like to consider to find and hire an editor may be entirely different from the things your critique partner looks for. Some editors can provide all levels of editing, but it would be a mistake to hire an editor to perform all levels of editing in one pass.

If you are too busy, then hold off hiring an editor until you can dedicate a substantial amount of time to work on your book. There are over 35 book editor careers waiting for you to apply. If you are interested in editing books that deal with a specific subject, such as fashion or food, you should have formal training or work experience in that area to increase your chances of getting hired. An editor is someone who corrects, finesses, and polishes a work at different levels of complexity to prepare it for publication.

When its doordie time, call in the big guns and dont cheap out. If you get a book deal, you and your literary agent may decide that you need to hire a freelance editor, book doctor, or writer to edit your manuscript so that its in tiptop shape before submitting it to the inhouse editor. So, while expert feedback is essential to creating a polished, professionalquality book, have some faith in yourself and your writing. An editor is a critical reader and a lover of words, whose job is to polish and refine a story or an article. Finding and hiring the right editor for your fiction or non. This will be a chance to find out if they can make your book better, keep your voice, and work well with you. Editors are used in various industries and for many types of products, such as magazines, newspapers, blogs, and books. If the editor has only edited magazine articles it might not make sense to have him or her do a developmental edit for your book. Bring your book to life by working with the worlds best book copy editors. Send a few editors the same sample of your book and see how they come back.

An editorial service can simply constitute one editor s business, especially if she offers many different services such as proofreading, line editing, and ghostwriting, or it can be a business composed of several editors. The blog has been named one of the 101 best websites for writers by writers digest every year since its inception, and my success online led to a book. Free editing services for fiction and nonfiction writers. But a first draft should never be sent to an editor unless youre working with and willing to pay a developmental editor. A good editor can turn your book, newsletter, magazine or other written copy into gold. May 05, 2017 hiring a freelance editor can expose pieces of your novel, book of poems, or memoir that need to be edited out. They all have extensive experience and ample portfolios. However, editing ranks as an equally important aspect of the. Share any insight into your level of attachment to your writing. Ive been the lead editor at two magazines and three online publications.

A free sample edit is an industry standard service offered by just about every professional editor out there. Finetuning your manuscript can be challenging, but reedsy hosts the top professional editors that will help prepare your book. With the right editor, you should grow as a writer because of the feedback. The unexpected problem with book editors getting editing. Apr 03, 2020 if you are my client and even if youre not, i want you as a writer to give your book, your baby, all the time it needs. The copyediting process not to mix up with line editing ensures that your text has a consistent style and tone, flows well and clearly conveys your message. Since becoming a fulltime freelancer in 2009, ive acquired significant experience in academic editing, book editing, blog editing, screenplay editing, alumni magazine proofreading, and editing corporate content ranging from annual reports to newsletters. Your agent may offer some editorial advice as well, but you will be the one to pay the outside editor or book doctor. And you, the author, can be so easily fooled into believing it due to the lack of experience in this field. Just answer a few questions and well provide you with a free editor. All that said, a professional editor is, eventually, necessary for books headed to publication. Hire a book editor for honest feedback i did eventually hire a professional freelance editor that wasnt someone i knew. The 10 best book editors near me with free estimates. But lets say you have some money and have decided on hiring an editor.

If hiring an editor is not a financial option, here are some other suggestions. Proofreading is the very last step to identify potential runon sentences as well as to find avoidable spelling errors or grammatical errors. The flipside is that hiring a professional editor is expensive, and it will almost certainly knock you back several. There are no set fees and each editor can offer you an individual. Aug 09, 2018 ellen brock, a professional novel editor, says, its a great idea to have at least two or three other people preferably not friends or family read your manuscript in its entirety before hiring an editor. When you shouldnt hire and pay for a professional editor. Jul 11, 2019 hiring book editors to improve your book is not optional as a nonfiction author, but hiring the right book editors at the right time is just as important. If youre looking for an editor who can help polish your writing and hone your manuscript so its ready to be published, getting a free sample edit is the best way to ensure you are hiring the right editor before you decide to pay. Nov 10, 2016 it will boost your odds of securing a book deal. The quality of service is not necessarily tied to project cost, but hiring anyone who is a contractor or freelancer often means youre getting oneonone personalized attention you might not get if you worked with, say, just the editor of a publisher who could see your book as a quota to fill. Apr 03, 2014 dont pick a travel editor for your romance book.

Creating an editor contract ensures that both editor and client see eye to eye on scope, voice, price and timeline. Dec 06, 2018 finding the right editor for your novel is hard work, basically because just about anyone can freely call themselves an editor nowadays and get away with it. But a first draft should never be sent to an editor unless youre working with and willing to pay a developmental editor to help you create a workable draft. Why hiring an editor for your book is unavoidable many readers notice character and plot development in every story. Theyve written what they believe is a workable first draft, and because they want to do the process right, they begin looking for an editor. Something to consider before you hire a book editor. After investing a substantial amount of creativity, time, and money into creating my book i was concerned about choosing an editor. Apply to editor, copy editor, editorial assistant and more.

But i dont think hiring an editor is absolutely necessary. Additionally, if you order collaborative editing or the professional editing package, you will have the opportunity to set up a onehour consulting session with the editor who worked on the collaborative edit of your book. There are a few different types of edits to be aware of before hiring an editor developmental editors address the big picture, looking closely at the content to analyze structure, plot, and characters in works of fiction and the rhetorical concerns, organization, and overall flow of ideas in nonfiction content editors analyze the existing content in the book. If you dont have piles of cash to pay a topranked editor for your first book, consider giving a newbie a chance. Jun 11, 2019 your editors dont know your bookbaby as well as you do. The sample edit is a great way for the editor to quickly edit the first 1,000 to 2,000 words of your. Rates most online book editors are freelance editors, which means they set their own rates. Ive noticed something interesting about my writing because of the notes, and she noticed it editing my second book yes, im one of the authors living in the catch 22 limbo of i need editing to get a good book out there, but i need a good book out there to afford editing. In saying that, the most important thing is that you do have an editor. If youre looking for editorial service rates, proofreading cost, line editing cost, copy editing rates, and developmental editing rates, youre in the right place. Editage book editing, translation, and cover design services.

How to hire an editor for your childrens book manuscript. This will help you address any obvious problems so your editor can focus on more advanced problems. If your editor doesnt usually edit books in your genre, then they are not a good fit. Hiring an editor by karen crowell was like a compass guiding me in the right direction. How to find the right editor for your nonfiction book part. Look through our list of professional book editors and writers, then fill out our submission form. There are no set fees and each editor can offer you an individual quote. I want to see the best youve got, and then help you make it even better. Just because someone has the word editor in their title doesnt mean they have the right editing skills to edit your book. The lowstress way to find your next book editor job opportunity is on simplyhired. Sometimes, authors hire someone without speaking on the phone or getting a sample edit first.

This means you should hire an editor for a manuscript prior to selfpublishing, and you may want a professional to help smarten up a query letter. Since becoming a fulltime freelancer in 2009, ive acquired significant experience in academic editing, book editing, blog editing, screenplay editing, alumni magazine proofreading, and editing. So keep that in mind as your editor chops up the book you worked ohsohard on. Book editors do more than make sure your is are dotted and ts are crossed. Working with an editor who you connect really well with is key. An outside editor may be that objective reader, backed up with solid experience and industry insight. Just mention that you need help with your selection and our coordinator will help you find the best book editor or ghostwriter for your manuscript. List of the best book editors and how to select them. This means you should hire an editor for a manuscript prior to selfpublishing, and. Moreover, connections in the publishing world, whether to another editor or successful writer, also can help your chances of landing a job as a book editor. If you dont follow the agreed upon deadlines or suddenly change deadlines midproject, you could be in breach of your contract.

The qualities youd like to consider to find and hire an editor may be. An experienced substantive editor could end up billing you a few hundred dollars for helping you craft a 2,500word article for a specialized publication. Book editing services book editor professional editing. Make your book a success how to hire and work with an editor. You can request a specific editor or editors on the form. This gives you a chance to see the editor s past work and to take a look at the books theyve edited. Hiring an editor too early in the process can bloat your total editing cost by hundreds or thousands of dollarsa costly mistake no indie author can afford. Im a skilled editor with a ba in english and psychology and several years of. Sign up for free on our marketplace to meet neil gaimans copy editor and many more. Proofreaders and copy editors for hire online fiverr. I never miss an error, and i will construct sentences to say exactly what you want in exactly the right way.

Since 2009, my website has inspired thousands of aspiring writers with articles on the writing craft and getting published. Sep 25, 2017 i actually do pay attention to what my editor says about my writing. When you browse through the professional book editors on reedsy, you can refine your search by type of editing and genre. Finding the right editor for you and your book is one of the most important choices of your writing career. Youll learn a thing or two about how to edit a book working one on one with your freelance editor can be an educational time. We are a fullservice, nofee independent book publishing company. The right editor can make your content shine, whilst a bad one can make the whole experience painful and frustrating. Her warmth is unparalleled and rarely seen with most editors. Sign up for free on our marketplace to meet neil gaimans copy editor. Hiring an experienced book editor is often the best investment you can make for your book, and your writing career.