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Hiring an Editor: A Guide For Authors 

Writer's picture: MelMel

So, you have completed your book, and now you need to hire an editor. How do you go about it?  A book that has been completed and yet not edited or published is properly called a manuscript. 


The process of carefully scrutinizing and correcting every word and punctuation mark in a manuscript is called manuscript editing. It is also known as copyediting or line editing. It can be a very crucial phase in the publishing process. 


Manuscript editing can be undertaken in-house by a publisher, or you can rely on an independent editor. If you are an independent author who publishes their book, typically you have no choice but to hire a personal editor. 


A successfully edited manuscript involves several stages of editing. However, more importantly, it involves finding a professional editor who understands your style of writing and who can understand what you are trying to achieve with your manuscript.  


Their job is to communicate the most effective way to close the gap between your intentions and achievements in your writing. In this guide, I provide guidance on how to decide what type of editor you need, as well as how to decide which book editor to work with and best practices. 

A stack of books near a window sill

What is a manuscript editor? 

A manuscript editor is a professional who is tasked with the job of reviewing and correcting the contents of your manuscript. Technically speaking, a manuscript editor does manuscript editing. 


This differs from developmental editing, which is a more radical form of correction and review that involves written work being wholly reorganized or rewritten. 


Different editors work at various stages of editing a manuscript. Some professional editors perform every stage of editing from reviewing your book proposal to the final proofreading before publication.


However, other editors stick strictly to a specific stage of the editing process. Let’s quickly list the different types of editors before we go on to describe them in detail:


  1. Developmental editor

  2. Copyeditor

  3. Proofreader


So the first stage of hiring an editor is to determine what type of editing you need. If your book is still in the proposal stage, then you would need a Developmental Editor.


For a book, that requires line-by-line corrections,  a professional copyeditor is required. Lastly, if your book is close to publishing, then you will need a professional proofreader. Let's go into the details of what each type of editor does.


1. The developmental editor

A developmental editor comes in at the very first stage of editing — even before the manuscript is completed. It could include your book proposal or the first very rough draft. 


The developmental editor does extensive revising and organizing of the content in a manuscript. In the publishing industry, developmental editing is not exactly seen as copyediting. Copyediting is supposed to occur only after the stage of developmental editing or when the author has a completed manuscript.


Think about the stage you are at with your book and see if a developmental editor is who you need. This is a list of tasks that a developmental editor is responsible for when editing your manuscript:


  • Helping the author conceive the book idea 

  • Helping the author plan the overall structure

  • Assist the author in crafting an outline

  • Coaching authors in writing each individual chapter


There are times when the developmental editor may have to come in after a completed manuscript. In such cases, the developmental editor will work on fixing issues related to organization and structure in your book manuscript. 


Here is a list of responsibilities they usually carry out in that role: 


  • Shifting content between chapters

  • Asking the author for additional material or content if necessary

  • Making big-picture arguments more solid and coherent 


So a developmental editor can have a dynamic role. He/she is most appropriate at the early stages of your book manuscript. It could be the proposal stage or the earliest stages of your first draft. The developmental editor will help make sure that you start off on the right foot. 


Their services are essential in that regard. You would not want a situation where you have to go back and restructure or rewrite huge parts of your manuscript. The developmental editor helps provide a certain level of guidance and security against such an outcome. 


2. The copyeditor

The copyeditor provides substantive editing. This means they review and correct content in a completed manuscript in the middle stages of your manuscript when major changes or line-by-line editing are required. In short, a copyeditor focuses on organizing and presenting existing content in your manuscript. The job of the copyeditor usually involves:


  • Revising to improve style

  • Revising and rewriting to get rid of ambiguity

  • Reorganizing sections that are lacking in unity


As can be seen from this list, copyediting involves big changes and adjustments. For extensive copyediting, you should make sure that you are on the same page with your copyeditor. 


Your manuscript after all is your baby. You are the author. Your editor isn’t supposed to be a book doctor or a ghostwriter — I mean unless that’s what you need. In any event, you should have clear communication with your editor as to what is expected and what lines should not be crossed when editing your manuscript.


This is why it makes sense to work with an individual editor who you can communicate with directly face-to-face. Such an approach would make more sense than working with an agency, where you are not able to or allowed to directly talk with your editor. 


3. The proofreader

The proofreader corrects your manuscript in its ready-to-publish format. In general, proofreading is the term used to describe the process of carefully examining every aspect of a manuscript to find and eliminate errors as thoroughly as possible.


To be fair, such a process should occur at every stage of editing. However, in the publishing industry, proofreading has a more specific meaning. It means combing for errors in the final version of the manuscript.


This refers to the format in which the manuscript will be eventually published. In this stage, the author corrects small errors such as grammar and punctuation. It comes after several rounds of editing, where both you and the editor have agreed to all the major changes that have been made. The proofreading stage is no time to come up with ideas that involve major changes to the text. 


Here is a list of what is usually fixed in proofreading: 


  • Correcting spelling errors

  • Correcting word breaks

  • Correcting typeface and font errors

  • Doublechecking page numbers and running heads

  • Checking illustrations and tables

  • Proofreading for coherent meaning and sense


Now, the definition or boundaries between the various stages of editing are not always clear-cut. You have to decide between you and your editor what the expectations are. 


Manuscript editing does not simply begin and end with scrutinizing and correcting the author’s text. It involves a process of clear communication. As the author, you are directly responsible for setting clear guidelines of what to expect from your editor.


Where to find an editor

There are several options for where to find an editor. However, these options can be divided into two major categories:


  1. Using an agency

  2. Hiring individual editors


Agencies may be an alternative option. They are usually affordable and have industry knowledge and experience that will be quite useful. However, as mentioned earlier, relying on agencies means that you often are not able to communicate directly with editors.


Many of these agencies operate like factory mills. They hire independent editors who may not be well paid and who have to edit a large volume of words at a time. This may seem attractive as it means you likely pay less. 


Operating at scale means that these agencies can afford to charge lower prices for a high volume of work. However, a book is supposed to be a work of literary art. It likely won’t serve you well to adopt this bean counter mindset. 


It would be best to rely on individual editors. How do you find them, and how do you know they’re any good? There are several platforms where you can find editors.


I will focus on two:


  1. A simple Google search for editor websites

  2. LinkedIn 


1. Using Google. Google is based on SEO or search engine optimization. If you go to the Google search bar and type in “book editor,” you will find a list of options. The editors most likely to show up, apart from those featured on editing mills like Fiverr and Upwork, will be the ones most competent at marketing themselves. 


SEO means that Google will prioritize those editors with websites that provide “useful” content about their editing process and editing knowledge. Whether or not an editor who is good at content marketing equals an editor who is good at editing is up to you to decide.


You have the option of seeing for yourself what their website is like, what their content is like, and what past customers have to say about them. More importantly, you can contact them directly and start a conversation through their website. 


2. LinkedIn. LinkedIn is, to put it briefly, a social media site for creatives. This includes content writers, content editors, and literary copyeditors. They are the ones posting on the platform every day. 


They post about their rates. They post about the writing process, the editing process, their experience, and how they can help authors. More than that, LinkedIn makes it possible to see reviews, work history, follower count, and so on. 


All this works toward providing enough information for you to judge whether or not the editor is good for you. That means you have the power to decide and directly communicate with your editor. If you don't already have a LinkedIn account, you should probably create one and make the most of the platform in terms of locating a suitable book editor.


The great thing about LinkedIn is that it has a search function. You can use the LinkedIn search bar and simply type in editors, and you will be presented with a range of options. You should follow those editors who seem interesting to you and check out their profiles and posts. After this, you can decide whether or not to message them directly through LinkedIn or their email address.


The benefits of hiring an editor

There are many advantages to hiring a professional copyeditor at any stage of the editing process. Now, you may not be sure of whether or not you need an editor. After all, an editor may represent a higher cost for publishing your book. Also, there is a question of style and meaning.


How much does a professional editor influence or change the style and meaning of your writing? These are all legitimate concerns. This is why even before any editing work occurs on your book, you should be clear about the boundaries and expectations for your editor. The editor should have a clear idea of what your style is and how it should be preserved.


The job of the editor, as I like to put it, is to rescue and repair meaning. This means that a professional editor should be skillful enough to understand what you say and correct your work in such a way that they preserve or even enhance your intended meaning while preserving your unique voice. After all, it's your book, not theirs.


Now that this is out of the way, let's discuss the main benefits of hiring a professional editor. The main pros of hiring an editor are savings in time and ultimately cost and the "objectivity and distance" that a professional editor provides. An editor can also generally improve your writing. Let's quickly list and then take a closer look at these benefits:


  1. Distance

  2. Saves time and money

  3. Makes you a better writer


1. Distance. A professional editor brings objectivity to the task. Your book is your baby. There is no way you can be objective about it. A professional editor lacks the emotional attachment and sentimentality to the work. This means they can cut what needs to be cut and change what needs to be changed, even when you cannot bring yourself to do it.


2. An editor saves time and money. A professional editor saves time and money by solving issues that you may not have the proficiency or objectivity to see. Self-editing is a crucial process for authoring a book. Perhaps, there is nothing wrong with conducting an initial self-edit. However, it would be a time-consuming process to do a thorough job of editing your own book.


You probably are tired of writing a book of several pages. A professional editor comes with a fresh pair of eyes. They would probably be happy to go over and review your book, while you may see it as an annoying and laborious chore.


3. Making you a better writer. The best editors not only correct your work, but they provide meaningful commentary. This meaningful commentary can work toward making you a better writer. This is especially true if you have a long-term relationship with your editor. Continuous instruction and tips on how to make your writing better means that your work gets better and better over time.


EminentEdit's book editing services

EminentEdit provides premium manuscript editing services to ensure you publish a book that you can take pride in and that meets industry standards. Someone more than just your mom and her friends should be buying your book. 

 

EminentEdit provides book editing and proofreading services that are:


  • Fast

  • Affordable

  • Reliable


We help you publish a book to take pride in.

Get in touch for help in editing your manuscript



We know what you want to say. We help you say it better.

 

Our services are comprehensive and focus on making sure you end up with a book that meets the highest publishing standards. Our copyediting services include:


  • Proofreading 

  • Line-by-line copyediting 

  • Developmental editing to improve book proposals and initial drafts

  • Extensive commentary and consultations


Talk with one of our editors through our contact page here: CONTACT US AT EMINENT EDIT. 

 

Cite this EminentEdit article

Antoine, M. (2025, February 02). Hiring an Editor: A Guide For Authors. EminentEdit. https://www.eminentediting.com/post/hiring-an-editor



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