It’s essential that you, as a writer in search of professional editing services, partner with an experienced professional who will deliver a high-quality edit of your manuscript by an agreed-upon deadline. As overwhelming as this may sound, it doesn’t have to be. Finding the right editor takes a bit of time, but it’s time well spent given the stakes involved.

The first step is to solicit and obtain a sample edit from the candidates that appeal to you. Any editor who is serious about partnering with you will provide you with a brief sample edit, typically five to ten pages, at no cost. You can find an editor by going to the EFA and posting a job, but, if you’re here, you can begin by asking me for a free sample.

Great expectations.

Here’s what to expect from a sample edit: corrections to typos or grammar, margin notes explaining the changes, questions for you to consider or comments about gaps in the story (particularly if you are soliciting for a developmental edit).

Both the sample edit and the introductory call
should be free.

The editor may also add comments praising portions of your writing because its as important for you to know what needs to be strengthened as it is to know what you’re doing well (positive feedback). An experienced editor should be able to offer you words of encouragement, and also enjoy your book enough to do so. If editors don’t find joy in their work, don’t choose them. I would also, without hesitation, insist on doing a Zoom call with the editor to see if you click.

Both the sample edit and the introductory call should be cost-free, before you drop a dime in that person’s wallet.

Your editor should provide you with a written agreement. In my contracts, I define exactly what I will do, when I will do it, and how much I will charge.

The price should not change. For example, if a manuscript is 60,000 words but ends up, through the process of editing, ending above or below that number, the price does not adjust up or down.

At times the full manuscripts I sign on to edit are less polished than the excerpts sent to me as part of my sample edits. As a result, I may end up spending more hours to complete the full edit. This does not alter the contract or its terms, and I would not go back to the author to request additional payment. Has an editor done that to you? That should not happen.

Have you had an editor disappear? An editor should meet the deadline given to the author. I usually build in a slight extension of a few days (not weeks or months) just in case of things like the CA fires, during which we were without power for a few days, but, at a certain point, it is the editor’s job and duty to rally and get the work done well, and on time. The author should never feel out of control of the manuscript.

Speaking of control: authors, don’t file copyright… yet. You have an email proving you sent your work to the editor, that will establish the book as yours. If you publish with a publisher, they will file copyright for you, though it will go to you, and belong to you. If you self-publish, you will file copyright after the book is published. Now is not the time. It’s important to do things in their order.

Often I sign an author who really wants an edit, but finds the cost to be prohibitively expensive. I get it. Everything is costing more than we thought it would, and writing seems like a no-cost pursuit, but it isn’t. I always work in batches, but for those authors I offer to work in smaller-than-usual batches. I do 5,000 words, typically, or approximately 20 pages per month, at a cost of $120, which works out to $0.024/word (instead of my usual $0.03 rate). We work out a schedule, and the authors do a pay-as-you-go. The discount is to both help the author, and help the editor (me), because I have steady income that way. If that is too much or too little, we work out something between us that works for both of us. A second benefit to batch editing is that, for authors who have little free time to devote to writing, it makes it natural and easy for them to finish their books because they have a schedule to submit another small part to the editor. Some editors want all the book and all the money at once, and they due the edit, return it, and go on to the next project. That is best for them: their schedule, their finances, but batch is better for the author, and gives the author more time to get into the revision, and ask questions.

Editing is a service business. Partner publishing, for that matter, is also a service business. And that is another reason why I feel my long background in teaching helps. Teachers are service providers. They are there to help their students achieve a goal. It is not about the teacher (although many teachers achieve satisfaction in being the assistant to that goal). We are the Watson to the Sherlock. It’s also why, if you want to pursue a particular publisher who is not us, we throw in a free query letter. You should walk away from your edit ready to submit to literary agents and professionals.

Back to the beginning.

Circling back to where I began, with Fred Gross’ memoir, One Step Ahead of Hitler (see my last post), Fred needed to get that story out. He was doing all he could by giving live talks. My job was not to bring anything add myself to the story through editing Fred’s manuscript. My job was to see how valuable the work was to Fred, and the reading public, and help him achieve that without erasing Fred.

If you feel that an editor is rewriting your book, then you need to cut ties because that is not a good editor.

And that’s the last bit of advice I’ll give you. If you feel that an editor is rewriting your book, then you need to cut ties because that is not a good editor. That is not Meryl Streep, who bends herself to the role, that is a person who only knows how to do their thing, not your thing. If the story stops feeling like your narrative, and starts feeling like it belongs to the editor, then that’s an alarm. Not that you’re likely to be refunded the money you’ve spent. Probably not, but you’re going to dump that editor and save your book. Unless you specifically instruct the editor to rewrite your work (a role typically associated with ghost writing), you should never see huge swaths of pages or paragraphs that have been rewritten by your editor. The manuscript belongs to you, and though there are times when I have better grammar and a slightly clearer understanding of how a book comes across to the reader than an author does, I do not get to change the course of the story. My edits are suggestions based on many years of experience, but the edits are ultimately yours to accept or reject as you review the manuscript. 

It’s another reason I have a calendar full of dates where an author can just pop-in to discuss edits. Sometimes a talk is needed. Most editing services do not allow this type of 1:1 engagement, because they don’t want one of their freelancers to “steal” a client and cut them out of the deal. It’s also why an edit on a platform like Reedsy or Upwork costs you, and the editor, more, while simultaneously limiting your connection, and restricting the editor’s investment in your work and career.

But I get it. Sometimes we have trouble justifying spending money on ourselves. But it’s an investment you are worthy of. And to those authors who are, or will soon be, seeking an editor, here’s some good news…

It’s on the house.

I’m setting aside time to perform free sample edits in March and April, and I’m also carving out some room for authors who want to sign onto a monthly plan that will make editing a budget-friendly investment and avoid having to pay for services in a lump sum. As I noted earlier, editing is a service business, and it should be about good service.

Current Words is growing, and along the way my primary goal for the business is to be one of the good ones. I get as excited for a book published through Current Words as if it was my own. I feel incredibly privileged to be meeting so many interesting and talented writers, and to have a small part in their story.

Here’s a golden ticket for you. I will schedule free sample edits until my calendar is full, so be sure to reach out to me early. I will do the best I can to accommodate those who are interested. And here’s a link for an introductory meet and greet:

Most literary agents sign new clients in the early part of the year, so now is the perfect time to polish your manuscript with a professional edit—it can mean the difference between a hard pass and one of the most important phone calls of your life. And if you want to self-publish, or publish with us, now is the time to ready your book for early publication next year, so you have a full year to enter your book in any writing competitions you want to. When you publish through partner publishing, like Current Words, your book is eligible for all contests, and you get to join our monthly author marketing strategy meeting as a free perk, forever.

So, choose yourself a good editor who cares and will work with you the way that suits you best..

Good luck with your book!
Dianne~