Frequently Asked Questions

With so much conflicting information out there, who can you trust?

Here are honest answers to the most probing questions about book editing services.

Restricting your search to only local editors can be a big mistake. First, it's highly unlikely that the best editor for you lives nearby. If you're serious enough to get an edit, you should also be serious about procuring the best edit.

And second, there's no actual advantage to having a local editor. Few, if any, professional editors allow face-to-face editing or in-person consultation. The best editors prefer to work entirely via email.

When it comes to finding the right editor, expand your search--don't shrink it.

You probably won’t; you’ll likely be overwhelmed if your editor is truly legitimate. You’ll learn that you must address issues that you've never even heard of in a rewrite.

Sometimes the truth hurts. Keep in mind what you're paying an editor to do--to honestly tell you what's wrong! If you’re not ready to accept criticism or are unwilling to revise your work in progress, save your money and keep doing what you’re doing, but don’t expect to be successfully published.

Absolutely. They like professionally edited manuscripts for several reasons. First, having invested in your work by paying for an edit gives you more credibility. If you're both serious and confident enough about your manuscript to pay for an edit, perhaps it's at least a cut above average. Also, a previously edited manuscript shouldn't have as many problems as an unedited one, which can save the publisher time and money if your submission is accepted.

The key factor that you must relay to literary agents and publishers, however, is that you've also given the manuscript a thorough rewrite following the edit. A professional edit without a rewrite is worthless.

Affordable editors can be difficult to find. But don't be impressed by academic credentials. Academia favors literary fiction and frowns on commercial works.

It's entirely possible that your agent has had an ongoing professional relationship with a trusted editor and knows that you could get the best results from this person.

It's also possible, and probably more likely, that your agent has an arrangement with a particular editor to receive a monetary kickback from each referral;  in other words, the referring party (your agent) has a selfish financial motive for steering you toward someone in particular. In this case, you typically lose because the recommended editor is not likely to be the best/most qualified professional to edit your novel, and you could actually pay more than the best editor might charge.

As is the case with most professions, editors are typically experienced within only a few select categories. No one is qualified to professionally edit everything. For instance, a children's book editor would be of little help in editing a science fiction novel.

Obtaining a copyright is the last step in the publishing process. If you copyright a manuscript, then change even one word, you will have voided your copyright and wasted time and money. Only complete, ready-for-publication manuscripts should be copyrighted--by the publisher, in your name.

If you're concerned about the security of your manuscript, visit the U.S. Copyright Office's FAQ page. You'll find that your book is protected by law even without formal registration.

Keep in mind that ideas and concepts themselves cannot be copyrighted; only completed manuscripts can.

Related Articles:

Don't Trust Online Book Editing Searches!
Best Book Editors? Says Who?
The Down Side of Critique Groups!

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