Do you need to hire an editor? It depends on your publishing goals.
Is this your image of an editor? Maybe it’s time to update the picture. You don’t need a publishing contract to get an editor’s feedback—you can hire a freelance editor to evaluate your work right now.
But should you? Read on to find out!
Finishing the first draft of a book is an amazing accomplishment—congratulations—but it’s just the first step. Working toward publication is challenging and you can’t cross that finish line by yourself—even if you’re self-publishing.
Yes, you heard that right. If you’re planning to self-publish, you get to bypass the gatekeepers of the traditional publishing industry, but you’re still going to need help.
The difference between self-publishing and traditionally published authors lies in who provides that help and who pays for it. Not sure what your publishing goals are? Check out this Writer’s Digest article that summarizes the pros and cons of each option.
In this post, I’ll cover the types of editing you need based on your publishing goals. Not sure what the different kinds of editing are? Check out this post on the different types of editing & editors for a full explanation. Not sure what your
Alright, let’s dive in!
What kind of editing do I need if I’m self-publishing?
The short answer: all of it.
I recommend hiring an editor to help you at each stage of the process starting with a developmental edit and ending with a final proofread after your book gets formatted
Here’s why. When you decide to self-publish you become a small business owner. That means it’s your responsibility to put out the best possible product for your customers., In this case, that means making sure your book is just as good (if not better) than a traditionally published book.
You need to hire professional editors to fulfill the functions that literary agents & publishing companies fulfill for their traditionally published authors. If you hate thinking about your book in such utilitarian terms, that’s fine, but don’t expect to make money or build a writing career if you refuse to think about the business aspects of your publishing journey.
Alright, now that we’ve covered the why, here’s exactly who you’ll need on your self publishing team:
If you’re self-publishing you…
Definitely need: developmental editing, copy editing, proofreading
Might need: line editing
Why you need developmental editing when you self-publish.
Developmental editing is the most skipped editing process, but it’s also the most important. Before you roll your eyes, I’m not just saying that because I am a developmental editor. According to a Goodreads survey, 60% of people abandon a book because of developmental issues related to the plot, pacing, or characters.
Almost all authors know that they need copy editing and proofreading, but less than 3% of readers surveyed abandoned a book because of sentence level editing issues (e.g. typos or grammatical mistakes) and only 20% abandoned a book because of “weak writing”.
Don’t make that mistake—invest in a developmental edit and make sure you plot is rock-solid before you worry about sentence-level errors.
You need a developmental editor to assess your story on a global level—does your plot work, are your characters consistent & engaging, does your pacing lag or speed over critical moments of the story, are you fulfilling reader expectations or potentially disappointing your target audience?
Characters, plot, setting—these are the critical elements that will draw readers into your book and keep them turning pages until they reach “the end”. A developmental editor is critical in ensuring that the story living in your head is coming to life on the page in a way that readers can enjoy.
Why you need copy editing and proofreading when you self-publish.
Our brains are incredible, magical creatures. When we practice something over and over again, no matter how difficult, the brain starts to perform that task automatically, saving us time and energy. That’s a great thing for our daily lives. But, it can also mess up our writing lives.
Why? It can make us skip over errors.
Let’s say you’re a grammar genius. When you read your own writing, your brain will still fill in what you think should be there instead of what is actually there on the page. That’s how little grammatical errors and even egregious typos get missed.
That’s why you need a copy editor to provide a fresh set of eyes with no preconceived notions about what’s on the page.
And let’s be real, most of us aren’t grammar geniuses no matter how strong our writing. That’s why it’s critical to hire a trained, professional to ensure our books are as professional and polished as possible.
The same is true for proofreading. Once your book is formatted, you need a proofreader to provide one last check so that you can put the best possible product in front of your customers.
What about line editing?
If you have a strong voice and love tweaking your writing at the sentence level, you may not need a line editor. It’s a personal choice and one that you can make on a book-by-book basis.
Line editing is a great idea if you’re just starting out and aren’t confident in your writing skills. Line editing can also help if you’re switching genres. You may be an expert in writing corporate reports, but writing fiction is a different beast (same if you switch from cozy romance to hard-boiled police procedurals). A line editor can help you pay attention to the language and tone that will best serve your audience and publication goals.
You may also be able to find an editor who provides line editing and copy editing as a combination service, a great option if your writing is relatively strong and doesn’t require multiple rounds of sentence-level editing.
What about beta & ARC readers?
You may be wondering how beta readers and ARC readers fit into this process.
First, beta readers aren’t editors (though some editors offer beta reading services). Beta readers provide feedback on their reading experience, letting you know when they got bored, which characters they liked, etc. Beta readers typically provide that feedback without offering suggestions about how you can improve your work. That’s what distinguishes beta readers from editors who provide specific, concrete action steps you can take to revise your manuscript.
Second, ARC readers aren’t part of the revision process at all. ARC stands for “advanced reader copy.” ARC readers get a copy of your finalized manuscript right before it gets published. They still give feedback, but in the form of reviews that are published for other prospective readers to see. ARC readers may catch typos, but their role is not to provide substantive feedback that you can use in revision. Your ARC readers see should a manuscript that is as close to perfect as possible, so that they can write amazing reviews that inspire other people to buy your book.
What kind of editing do I need if I want a traditional publishing contract?
First off, let’s be clear, if you get a publishing contract you will go through multiple rounds of edits, first with the literary agent who agrees to represent you and then with the publisher who buys the rights to your book. In fact, you’ll likely go through multiple rounds of edits with multiple people. [You can learn more about the traditional publishing process in this article from Jane Friedman].
This post is about working with freelance editors that you hire.
So let’s rephrase the question: should you hire a freelance editor before you start querying agents or submitting to traditional publishers?
The answer to that question used to be a solid no. But traditional publishing has become increasingly competitive and overworked literary agents are increasingly looking for debut manuscripts that don’t have intense editing needs.
So, nowadays, should writers hire freelance editors to evaluate their work? The answer is now a solid maybe.
If you’re traditionally publishing….
You might benefit from: developmental and/or line editing
You probably don’t need: copy editing and/or proofreading
Why you might need developmental editing or line editing:
If you get representation from a literary agent or sell the rights to a publisher, you will get developmental and line-level feedback. If you can get to that stage without hiring a freelance editor on your own, great!
Here are four situations in which a developmental and/or line editor can help someone who wants a traditional publishing contract before they reach that stage:
#1 — If you’re struggling to revise your book, developmental and/or line editing can be a great option no matter what your publishing goals are. When your story is stuck and you have no idea how to move forward, a developmental editor can help you move forward by pointing out what’s working in your novel and what you can still improve. If you’re not 100% confident in your writing style, a line editor can help you streamline your prose and prepare for the querying process. In either case, hiring an editor can be a great way to bypass the learning curve associated with writing a novel.
#2 — If you’ve already started querying your novel and aren’t getting a positive response from agents, a developmental or line editor can help you figure out what might be keeping agents or editors from saying yes to your work.
#3 — If you’re about to start querying, a manuscript evaluation from a developmental editor can help you understand if your book is ready for agents or editors before you invest significant time and effort on the querying or submission process.
#4 — If you know you need feedback but you don’t have the time (or knowledge) needed to get feedback from critique partners, writing groups, or writing classes. Many writers who want to get traditionally published get feedback from other writers, but that process involves an exchange of feedback. For example, I’m in a writing group with 5 people. Each of us submits 1,500 words at a time. So for every 1,500 words I get feedback on, I have to read and comment on 6,000 words of other people’s writing. And that’s relatively tame. I was once in a group of six that allowed each writer to submit 5,000 words per meeting. It’s a huge investment of time and effort and there’s no guarantee that you’ll get helpful feedback. Hiring a professional allows you to bypass the exchange of time for feedback by replacing it with an exchange of money for feedback.
That brings me to my next point: getting great feedback from others means you need to have the writing knowledge to give meaningful feedback to others. You don’t have to be a writing expert, but you do need to have a commitment to learning the craft so that you can support your writing partners. Again, hiring an editor means bypassing that exchange and can help jumpstart your writing education.
Copy editing and proofreading are essential to the process, but that doesn’t mean you need to pay for proofreading before you begin the querying process.
Why you don’t need copy editing or proofreading:
You should submit your best possible work when you query agents, but it’s understood that your manuscript will undergo editing during the publishing process that includes copy editing and proofreading paid for by the publisher.
Agents and acquisitions editors aren’t looking for perfect, error-free manuscripts. While you should absolutely spell-check your novel (multiple times), investing in a copy editor or proofreader isn’t the best use of your money at this stage. After all, the entire point of pursuing traditional publishing is to find a publisher to assume the risks (and costs) of getting your work into readers’ hands.
Another reason not to invest in copy editing and proofreading at this stage? Your book may undergo significant developmental and line edits requested by an agent or acquisitions editor. There’s no reason to spend money polishing prose that could get cut or significantly reworked. Particularly when that money is coming out of your pocket and not the publishers. [P.S. That’s also why you should always finish the developmental editing process before you begin working with a line or copy editor and proofreading should aways be your absolute last step after your book is formatted!]
Conclusion
Your editing needs are determined by your publishing goals. If you’re self-publishing, you’ve taken on the publisher role. That means hiring out for each stage of the editing process.
If you want a traditional publishing contract, the answer is a little more complicated. Editing can help you improve your chances of getting published, but it’s important to invest your money wisely and avoid unnecessary editing costs.
Writing may be a solitary process, but revision is a team effort. No matter which publishing path you choose, you’re going to need a team to give you feedback and make your book the best it can be. It’s just a matter of when and how that feedback comes across your desk.
Happy Writing!
