When Should I Get an Editor For My Book?
We had a great webinar on with JoEllen Nordström of FirstEditing, on the right time to find an editor. If you missed the live webinar, you can watch the replay on our Webinars page.
In this webinar you will learn:
- WHO you can you trust for editing
- WHAT determines your editing prices
- WHEN should you approach an editor for services
- WHERE can you find editing help (for free!)
- WHY professional editing is necessary (and when it is not)
- HOW editing helps you reach your goals
Ten steps to successful editing, according to JoEllen:
- Evaluating what your manuscript needs
- Getting the best price for qualified editors
- Determine where you are in your editing journey
- Knowing who to trust with editing
- What factors play into the cost of editing
- When should you approach an editor?
- What kind of services do you need?
- Getting help with editing
- Getting a professional to help you
- How does editing help reach your goals?
JoEllen walked us through these ten steps, and answered some great questions from attendees, so be sure to watch the replay!
How Much Does Editing Cost?
The cost of editing is probably the most frequently asked question from authors. The answer is: it depends. In the webinar, JoEllen goes over the different types of editors and what factors play into the cost of editing. One tip for lowering the cost of editing is to first do a self-edit, with a tool like ProWritingAid. The less work an editor has to do, the lower the cost.
Another strategy for lowering the cost of editing is to use beta readers. Beta readers are not a replacement for editors, but they can be helpful is pointing out egregious errors such as plot holes and repetition. Learn more about beta readers in this WPS blog post.
To get a better understanding of how editors set their prices, refer to this Reedsy article.
How do I find the right editor for ME?
Another frequently asked question is, how do I find the right editor? The author-editor relationship is more personal than you'd think. JoEllen recommends shopping around to find the editor that will serve your book the best. One tip she shared for finding the right editor is to think about who your favorite writers are? Whose style would you like to emulate? Ask a potential editor if they are familiar with the work of that author.
You'll also want to take your genre into consideration. Every genre has it's own conventions, and you'll want an editor that is familiar with those conventions. Don't hire an academic editor for your romance novel, for example.
More importantly, you'll need to determine what stage of editing you are in, which JoEllen covers in the webinar. Different editors fill different needs. A developmental edit is much different from a copy edit, both in purpose and in cost.
Learn more about FirstEditing at firstediting.com, and use coupon code WIP19 to get 19% off services, until May 31st, 2020.
Head over to our webinars page to view the replay, and register for our upcoming webinars.
