Finding the Perfect Book Editor: Essential Steps and Key Questions

Let’s explore the art of selecting the right editorial partner to elevate your manuscript and unlock the secrets to finding an editor whose expertise aligns with your book's unique needs. Whether you're seeking a developmental editor or a meticulous proofreader, understanding the different types of editing is crucial. I share insights on how to identify an editor's specialization and experience, ensuring your manuscript receives the care it deserves.

Find out which questions to ask potential editors, focusing on their experience, working style, and genre expertise. Learn the importance of obtaining sample edits and how to assess the quality and style of different editors. Effective communication is key, and I'll show you how to establish a productive relationship with your editor to avoid costly mistakes and frustration.

Our discussion includes a pragmatic three-step decision-making process: requesting sample edits from top candidates, comparing their quality and approach, and trusting your gut for compatibility. These steps will help you secure an editor who not only enhances your book but also complements your working style.

In addition, we delve into important considerations like understanding an editor's availability, revision policies, and pricing structure. Learn how to navigate potential hidden costs and ensure a smooth collaboration by asking the right questions about contracts, confidentiality, and technical compatibility.

This episode is packed with actionable advice to transform your manuscript with the right editorial partner. Remember, your book is ready to captivate its audience, and with the right editor, your story is one step closer to being told.

Until next time, keep writing, dreaming, and creating. Your book is waiting to be read!

00:20 - Lynn (Host)

Hi, friends and future authors, this is Lynn Elizabeth Smarges, coming to you from the Pacific Northwest and another episode of Publishing for Professionals. Today is a solo show and we're going to have the topic of essential questions to ask when hiring a book editor. I have seen so many people lose thousands of dollars and spend money and then not even have a book that they like or a book that's professionally edited, and it's so sad and I hate to see this. So this is why I'm doing this episode today. I've been hearing so many horror stories about um, about this topic in particular, so remember, wherever you're at, make sure to like, follow and subscribe and leave a review for publishing for professionals so that others, like you, can find this valuable information to help them on their publishing journey. All right, so let's jump into today's topic. So the critical questions that reveal whether an editor is right for you and your book. We're going to cover those today, because hiring the wrong editor wastes thousands of dollars and months of time, potentially damaging your manuscript. Essential questions can be organized by editing type, experience and working style, and, while most authors hire editors based on price or availability, you really need to look at is the editor a good fit for your book and do they have the expertise necessary to edit your book? By the end of this episode, you're going to have a comprehensive interview framework to find your editorial partner that's the best fit for you, your genre and your book. All right, so number one questions about editorial experience and expertise.

01:58

First, understand what the person's editing background is. So what types of editing do you specialize in? There's different types of editing and I cover those in another episode. There's developmental, there's line, there's copy editing, there's proofreading and there's organizational editing. Okay, this matters because different editors have different strengths. For example, I do developmental and line editing for non-fiction books, but I don't do copy and proofreading for nonfiction books like manually. So I have a person I team up with for the copy and proofreading piece. So so make sure that whatever you're doing so developmental is the first type of edit you're going to get, um, organizational editing and line and then line editing, right. So make sure those people specify in that and and or. If you've already done all those types of editing and you're looking for a copy or proofreader, make sure that you know what that is and what their qualifications are. Okay, so editors who claim to be equally skilled at all editing types. That's a huge red flag. If somebody says that run quickly in the opposite direction, okay, and also ask them when they say oh, developmental editing is my strong point, can you explain the difference between these editing levels and which my book needs? If the person that you're interviewing cannot explain that and you have already sent them your manuscript, your rough draft right, because it's clearly not going to be an edited manuscript Then definitely do not use that person.

03:27

A person should be able to look at your script and tell you if you need developmental line editing, copy editing, like what type you need. For example, I had someone who's interested in my services send me over their manuscript, their rough draft, and I told them I said your developmental edit is going to be really light, but your line editing is going to be a little heavier. And then I had another person send over their manuscript and it was the flip their developmental edit needed more work and their line editing was lighter. So it really depends on your script. So when you just ask a person, don't ever ask editor straight out just what their pricing is, because it really depends on how what we call an industry heavy the edit is right. So if it's a lot of line editing, that's going to cost a little more than if you have something that is not as much line editing. So you need to take that into consideration.

04:18

So a genre and subject matter expertise ask the editor how many of these types of books have you edited in the past? What's your experience with books in your specific niche? And this matters because genre conventions and audiences vary significantly. So that's one of the reasons why I don't really do fiction editing. I mean, I do developmental fiction editing because I have written fiction, but I don't do like the line editing and things like that. The importance of industry knowledge for credibility and accuracy is really high. So because I specialize in nonfiction books that are primarily in the finance, tech and memoir space, those are really my sweet spots and so I can do really really high quality work in those categories.

05:04

So follow up question you can ask them is can you provide examples or case studies of similar books you've edited? Right, they may not provide case studies. And if it's a ghostwriter, it's hard for people to provide examples, because I know with my ghost writing clients a lot of them do not want to know that a ghost writer has written their book. But you can even get some, even if they have some personal work right that they've done on their own book. Ask them for some examples. They should be able to provide you with examples. If they can't, again, that's not a good person to hire. All right.

05:31

So for the professional credentials and training, some questions you can ask them is what professional editing organizations are you a member of? So, for example, I'm a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association, which is a professional editing organization. What formal training have you completed? And someone does not have to have formal training to have a good, good, uh to good, to have a good skill set. But it always helps, um, understanding certifications and what they mean. And, honestly, there are people that are certified that aren't great. So certification doesn't always mean that you have a great editor, but it can obviously weed out someone who is a poor editor. And this matters because professional development indicates also a commitment to the craft right. You're not just doing it just for the money. You're actually interested in building your skillset, like I do, because I take courses and different things like that in order to increase my knowledge, and I also read books on editing and writing so that I can always increase my knowledge on how I can do my craft better for myself and also for my client. All right track record and results.

06:35

So ask them can you share examples of books that you've edited? Do you have client testimonials? Have any books you've edited won awards or achieved bestseller status? Now I will caveat that with it does depend on how much the author markets the book right. So if the author doesn't do a good job marketing, it's not going to get the bestseller list. So I would not say having edited a book that's a bestseller shows you that the person's a good editor, because that's literally up to marketing. So I would say that really doesn't matter if they're a good editor, if that book has hit a bestseller list. But you can evaluate the testimonials for authenticity and relevance and also ask for references. I would highly recommend asking for references.

07:23

All right, next part we're going to talk about questions about process and working style. So first you want to understand their editorial approach. You can ask them questions such as what does your editing process look like from start to finish? Such as, what does your editing process look like from start to finish? So, for example, my editing process, I do the development, I make a copy of their rough draft, I put it on Google Drive and then I use that copy in Google Docs to do their developmental edit using suggested comments in Google Docs and then my client can go in behind me and accept or not accept those. If I'm also doing a line edit for them as they're working through my developmental edits, I can start on the line edits for anything they've checked off for the developmental edits and then I go through in line edit using suggested edits on Google Docs so that they can see what I'm editing and they can check off if they like it. And if they don't like it they can click an X as well. So that is a really efficient process that I've used with my clients that my clients really like. How do you typically communicate feedback, right? Do you use inline comments, editorial letters, video calls, emails? So for me I use a video call if I'm doing more than one type of edit. So for that last example, if I'm doing a developmental and a line edit, I do the developmental edit. We jump on a half hour call to make sure the developmental edits are completed and to answer any other questions my client may have. Then I do the line edit and then we jump on another half an hour call to see if there's anything else they need resolved before I close out the project.

08:48

Do you provide sample edit before we commit? Now here's a big thing. Some people say can you provide a chapter sample edit? I will never provide a chapter sample edit and any editor who does is not a good editor, because if they have that much free time then that probably means A they're brand new and or which is not doesn't mean they're a bad editor. But I would not trust anybody who does a chapter for free.

09:11

09:49

Okay, process capability excuse me, the process and compatibility affects your entire working relationship. So if someone's giving you vague answers or they're reluctant to provide any samples whatsoever, I would say do not go with them. That's a huge red flag. Okay, timeline and availability. You must ask them what is your current availability and typical turnaround time, because your availability and turnaround time are different. So say they're a month out but it only takes them two weeks to complete your work, then that means you're waiting for six weeks. Now, if your timeline is shorter, then you're gonna wanna find somebody who does not have that much, who has a better availability. You can ask that editor. Can you recommend anybody? Or you can go on a platform such as Editorial Freelancers Association, which is efaorg, or you can go on readsy to find a good editor.

10:37

How do you handle deadlines and urgent requests? Find out how they do handle deadlines and if you have an urgent request, do they charge you extra for it? What happens if you need more time than initially estimated? What was the. How is that going to look for you and how is that going to look for the editor? And this matters because if you have a very hard deadline for your launch timeline, right, that's going to depend on your editorial schedule, because after the editing you also have to do the formatting and the book cover, which is going to take you another few weeks. So you need to take that into consideration. Make sure you understand any rush fees and standard timelines that they give you when you're asking questions of your editor.

11:14

All right, revision policy. So what's included in your editing fee? Is it one full revision? Is it two full revisions? So for me, it's one full revision of the editing and then we go back and clean up any little edits that need to be made. How many rounds of revision does your service include? What happens if I want changes after the final delivery? Most editors are going to charge you an additional fee. I would charge an additional fee because if I have the final delivery, I consider that a finished job. So if you want more than that, I can price you for a second edit, which is probably not going to be as much as the first, because it's just going to be some cleanup, okay, and this matters because hidden costs and scope can creep up and derail your budget. So you need to understand what's reasonable and what's not reasonable for your budget and what you know, what type of editorial services are included and what is not included, and have them be really clear. And if somebody's really vague on those as well definitely a red flag do not use that editor, okay.

12:10

Um, some other communication questions. You may want to ask them is how often will we communicate during the editing process? This, this is really big, and I literally just hopped off a book blueprint episode with someone who's going to be, who is going to be on my show, and he was asking like, after we did the interview, he said, yeah, I went with this company and it took them weeks and they're not answering my questions. So ask them the questions. What's your typical response time for questions? How do you answer questions? Email, phone, video calls? Okay, are we going to have a kickoff call to discuss my project? And that's really important. I always have an onboarding 30 minute call to discuss the project. So I clearly understand what my client is looking for and my client clearly understands what to expect. Okay, and this matters because communication style, compatibility and understanding the expectations can prevent a lot of frustration and stress during the editing process. Okay, so your importance of alignment and availability and responsiveness is really key to having a smooth editing process.

13:14

All right, my friends, we're going to take a break right here. When we come back, we're going to talk more about the different questions you should ask a editor when you're hiring an editor. Hey, friends and future authors, we're back with our Publishing for Professionals Essential Questions to Ask when Hiring a Book Editor. Back with our publishing for professionals essential questions to ask when hiring a book editor. And this is so important because I see this all the time. I literally just talked to somebody a few minutes ago um with, and they had they're really frustrated with their uh, the publishing services that they hired because they're they did not do a good job. So I just I just have to do this episode to help you, my listeners, make sure that you're asking the right questions about book editing.

14:17

So next part is we're talking about questions about manuscript assessment and approach. So manuscript assessment is just a really big name for them looking at your manuscript. So you want to send them your manuscript ahead of time, right, and not just one chapter. You want to send them your whole manuscript and you really don't have to worry. You should not have to worry about somebody copying your manuscript. That's an editor. If you are worried about somebody plagiarizing your work, all you have to do is send them a Google link to share your work from Google Drive, and then you can just unshare it after three days and just let them know they have three days to look at it and then you're going to unshare the link so that way they can take a look at it and get a good idea of your manuscript.

14:57

So questions to ask them is after reading my manuscript, what do you see as its biggest strengths? What areas do you think need the most work? What level of editing would you recommend, and why? Okay, and they should be able to answer all these three questions. If they can't, then that's a red flag. Do not use the editor, because this reveals their analytical skills, their honesty, and they can give you positive and negative feedback, but they should not give you only positive feedback. Okay, and they should be able to identify specific issues. If they're not, then they're not a good editor.

15:28

All right, author voice how do you balance maintaining author voice with making the necessary edits. Can you describe your editing philosophy? How do you handle situations where you disagree with an author's choices? Okay, and you need to know these things because you want an editor who enhances, but not changes, your author voice. Okay, and that's the difference between having a collaborative editor and a dictatorial style editor. Okay, as far as genre, who do you see as the primary audience for this book? What are expectations readers might have for books in this category? How does my book compare to others in this space? Now, somebody might not have had read a lot of books in that space, and that's perfectly fine. So if they can't answer that third question, you don't really have to worry about it, but they do need to know who your avatar is, because market awareness affects the editorial recommendations and they need to understand the competitive positioning through your editorial lens and how they're going to work with you as an editor.

16:24

Okay, if you have sensitive content, such as traumatic content or anything that might trigger somebody, you can ask them. How do you approach controversial or sensitive topics and always, always, always make sure that the editor or writer knows this way ahead of time, because you don't want to throw this on them last minute? Um, that is not fair to the editor. Uh, do you fact check claims or is that the author's responsibility? What's your process for flagging ethical or legal content? All right and professional, because professional books require accuracy, appropriate tone, and this matters because you need to understand your liability and you need to know what your responsibility boundaries are as well. Those are really really important, okay.

17:06

Some other questions you want to ask are technical considerations. How do you handle industry jargon and technical terminology if your book has technical aspects to it? Do you research unfamiliar concepts or do you rely on author expertise? How do you ensure accuracy while maintaining readability? Okay, and especially if you have a non-fiction book, okay, it has to be credible and accessible, and that's extremely important. Um, when you are doing this for your editing process, ok.

17:35

So some other another piece I want to talk about is questions about pricing, contracts and logistics. So, pricing structure how do you charge? And I will say do not go with someone who charges you per hour or per page. That is not professional. You want to go with somebody that charges you per word, and there are different prices depending on editing. It can be anywhere from one cents a word to seven cents a word, depending on the type of edit that you have. Okay, so the next one you want to ask is what's included in your quoted price, what's your payment schedule and accepted payment methods? Do you require a deposit and is it refundable? And you need to know these answers because you want to understand your total investment and the payment expectations. So you need to budget this in your pricing and you want to compare pricing models and what each one gives you with each editing service.

18:30

So, contracts do you have a standard contract or agreement? What are the terms for cancellations or delays? Who owns the editorial notes and feedback? Okay, that's really important. So make sure that you own those notes and feedback. If not, you need to know that ahead of time. And what's your confidentiality policy? So, will they sign the non-disclosure agreement, if you want them to sign one? If you're a ghostwriter, I have no problem with signing a non-disclosure agreement for my clients, right, because you need the professional protection, not just for yourself, but the person who you're working with, right, also needs professional protection and you want to make sure that everybody's on the same page. And editors who don't use any contracts or they don't want any written agreements is a big red flag, so you don't want to go with them. I do have written agreements. They're on my website and I link everything and I also have my contract agreement. That is a 30-day contract agreement that is listed on my proposal that I send each of my clients. Okay.

19:26

So file formats right, you need to know what file format you're going to be working in. So what file format do you prefer to work in? What tools and software do you use for editing? Will I need any special software to review your edits? That's really important because you don't know. Most of the time you don't, but you do want to ask that question just in case it comes up. How do you handle manuscript tracking and version control? So I do that on Google Docs, because Google Docs handles all that for me. So it's really easy. All right, and that matters because you need to know what technical skills you need to have to use this editor. And is the technical compatibility going to with questions during the publication process? Do you provide referrals to other publishing professionals, such as formatters and book cover designers? Would you be available for additional editing on future books, right? So if you decide you're going to publish two or three books and you like this editor. Find out if you, if they can do your other books as well, because your long-term relationship with them is going to be much more beneficial than just the transactional service. And if you have a great editor who understands your voice and goals, you definitely want to keep them all right.

20:42

So, just to recap what we talked about today the right editor can really transform your manuscript. The wrong editor is going to do the opposite. Right, they're going to hurt your manuscript and they're going to make it look unprofessional. So you definitely don't want the wrong editor, okay. So make sure to listen for enthusiasm for your project, interest in your message, a clear, professional communication style, and you want to have realistic assessments, right, and you don't want over promising. That's really, really bad and unprofessional, okay. And they have to have some respect for your expertise and vision. If they don't respect your expertise and vision, even if they don't agree with it, that that's fine. But they can still edit your book and do it in a professional manner, all right.

21:22

So your three-step decision is one request sample edits from your top two to three candidates. Number two compare not just quality but style, approach and the research if you need that. Number three trust your gut about working relationship compatibility right, because they're going to be really working with you closely and you want to make sure you get somebody who is a good personality fit All right, so make sure that you know these things. If you would like this in a checklist, please reach out to me on my website, which is wwwwriteforyoume, and I hope you enjoyed this episode on essential questions to ask when hiring a book editor. I've been getting so many questions about this and I wanted to provide this for you. All right, my friends, until next time. Remember your book is waiting for people to read. So this is Lynn Aliquity reminding you to keep writing, keep dreaming and keep creating. Your book is waiting to people to read. So this is Lynn Aliquity reminding you to keep writing, keep dreaming and keep creating. Your book is waiting to be born.