Writing a book is a wonderful experience, but before your story catches the stairs of success, you require professionals to help you present a finished product. This is where you would search for the perfect editor to enhance the story to make it a masterpiece. Many best-selling authors work with experienced book editors to have their stories delivered in a better way.
TABLE OF CONTENT
- WHAT DOES A BOOK EDITOR DO?
- WHY HIRE A BOOK EDITOR?
- TYPES OF BOOK EDITING SERVICES
- 6 THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE HIRING A BOOK EDITOR
- HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT BOOK EDITOR
- WHAT IS THE COST OF HIRING A PROFESSIONAL EDITOR?
- TIPS FOR NEW WRITERS
WHAT DOES A BOOK EDITOR DO?
A book editor who works full-time or traditionally publishing hours or even freelance plays an important role when it’s time to publish your book. Their task is to provide an in-depth, professional editor review and revise a story by breaking it down from the first page to many thousand pages, reviewing every line and word to ensure all elements such as grammar, clarity, accuracy, and content are perfect be ready for publishing.
WHY HIRE A BOOK EDITOR?
If you are self-publishing your book for the first time or making up your mind to purchase your book from the big publishing houses. It is important to know that your manuscript is a refined one and ready for other people to have a read at it. A book editor will go through your book in-depth. Depending on what levels of editing it requires, developmental editing has a big-picture approach, whereas line editing demands a closer reading. Editors have the skill and experience to make your book worth reading for the readers with a technical and creative point of view.
TYPES OF BOOK EDITING SERVICES
Multiple writers self-edit their written manuscripts and recruit beta readers (volunteers to read a draft and provide feedback). A professional editor goes through every word, sentence, line, and page to refine the words and phrases and make the plot interesting and engaging for its readers. To look for the right editor, first of all, you have to know what type of book editing services you require. There are multiple types of editing services and types of editors you can hire:
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The Development Book Editors
The developmental editor is a professional big picture person. They work on content editing and character development. They help with an overall structure of a book. The developmental editors work on fictional and non-fictional books.
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The Line Book Editors
The line editors are super-skilled people who polish sentences. The editors analyze the line for structure, content, word choice, and the flow among the sentences and the paragraphs.
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The Copy Book Editors
The copy editors get to work on the words and sentences. They research spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. They assure consistency in the words and sentences throughout the entire book.
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The Proof-readers
Proofreading is the final step in the editing procedures. No matter which type of editing you require, in the end, all the pieces go through proofreading. A professional proofreader takes an in-depth lookout for technical errors such as typos, formatting, missing text, and repetitive sentences that might negatively impact the readers.
6 THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE HIRING A BOOK EDITOR
If you are a new writer and it’s time to hire a professional book editor, we will let you know the six things you need to consider before hiring an editor for the first time.
Here are the six things you can consider before hiring your first book editor.
1. If you are self-editing
Writers can initiate the editing procedures by self-editing the first draft. Work with it through beta readers. This is another way to support shaping a story before a professional editor comes on board to offer its exclusive services.
2. The type of editing services your book requires, including the revision.
You would most likely need some professional editing. There are multiple levels of book editing. If you hire a developmental editor, they will look at the entire book and help you with the structure and content. You can bring them to the early writing process. A line editor and copy editor would only focus on the sentence structures, grammatical errors, punctuation, word choices, and page flows. The proofreader will review the entire document for basic typo errors, consistency, and formats.
3. Know your page and word count
Before hiring a book editor and handing over your work, you should know your page and word count. The editorial charges vary or break down to a price per word or page. A 100,000-word manuscript is expensive than a book of 50,000 words.
4. How complicated is your book?
Suppose you have written a non-fictional book with a very particular subject matter. In that case, the editing cost will be higher than a straight narrative which to the complicated nature of the editing involved. If you are looking for fact-checking, it will add to the cost.
5. Research the editor’s experience before you hire them.
If you are going to hire a book editor on a freelance, have a detailed interview and ask them about the experience they carry. Have a look at their publishing house if they are professional editors. Have a look at their testimonials, referrals, and past work experiences. If they have edited books that became best-sellers, that’s a great sign. Ask for sample materials and sample edits on a few pages of your book to evaluate how they work and if it’s satisfactory.
6. Remember your deadline.
If you have a tight deadline, you need a faster turnaround; in such situations, the editing costs are a little more expensive.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT BOOK EDITOR
It can be crucial to search for one of the best book editors for your project, even if it’s your first book. It is a little bit of a hard task. First, you would have to write a query letter for prospective editors. Write query emails to the editors with basic briefs. Introduce yourself and the concept you are interested in, if they will respond, even if they don’t respond you back through emails. Just keep on researching and going down the list. Ultimately you would need an editor who would be in touch and available with you. Here are the qualities to consider while searching for the right type of editor:
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Ask for their experience and genres while searching for the right book editor.
One of the first things to review is knowing about their experience. For example, their work. Multiple experienced editors work for traditional publishers. They find out how many years of experience they have as an in-house editor. The background will offer an editor an inside idea of what is trending and contacts when you are fully ready to submit your book as a publisher.
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In what genre do they specialize.
Find an editor who holds experience in the same genre as your book. If you are writing a children’s story, you do not want an editor whose experience is only in self-written books. A fictional editor is better fitting than a non-fictional book editor if your story is a fictional narrative.
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What are your editing requirements, and what are their editing specialties?
Look what level of professional editing services you need. Multiple new authors would want to initiate with a developmental editor to help start the shape and structure.
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How much does your book editor cost?
The cost of book editing depends on the editors and what types of editing they offer. Editors charge through words, hours, and project-based. Determine the budget and amount of support you require with your book.
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What software do your book editors use?
Some writers use particular software programs for writing the manuscripts, such as Google Docs or Microsoft Word. Multiple people are fluent in various programs, so make sure your editors can use the same program as you, so you can track the changes they make for you.
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Ask them if they can do a sample edit so you can evaluate better.
It is important to know their compatibility as an editor before hiring them. Send them a paragraph or at least five pages to see how they work on it. Most of the editors would require a small charge, which is fine because they would put in their efforts.
WHAT IS THE COST OF HIRING A PROFESSIONAL EDITOR?
Let’s talk about the money, the freelancers, the professionals, and the publishing houses. All have different prices. If we talk about a freelance book editor, their standard rate is $0.02 per word to $0.25 per word. Freelance editors work by words, hours, and sometimes by the project. However, if you go for a professional book editor, they offer you a package with revisions and re-edits if it’s your first or important book. Then, it is highly recommended to choose a professional book editor rather than a freelancer.
The cost also varies on multiple factors:
- What type of editing are you searching for – proofreading services can cost less than a developmental edit.
- The more experienced an editor is, the higher the prices would be.
- The length of your project will be based on your total cost.
Every writer should have a budget for hiring a professional book editor as it increases the chances of their book’s success. The different editors charge different amounts that depend on their experience and the types of editing they do. Some editors have a flat fee and ask for a percentage upfront, whereas others charge an hourly rate. In the end, the editing costs melts down to a per word rate.
It can be crucial to know exactly how much budget you need to find the right editors. The editors association compiles multiple rates to offer a ballpark figure for multiple editors.
Once you know how to calculate the costs, you can have your total word count; and have your budget for editors to come on board and help you get your story in tip-top shape. Whether you are a newbie author searching to get your story to a big publishing house or self-publishing your work. Investing your money in a professional book editor will increase your chance of selling more copies of your book.
> TIPS FOR NEW WRITERS
Being a writer is not easy; there are times when you would self-doubt your work. This is where you need to hire a professional editor, as they would not only read your draft but make it appealing for your readers and ensure your book launch is a major success.
