A Personal Testimony

I was once tempted to skip the step of hiring an editor. Besides, I thought, the publishing house will edit the material, so why should I pay someone else for something I think I can do?

1. Besides your agent, the first person to see your manuscript will be the acquiring editor of the publisher who is considering your work. While they know there will be some editing needed to conform your work with their chosen style, they are unlikely to finish reading and considering your material if you’ve not had some quality pre-editing.


2. We can save the editor we hire some time (and thereby save ourselves some money) if we have a couple of beta readers go through the manuscript, and if we follow some basic editing rules ourselves prior to submitting our work to an editor.


3. We may have skills for some areas of editing (and we should use them), but you and I know how disappointing reading a book with more than an occasional error is. And we tend to miss our errors because we’re so familiar with our work.


4. Many skilled editors will expect you to have looked at basic things like spelling, consistency, redundant words or phrases, transitions at the end of each chapter, etc. You might consider joining a critique group where the members check one another’s material, but, while your writer friends might catch some things, don’t expect—or ask them—to do your editing without compensation. Saving a few dollars would not be worth losing a friendship.


5. You can edit your material by reading the story loud or by using programs like Dragon© Naturally Speaking to read aloud to you. I always print out my work because I can look at the words as though I am proofing the manuscript for someone else. Let the manuscript sit a couple of days before looking one more time to see if there is anything you can improve. Then send your book to a skilled, professional editor.


6. How do you find a skilled editor? Word of mouth and personal experience was my guide. Some reliable references can be found on the Internet, if you know and trust the website you visit. Ask for references from others at Christian conferences, and ask the editor you are considering for reviews/references. You will want to know the editor is skilled in the type of editing you need. A person may be a good proofreader or good at editing academic material, but they may not know fiction or story. The best recommendations will come from people who work/write in the same genre as you and have had good experience with a particular editor.


7. How much should you expect to pay? Editors charge in several ways: by the word, by the page, by the hour. The going rate (2016-2017) in my editing organization ranges between one to two cents per word. Whatever the rate, the payback will be worth every penny as you will be considered professional when your work is submitted to an agent or publisher.

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