hands-on writing help
Working with an Editor 101
OK! So you’ve written a thing, and you think it’s pretty good. You’ve followed all the steps in this course to make sure it’s perfectly imperfect, and you’ve made it as awesome as you can. It might even be the best thing you’ve ever written! Whee, time to publish, right?
Well, maybe. Especially in the beginning of your project/business/whatever, we really encourage you to publish a lot of stuff as you find your voice and your audience. There’s no shortcut for that, and there’s a lot of freedom and confidence to be found in simply getting your writing out there. After this course, you know that already.
As you continue to write and share your work, you may find one or more of the following happening with your writing:
First up, a couple truths about the editing process:
1. No one can edit their own work. We all have blind spots when we’re writing. We already understand the thing we’re trying to say, which leads us to leave out crucial information that new readers need. When we edit our own work, we might make it better, and we might make it worse. We have no way of knowing because we can’t get out of our own heads to see it from a distance.
2. Beta readers are not editors. Beta readers are friends or fellow writers who offer to read and edit your work in exchange for your reading theirs. It’s a great idea to share your work with a few trusted insiders before publishing, but don’t mistake beta reader feedback for that of a professional editor. Why? I like to compare this to the time I was planning to repaint my dining room. I had a bunch of friends over for dinner, and everyone had a different idea about what color I should use. Blue, green, taupe, red...everyone had an opinion, and most of those opinions were based in what the current hot paint trends were, or what color they’d used in their own home. I ended up more confused after I’d asked for feedback than before.
My interior designer friend was the last to arrive to the house. She took one look at my dining room and said, “Don’t change it, just add a fresh coat of paint. It’s already the right color because of the southwest exposure and the color of your trim.” She was the only one whose feedback was based in formal training and experience, and the only one who wasn’t just guessing at the right answer. Her advice was the advice I took—she saved me time, money, and sanity, and she gave me confidence that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.
The same is true with editing. Friends and family members may be voracious readers, and they may even be writers themselves. They very likely all have ideas about how a piece of writing “should” sound, but does that mean they understand story structure, narrative arc, the principles of copywriting, or the rules of English grammar? Does that mean they’re good representatives of your target readers? Not necessarily. By all means, invite trusted confidantes to read your work, but don’t ask just anyone—select only those who would actually buy your book in a bookstore because it’d be helpful for them. And then do them the favor of not expecting comprehensive editorial feedback. Instead, ask a specific question or two based on their specific background, experience, and reading habits. For example, if you’re a designer writing a book about how other designers can run a successful business, don’t ask your beta readers, “Did I miss anything?” They have no idea if you missed anything, but they’ll feel compelled to come up with something. You’ll get a lot more mileage out of a question like, “Did your experience setting up an LLC differ from the way I described it in Chapter 4?” Don’t ask, “What did you think?” Ask, “What was the least helpful section? Why?”
When you’re ready to take your writing and business to the next level, it’s time to consider partnering with an editor.
Developmental editing is a sustained, collaborative partnership between writer and editor. It starts when the writer has just an idea or a partial rough draft, and wants a professional perspective on how to write a thing in the most efficient, powerful way possible, right from the first draft. Developmental editing is historically attached to book projects, and for fiction fans, it’s well exemplified in each episode of the Story Grid podcast with Shawn Coyne. Developmental editing is also available to business owners and content creators who specialize in a certain niche and do not also consider themselves professional writers on top of their own specialty.
Substantive editing begins when a writer completes an entire rough draft independently, and then wants a fresh set of eyes on the big-picture stuff like theme, clarity, resonance, transitions, and reader match. Substantive editing gives the 30,000-foot view of a piece of writing, and is more concerned with the overall impact of a piece of writing than with the finer details.
Copyediting is the 15,000-foot view of your writing. Copyeditors are focused on spelling and grammar stuff, yes, and also on the precise paragraphs and sentences you’ve chosen to communicate your message. Does that paragraph belong right there, or would it be better in the previous module or chapter? Is that the best, most powerful word to use right there, or might there a better one? Do you want to spell that word the way you’ve spelled it on page 37, or the way you’ve spelled it on page 149? A copyeditor will give you the answers to all these questions and more.
Proofreading is the final check on a piece of writing before you hit publish. Proofreaders are absolutely indispensable in my book because they come in with fresh eyes when everyone else’s are worn out. They save you from embarrassing yourself. The occasional typo isn’t a huge deal in the grand scheme of things (we all make them from time to time), but repeated offences make you look unprofessional and sloppy. A proofreader can make sure you look as good on paper as you sound in person.
Now, I get it. That looks like a lot of editing! Who has the time/money for that?!
Don’t worry, you’re in good company. Outside of traditional book publishing, most writers do not put their writing through four separate editors and stages of editing. That’d be amazing, and our reading experience on the internet would be vastly improved if we did, but it’s completely unrealistic for most writers. One thing you can do to get the best of both worlds (comprehensive editing and an efficient publishing process) is to consolidate the four stages into two. Write your rough draft and make it as good as you can, then have a developmental/substantive editor look it over for you. Once they’ve signed off, have another person do your copyediting and proofreading. I wouldn’t recommend publishing an important piece of writing without getting at least those two sets of eyes on it first.
No matter the stage of editing you pursue, a good editor will not:
After selecting your editor, be prepared to go along with their process as much as possible. They all work differently, and they’re all committed to making your work even more amazing. Trust that they’re on your side, and that the way they work supports their ability to deliver the best possible edit. Some will be in constant communication with you while they’re working on your writing, while others will touch base when they have questions they can’t answer alone. Some will edit live in Google Docs so you can follow along in real time, while others will send you the whole edit as a single file when they’re done. Some will do two or more rounds of editing as part of the partnership, while others will quote and bill those separately. All of these details should be made clear in the contract you sign with them. (And yes, you need a contract!)
Well, maybe. Especially in the beginning of your project/business/whatever, we really encourage you to publish a lot of stuff as you find your voice and your audience. There’s no shortcut for that, and there’s a lot of freedom and confidence to be found in simply getting your writing out there. After this course, you know that already.
As you continue to write and share your work, you may find one or more of the following happening with your writing:
- You run out of fresh ways to share your expertise
- Your audience isn’t responding as enthusiastically as they used to
- Sales are lagging
- Your bored and/or frustrated with the act of writing
First up, a couple truths about the editing process:
1. No one can edit their own work. We all have blind spots when we’re writing. We already understand the thing we’re trying to say, which leads us to leave out crucial information that new readers need. When we edit our own work, we might make it better, and we might make it worse. We have no way of knowing because we can’t get out of our own heads to see it from a distance.
2. Beta readers are not editors. Beta readers are friends or fellow writers who offer to read and edit your work in exchange for your reading theirs. It’s a great idea to share your work with a few trusted insiders before publishing, but don’t mistake beta reader feedback for that of a professional editor. Why? I like to compare this to the time I was planning to repaint my dining room. I had a bunch of friends over for dinner, and everyone had a different idea about what color I should use. Blue, green, taupe, red...everyone had an opinion, and most of those opinions were based in what the current hot paint trends were, or what color they’d used in their own home. I ended up more confused after I’d asked for feedback than before.
My interior designer friend was the last to arrive to the house. She took one look at my dining room and said, “Don’t change it, just add a fresh coat of paint. It’s already the right color because of the southwest exposure and the color of your trim.” She was the only one whose feedback was based in formal training and experience, and the only one who wasn’t just guessing at the right answer. Her advice was the advice I took—she saved me time, money, and sanity, and she gave me confidence that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.
The same is true with editing. Friends and family members may be voracious readers, and they may even be writers themselves. They very likely all have ideas about how a piece of writing “should” sound, but does that mean they understand story structure, narrative arc, the principles of copywriting, or the rules of English grammar? Does that mean they’re good representatives of your target readers? Not necessarily. By all means, invite trusted confidantes to read your work, but don’t ask just anyone—select only those who would actually buy your book in a bookstore because it’d be helpful for them. And then do them the favor of not expecting comprehensive editorial feedback. Instead, ask a specific question or two based on their specific background, experience, and reading habits. For example, if you’re a designer writing a book about how other designers can run a successful business, don’t ask your beta readers, “Did I miss anything?” They have no idea if you missed anything, but they’ll feel compelled to come up with something. You’ll get a lot more mileage out of a question like, “Did your experience setting up an LLC differ from the way I described it in Chapter 4?” Don’t ask, “What did you think?” Ask, “What was the least helpful section? Why?”
When you’re ready to take your writing and business to the next level, it’s time to consider partnering with an editor.
How to know you’re ready for an editor
You’re ready to hire an editor if:- You’ve been writing and publishing regularly for a while (probably at least a year), such that you can confidently answer basic (but specific) questions about your business, brand, audience, content, and goals.
- You are leveling up and/or rebranding your business, and going forward, you want your written content to reflect an even higher commitment to professionalism and business success.
- You get great responses to your product/service/business when you explain it in person, but not when you write about it, and you can’t figure out why.
- You have a budget allocated to editing. Good editing is an investment in the growth and sustainability of your business, and as with everything, you’ll get what you pay for. Freelance editors set their own rates, so they’ll vary widely based on training, speciality, and experience, but the “How to find an editor” list of links below will also give you a starting sense of what to expect in terms of investment.
- You’re planning to self-publish a book. For the sake of readers everywhere, please don’t self-publish a book without an editor. :)
How to find an editor
Asking fellow writers and business owners for recommendations and introductions is the best way to find out who the editors are in your space, and how they work. Beyond that, here are a few more ways to connect with working, available editors:- If you’re writing a book, check out the Acknowledgements section of books in your genre. A happy author will often thank their editor right there, and you can use Google after that to find them and drop them a line. Some book editors work exclusively for publishers, so they won’t be available for hire, but others (like me) are independent.
- The Editorial Freelancers Association and Editors Canada both maintain searchable databases of accredited editors for all kinds of projects.
- Opening a business account on Creative Guild will give you access to hundreds of creative writers and editors who specialize in jobs just like yours.
- This master list of the best book editors on Kindlepreneur gives a great overview of who’s out there, how to find them, and what they can do for you.
What an editor does
Editing isn’t all about fixing spelling and grammar. That’s one kind of editing, yes, but there are actually four different kinds. Different editors will describe these four stages in their own ways, but they are roughly categorized as follows:Developmental editing is a sustained, collaborative partnership between writer and editor. It starts when the writer has just an idea or a partial rough draft, and wants a professional perspective on how to write a thing in the most efficient, powerful way possible, right from the first draft. Developmental editing is historically attached to book projects, and for fiction fans, it’s well exemplified in each episode of the Story Grid podcast with Shawn Coyne. Developmental editing is also available to business owners and content creators who specialize in a certain niche and do not also consider themselves professional writers on top of their own specialty.
Substantive editing begins when a writer completes an entire rough draft independently, and then wants a fresh set of eyes on the big-picture stuff like theme, clarity, resonance, transitions, and reader match. Substantive editing gives the 30,000-foot view of a piece of writing, and is more concerned with the overall impact of a piece of writing than with the finer details.
Copyediting is the 15,000-foot view of your writing. Copyeditors are focused on spelling and grammar stuff, yes, and also on the precise paragraphs and sentences you’ve chosen to communicate your message. Does that paragraph belong right there, or would it be better in the previous module or chapter? Is that the best, most powerful word to use right there, or might there a better one? Do you want to spell that word the way you’ve spelled it on page 37, or the way you’ve spelled it on page 149? A copyeditor will give you the answers to all these questions and more.
Proofreading is the final check on a piece of writing before you hit publish. Proofreaders are absolutely indispensable in my book because they come in with fresh eyes when everyone else’s are worn out. They save you from embarrassing yourself. The occasional typo isn’t a huge deal in the grand scheme of things (we all make them from time to time), but repeated offences make you look unprofessional and sloppy. A proofreader can make sure you look as good on paper as you sound in person.
Now, I get it. That looks like a lot of editing! Who has the time/money for that?!
Don’t worry, you’re in good company. Outside of traditional book publishing, most writers do not put their writing through four separate editors and stages of editing. That’d be amazing, and our reading experience on the internet would be vastly improved if we did, but it’s completely unrealistic for most writers. One thing you can do to get the best of both worlds (comprehensive editing and an efficient publishing process) is to consolidate the four stages into two. Write your rough draft and make it as good as you can, then have a developmental/substantive editor look it over for you. Once they’ve signed off, have another person do your copyediting and proofreading. I wouldn’t recommend publishing an important piece of writing without getting at least those two sets of eyes on it first.
No matter the stage of editing you pursue, a good editor will not:
- change the writing for you. They will offer suggestions or ideas for how to say things so you have an example of what they’re asking you for, but unless you’ve explicitly arranged for ghostwriting services, your editor won’t change what you’ve written.
- force you to make specific changes. An editor’s recommendations are just that—recommendations. They’re based in that editor’s training and experience, so they’re definitely legit, but they’re not set in stone. If you disagree with an editor’s suggestions, say so. They can help you understand their reasoning if you’re unclear, or they can help you make the most of not changing a certain thing.
- alter your voice. All good editors respect what is unique about your voice, and they won’t try to take that away from you. They’ll help you hone it, understand it even better, and learn how to leverage it in your writing.
- make you a perfect writer. An editor is there to help you shape what you’ve written into a better version of itself. They can’t guarantee perfection (whatever that means!). They can’t turn a bad piece of writing into a Pulitzer Prize winner. They can’t turn you into Seth Godin overnight, but with long-term collaboration and patience, they can definitely help you become a better, stronger, more confident writer!
Hiring and working with an editor
Here are some questions to ask to make sure you’ve got a legit editor on the other end of your email queries:- Do you have training and/or experience in the level of editing I need?
- Have you edited work like this before, in this genre/style?
- Do you have references/testimonials I can see?
- Can you provide a sample edit? (Expect to pay a fee for this.)
After selecting your editor, be prepared to go along with their process as much as possible. They all work differently, and they’re all committed to making your work even more amazing. Trust that they’re on your side, and that the way they work supports their ability to deliver the best possible edit. Some will be in constant communication with you while they’re working on your writing, while others will touch base when they have questions they can’t answer alone. Some will edit live in Google Docs so you can follow along in real time, while others will send you the whole edit as a single file when they’re done. Some will do two or more rounds of editing as part of the partnership, while others will quote and bill those separately. All of these details should be made clear in the contract you sign with them. (And yes, you need a contract!)