Should You Hire an Editor?
In this blog post, I’m going to address:
If a writer needs to hire an editor before publication.
The benefits of hiring a professional editor.
Some questions to ask yourself when preparing to hire an editor.
The one thing to consider if you’re not sure if you need an editor or not.
Do you need to hire an editor for your book?
Publishing is a very mysterious industry. It has its own vocabulary (‘querying’, ‘going on sub’, ‘ARC’, etc.), and its own rather rigid set of expectations and complicated systems, but finding out how these systems work can be difficult and confusing, and often require writers to go down research rabbit holes to work out what they should be doing, when and why.
As such, I get lots of questions about my business all the time – I don’t mind, it’s quite a niche profession! – from family, friends, acquaintances and strangers, but most importantly, from potential clients.
And one of most common questions I get asked is: If someone wants to publish a book, do they have to hire an editor?
The short answer is: No!
Whether you are planning on taking the traditional publishing route (getting an agent and working with them to sell your book to a publishing house) or whether you want to be an independent author self-publishing your own books, the answer is the same.
You do not have to hire an editor in order to publish a book. I would be suspicious of any editor who tells you otherwise.
You can send your manuscript out to query agents, and you can upload your book to KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) without an editor ever looking at your book.
Now, you might be thinking “Why are you saying this when you are an editor? Aren’t you driving clients away?”, but honestly, I don’t think so! I don’t want a client to hire me because they think that it’s a necessary box to check off before they publish their book!
I started my editing business because I am incredibly passionate about storytelling, and I work with clients who genuinely want to make their manuscript the best it can be before it passes into their readers’ hands.
When an author hires me, I take time beforehand to make sure that we will be a good fit as a team. I don’t only work to refine and elevate an author’s book, I also consider it part of the service to help the author build on their writing craft and expand their knowledge and skills.
So if you don’t need to hire an editor, why might you want to?
Well, to put it simply, hiring an editor enables you to produce a better book, whether you’re hoping to publish traditionally or independently!
Professional editing:
Helps you to make your book the best it can be. A good editor will take the time to find out your vision for the book and help you to get it there. They will help you to craft the book so that you can give your audience a wonderful reading experience.
Helps you to hone your skills and become a better writer, so that the quality of your writing improves overall, not just on one manuscript. A professional editor should take the time not only to suggest ways in which you can improve your book, but they should explain why. I often suggest further reading or other resources to help my clients expand their knowledge base in certain areas, and I offer them a chance to come back to me if they need further explanation.
Helps your reputation as an author. If a reader buys one of your books and finds that it is littered with typos, plot holes or inconsistencies, they will very likely vow not to buy another of your books. Worse, they may well leave you a one star review on Amazon or Goodreads. Readers talk to each other, and it can be hard to shake a bad reputation once you have it. It is the same in traditional publishing. If you send a query to an agent, and they find that your writing is filled with mistakes, they are far more likely to reject your manuscript, and remember you as someone who didn’t prepare effectively enough.
Helps you to sell more books! And ultimately, this is the thing that most authors want. When a reader (or an agent) begins to read a book with spelling or punctuation errors, infodumping that slows the story to a crawl, or unclear dialogue, they see the problems. But when they pick up a book without these issues, they can see the story, and can become absorbed in your book. And authors with immersive stories sell more books.
But how do you know if you should hire an editor?
Ultimately, only you can decide if you should hire an editor to work on your manuscript. Which I realise isn’t very helpful. So, to try to make an informed decision, I recommend asking yourself a few questions.
Why am I thinking about hiring an editor?
Are you looking for feedback on your book because you’ve just finished writing it and you want to see whether there are any problems? If so, it is probably worth trying to get a group of beta readers to give you feedback first, before you hire a professional. Ideally, you want your manuscript to be as good as you can possibly make it yourself, before you hire an editor.
Did someone tell you that your book needed editing? If so, ask that person to elaborate on their recommendation. What issues did they see in your book that prompted them to say this? If the recommendation is solid, they should be able to give reasons, and suggest what kind of editing they think is needed. That way, when you do contact an editor, this information can help them to suggest the most suitable service for you.
Or are you confident that you already know where the issues are, but are completely stuck on how to fix them, despite having worked on them for a while? Now could be a good time to consider hiring a professional.
Do I know what kind of editor I need?
Are you struggling to work out the complexities of dialogue punctuation? You need a copy-editor.
Are you stumped about how to fix the pacing in the middle of the plot? You need a developmental editor.
Are you lost and confused about showing versus telling? You need a line editor.
Can I afford an editor?
Editing can be expensive. It is a time-consuming job, and good editors are very skilled and in high demand. Before you start contacting editors, it is worth knowing what your budget is.
Ultimately, hiring a professional editor is an investment in your manuscript and your writing career. If your budget is low or non-existent, think carefully about whether it might be worth holding off contacting an editor while you save. In the meantime, you could work with beta readers, craft books and free online resources to try to help you hone your skills.
However, if you feel like your budget is low, but you are keen to work with a particular editor, don’t despair! Most editors are happy to consult with authors and if a particular service is outside the author’s budget, they will often try to suggest an alternative that may be more feasible.
What is my time frame?
Most editors are booked up a few months in advance, so if you do decide that you would like to hire an editor, it’s worth thinking about this a few months ahead.
Editing services are very in-depth, and as such, they can take a long time. Developmental edits of epic fantasy books have been known to take me two months to complete. It’s worth factoring the time it will take to complete the service into your schedule.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to hire an editor if your project is time-critical, but you may have less choice about which editor you hire and you may find that the service is more expensive if you want the job done quickly. (Most editors I know charge extra for rush jobs.)
Still unsure?
If you’ve asked yourself these questions, you’re hopefully in a better place to know if you should hire an editor for your book, but if you’re still struggling, my recommendation is to ask yourself one final question:
How important is this book to me?
Ultimately, in my opinion, this is what it comes down to.
If you’ve written a book for a bit of fun, and you want to put it on Kindle just to see what might happen, good for you! But you probably don’t need to hire an editor.
If you’ve poured your heart and soul into your book, if you’ve spent hours reading craft books and attending webinars and tutorials to improve your writing skills, if you’ve consulted beta readers and revised and rewritten and revised, if you are determined to make this book the very best it can possibly be, then, yes.
You should hire an editor.
Hi, I’m Alexandra.
I’m a developmental editor specialising in helping authors of fantasy, sci-fi and all kinds of speculative fiction bring their worlds to life, and make their books as immersive, compelling and enjoyable as possible!
Follow my blog for writing craft tips specifically tailored for speculative fiction authors.
