What Should I Look for When Hiring a Book Editor?
A helpful list of the good and bad
Image credit: Christina Morillo from Pexels
Congratulations! You’ve written a book! Or maybe you’re still in the process of writing it, but you’ve already begun the search for an editor.
The first thing you’ll want to do before you even start looking for someone is to figure out what type of editing you need.
Now that you’ve narrowed down what you need, it’s time to find out who is best suited for the job. More specifically, who is best suited for YOUR job. Because there are many factors that come into play, the editor who did such a great job for your writing friend’s memoir may not be the right person for your YA science fiction, and that’s okay.
Here are a few things to consider:
Does the editor have a website?
Academic editors often don’t have their own websites; working for universities or research facilities will keep their name in the right circles, and they don’t need to advertise in the same way other editors do. An email address is sufficient.
But if you’re looking for a book editor, you’re more likely to find them if they have a website. If they’re part of a professional editing association, you should be able to find them in the directory of that association even if they don’t have a site of their own. The website can be elaborate or as simple as a landing page that takes you to their services and a contact form.
The important thing to note here is that the editor can be found somewhere other than a Goodreads thread, claiming they edit all types of books for $100. Someone who takes the time and effort to set up a website shows that they are willing to invest in their own business.
Why is it important to look for this investment? In a nutshell, we don’t tend to value that which costs us nothing. If an editor has invested in a website, they’re more likely to have invested in their education as well, because they see the benefit that education and experience can bring to the table.
Can you verify their claims?
If the editor you’re looking into says they’ve edited dozens of bestsellers, can you find proof of that claim? If they have their own business, you should be able to make use of the “Look Inside” feature on Amazon to see if their name or business name is somewhere in the front matter. If no mention of the business is made, you can look in the acknowledgments for a name or even send a quick email to the author or publisher to double-check.
You don’t have to be suspicious of everyone, but if you’ve found an editor on your own, you can’t just assume they’re telling the truth. I re-edited books for someone years ago after a not-really-an-editor butchered them, and that fake editor still had the books listed on her site long after her name was nowhere on them anymore due to extensive rewrites. The author even received an email from another author at one point—someone doing their research before hiring, thank goodness—asking how she liked that person’s services, and she was able to steer him clear of wasting his money after explaining the situation.
Can you get a sample edit of the editor’s work?
This one’s a little tricky, but I’ll explain. Many editors, myself included, offer a sample edit on a portion of your manuscript before agreeing to the job. This serves two purposes: you can see if that editor knows what they’re doing, and the editor can see how much work the MS needs (and will price accordingly).
There are authors who insist that you should never, ever pay for a sample edit. I used to think this way until I joined a group of professional editors and heard the reasons many of them chose to only do paid samples.
Those who do free samples will only do them on a small portion of the MS, usually 500–1000 words (2–4 pages), to limit their time spent on the tire-kickers. Even doing that small sample, pricing out the project, and sending an email with the information can take an hour of work time that pays nothing—and it often results in a thank-you with no actual contract signed, through no fault of your own other than the fact that someone else was cheaper.
Those who do paid samples are willing to edit a longer portion of the MS for a small fee that compensates at least some of the time spent. If the author books the job, that fee comes off the total price. I offer both free and paid sample edits now (see my services page).
Note: if you’re looking for a developmental editor, you’re not likely to be able to get a sample, since developmental editing is such a broad-view type of edit on the manuscript as a whole. Some developmental editors will offer a paid sample on a few chapters, but be aware that the cost will be much higher than that of a copyedited sample, due to the nature of the edit.
Can you look at samples of the editor’s finished work?
As I mentioned above, the “Look Inside” feature on Amazon and other book-selling sites is a handy tool. Not only can you verify that your potential editor’s name is somewhere in there, but you can also see the first chapter or download a sample from the book. These are used as a teaser to entice buyers, but they’re a wonderful resource.
Just as you can tell whether a book is going to be interesting or not from the first chapters, you should be able to see whether the editor did a decent job or not in those same chapters. If you find a host of errors in the first handful of pages—genuine errors, not stylistic choices—that’s probably a good sign that you should remove that particular editor from your list of maybes.
You’re not likely to be able to see a before & after of another author’s work, because that would violate privacy. But you should be able to find enough samples of finished work to satisfy you.
Does the editor get referred by others?
One of the things I love about the authors I work with is that they refer me to others. That tells me they’re not only happy with my work, but that they’re willing to trust that I’d do a good job for someone else, too.
Word of mouth can make or break someone’s business. If someone is hesitant to recommend a particular professional, ask why. Are they known as hard to work with? Do they cause division in their professional groups? I was referred to an author recently by an editor I’d never actually worked with, and when I dropped a quick note to thank the editor for the job, she said she knew we all had similar skills, but that I seemed to be nice and not contentious in the groups we were both part of. I ended up with a great project to work on and a new connection as well.
Does the editor have testimonials?
I feature author testimonials on my website because each of them seems to focus on a different aspect of my services. A couple of them were written for me upon request, but the ones I like the best are those candid ones I’ve grabbed (with permission) from emails between the author and me.
I love to capture those moments when they’re excited and encouraged about what I’ve sent back to them, or when they’ve mentioned me in a blog post while promoting their book. This is how I end up with testimonials like, “I couldn’t find a single thing to fight with you about; rather disappointing.” And I enjoy every word of it.
Can you afford them?
Let me start off by saying that editing isn’t cheap. It’s a skilled job and it takes a lot of time, and you need to be willing to pay for that expertise and the time it takes to do the job well.
That said, there are enough editors out there who do their best to work with authors and budgets, so I wouldn’t start your search by stressing over cost. There will always be the extreme lows and extreme highs, and it’s up to you to see what’s best for your project and price range.
There is an editor who will fit your writing style and your budget. You just need to take your time and look thoroughly. The old saying of “good, fast, cheap—choose any two” is true. If you are trying to keep your costs down, you may find an editor who’s willing to work for a lower price by fitting your work bit by bit in between other, full-paying jobs. You may decide to go with a scaled-down version of the editing you want, or you may have done your homework early enough that you’ve saved enough to be able to afford exactly what you want with no compromises.
Everyone is different, and every budget is different. Some editors are willing to take multiple payments when they see a manuscript that really has potential, and others insist on full payment up front. The important thing is to ask if you have questions about pricing or payments, because you never know if something can be worked out.
The lowest estimate isn’t always the worst editor and the highest price doesn’t always guarantee the best editor. Look at all the edits from the samples you’ve gotten and see who really “gets” you and complements your writing style, and go from there.
Who are they really?
A final thought on hiring an editor for your book: check out who they are when they’re not being an editor. Do they have a social media presence? You don’t need to be a stalker, but it’s not a bad thing to check out someone’s Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites.
Can you still work with someone whose skills you admire, but who posts hateful slurs toward other cultures on their Twitter? What if you see a Facebook rant where they go on and on about “that idiot author” they’re working with? Do you want to be the next potential social media fodder for that person?
An author friend told me years ago about reading a tweet sent to him by a friend, with a “Check this out” attached. The tweet was from his editor, moaning about the book she was editing, how boring it was and how she wanted to gouge her eyes out. She mentioned specific instances and phrases that confirmed it was indeed his, and basically ridiculed his work, never considering that he’d see the tweet.
Personality does count. If an editor doesn’t seem to respect the opposite sex (let’s face it, this happens on both sides), then perhaps they’ll try to bully you into thinking you can’t question any changes they make in your MS. Or they’ll try to impose their own set of values in your writing to make it sound more like something they believe in (and again, this can happen on both sides of the fence).
My husband has a great saying: “Don’t forget what you already know about someone.” I suppose it goes along with Maya Angelou’s reminder of “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” There are enough great book editors out there that you should never have to work with someone you don’t respect, or who doesn’t respect you.
How can you know what to do?
Don’t panic. Take your time, look across a wide range of avenues, and do your research. Have I mentioned that you shouldn’t panic? Because you really shouldn’t. Choose with care and you could end up with a long and healthy working relationship.
If you’re currently looking for an editor for your book, I’d love to talk to you! Check out my services page and fill out my contact form. I don’t set standards for others that I don’t meet myself, so feel free to check me out on any of my own social media. The links can all be found on my About page.
