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Why You Need a Professional Editor

No one, not even a veteran writer, should publish without having an editor. At a minimum, you need to have a professional copyeditor go through your manuscript. This is essential if you are self-publishing. And be forewarned: proofreading is not copyediting. A good copyeditor will make your manuscript sing, whereas a good proofreader will (hopefully) find all the mistakes in spelling and punctuation.

Writing and editing are two different brain functions. In fact, when I think about it, content editing and copyediting are two different brain functions. It’s the right-brain, left-brain notion. Having done both, I know this to be true.

Actually, there are a few different levels of editing and some writers may need to be informed as to what those are. I’ve written a white paper on this subject, which you can download at http://www.topressandbeyond.com/book_shepherd_services.html

Hiring an editor can be kind of like going out on a blind date. You’re hoping for that magic to happen. Apropos of this blog entry, today is Valentine’s Day and I spent part of my day with a client who says, “My creative process does not include dotting i’s and crossing t’s. I wouldn’t even consider going out into the marketplace without going to my editor. I need Gail to save my “arse.”

Sweet words, right? But true. In the end, you need a professional editor as an extra set of eyes. And “professional editor” doesn’t include your high school English teacher or your close relative who is a voracious reader. You need a professional, period. And any professional book editor will use CMS (Chicago Manual of Style) religiously.

As always, here’s to your success!

Previous:  Writing a book

"As an author-publisher I’m very involved with the marketing of my book and, in today’s environment, every author needs to be." Linda Dini Jenkins, author of UP AT THE VILLA, Travels with my Husband.  

Got a question for Gail?  Simply post your question in the comment section and each week Gail will address one or two to include in her blog.

To Press & Beyond are experts in book publishing consulting and support services who will take your book project and shepherd it through writing, editing, design & layout, printing, distribution, sales and promotion, both in trade and niche markets and on the Internet. They have worked with over 300 authors and independent publishers as far away as London, Switzerland, Egypt and Thailand.

To learn more about Gail and her company To Press and Beyond, visit ToPressandBeyond.com.

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Rocio
Posts: 5

sPuLfKSBDvQZzgmFCT
Reply #5 on : Mon April 30, 2012, 13:16:43

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Hey you are right, days before I got the same thhgout with you.But now I am not.I tried several editor actually, none of them offers a user-friendly function. It is easy to correct text in PDF file, but it is not easy to add text because they don't change the line automatically. You need to change every line in the file for just adding a word. So I turn to PDF converter finally.

Gail M. Kearns
Posts: 5

Answers
Reply #4 on : Sun February 21, 2010, 19:32:29

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In answer to your questions:

Editors rates vary, but a good resource that discusses what current rates are is the "Writer's Market" guide that comes out yearly and includes a chapter titled: How much should I charge?

How do you know if a book editor is good? Ask for referrals and speak with authors they've worked with. Did the editor "show up" and meet the deadlines. For a copyedit you can also ask for a sample edit of 6-10 pages. A good copyeditor will do this for you and use the "track changes" function in Word so you can see exactly what they've done.

I reject manuscripts that I don't feel have a potential in the marketplace. By this I mean, it doesn't fill a niche, especially in non-fiction categories. As for fiction, if the writing is not up to a professional standard and the author is unwilling to be coached and do a fair amount of rewriting, then I would find it hard to work with such an author. That said, I've worked with several fiction writers who started out with a pretty poor manuscript, whipped it into shape (sometimes a grueling process) and went on to win awards! I've rejected a fair amount of children's books because the author (and sometimes illustrator) is not open to suggestions.

Jack
Posts: 5

Re:
Reply #3 on : Fri February 19, 2010, 09:35:45

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I am curious to know what makes Gail reject any of her manuscripts to review/edit. What makes a good book worthy of publishing - editing?

T Max
Posts: 5

editors
Reply #2 on : Thu February 18, 2010, 09:19:23

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How do I know a book editor is good?

Patti
Posts: 5

professional editors
Reply #1 on : Wed February 17, 2010, 09:37:05

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Thank you for the information. What do professional editors charge for editing books.

Patti

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