How to Find the Perfect Editor for Your Next Book

Maybe you’re in the market for an in-depth content editor to help you figure out character, plot, themes, or the overall structure of your book.

Or maybe you’re in the final stages of your manuscript, and just need a proofreader or some final line edits.

Or maybe, you’re finally ready to pitch your final piece to an agent, and need someone to review your query letter.

No matter what you’re working on, you should hire a professional editor.

An editor can add that extra polish to your book, and catch mistakes you might’ve missed while editing on your own. They can also be a great opportunity to build your network as a new writer with other professionals in the industry.

There are many different types of editing services out there to help you put your best writing out into the literary world. But what isn’t always apparent is the specific type of editing you need, and when.

We’re here to help you decide when you might need each service, and how to figure out what you need for your project right now. Check out our list of editing services below!

Editorial Assessment

Sometimes, you might not really know what your book needs next. A proofread? A rewrite? A character personality change?

When you’re not sure what your book needs more or less of, it’s the perfect opportunity for an editorial assessment. As the name implies, this editor will assess your first draft to find what condition it’s really in.

This assessment might include suggestions to develop a plot or perhaps how to restructure the content of the book to carry a single theme throughout.

Feedback from an editorial assessment often leads to significant changes to your manuscript, so be ready for the possibility of making some big adjustments.

Your editor may uncover your book’s strengths and weaknesses, and offer ideas to revise without scrapping your entire project (phew!).

Developmental Editing

Many authors fear the dreaded “rewrite” stage of writing. But content edits can be a necessary step to making your book the best it can be.

There might be themes that need to be better fleshed out, or chapters that need to be reorganized to better tell a story.

This is where developmental editing comes in.

A developmental editor will examine your book as a whole — from sentence structure to tone to overall plot and character development. This is an in-depth level of editing that can help reshape your manuscript to speak to better your target audience.

Traditionally, this level of editing comes before any copy edits or proofreading.

Think of this kind of editor as a puzzle master — they’ll be looking at the big picture, and making sure the final product is a true work of art!

Copy Editing

Any author can attest: finding a typo in your published book is a nightmare.

Whether it’s a longer manuscript or a short story, grammatical or spelling errors can discredit your skills and attention as a writer. This is exactly why you need a copy editor.

A professional copy editor will examine your book line by line to check for spelling mistakes, punctuation errors, and all the little things that can sneak their way into your book. This not only increases readability for your future readers, but also ensures that your book meets industry standards.

Trust us, it’s never a good look to use the wrong “you’re!”

Proofreading

How exciting — you’re getting closer and closer to having a finished, polished product! But are you really ready for an agent or your first reader to give it a look?

Proofreading is one of the last stages of the editing process. A professional proofreader will look for any final issues in your manuscript, from common errors to glaring mistakes.

A proofreader will do things like double-check spelling, look for missing commas, and check for consistency in formatting of text and page numbers.

This level of editing requires extreme attention to detail. You’ll definitely want to take advantage of this kind of editing, just in case anything is awkwardly spaced or any new typos snuck in during final edits.

A proofreader is your final chance for a fresh pair of eyes on your writing before your book hits the shelves or digital catalogue. Their meticulous final pass will make sure that your reader won’t ever trip up mid-page and think, “Is that a typo?!”

Why wouldn’t you want an extra set of eyes on something so important?

Query Letter Review

Your journey to publication is hardly over once you finish your book.

You’ve had your manuscript meticulously checked by editors and proofreaders, and it’s as polished as can be. But now what do you do with it

At this stage, some authors decide to pitch their work to traditional publishers or literary agents to help them find a home for their book.

A query letter is a necessary tool in communicating what your book is about and who the ideal audience is. This letter not only gives details about your book—word count, genre, characters, and synopsis— but it also shows how much you know about how to market your book effectively.

Think of it like a one-page elevator pitch.

A good query letter should have comparable titles of other books like yours, and demonstrate how much you know about your particular genre. It also contains a little information about you, the incredible author!

Most importantly, a query letter will hook your reader (or in this case an agent) into wanting to read more of your manuscript and take a chance on working to make your book a reality.

An editor who focuses on query letters will have extensive experience in the publishing world, and knows a solid pitch when they see one. They can help you bring your “A” game, and draft the perfect letter for potential publishers and agents.

Learn more about writing an effective query letter >

Ready to Hire an Editor?

The most important thing to remember about the editing process is to keep an open mind.

While you know your book better than anyone, stepping back and letting an experienced editor give feedback or offer suggestions can illuminate things you didn’t see before.

At the end of the day, an editor’s only job is to make your book the best it can possibly be. Certain editors can even assist with the rest of the publication process, like signing your first contract, or plotting out the design of your book cover.

While you’re the writer of your own story, you can’t go at this alone. It’s true what they say: it takes a village!

Learn more about hiring an editor for your book >