In my last blog post, we looked at how to start searching for an editor for your book to ensure you get a good final result. In this blog post, we will be continuing the search by making sure that your chosen editor is not only skilled but also suits your book and style of writing well. This is much more subjective than most criteria you would be using but equally important to get an edit you are happy with.
You will also want to consider how easy you find it is to work with your chosen editor – it can often be best to choose one you have a rapport with to make the editing process go smoothly. Bear in mind that editors can be booked up a long way in advance, so it is worth starting your search sooner rather than later! We will now look at some more elements to think about when you are selecting an editor.
Genre
One point you want to consider is what genre your editor normally works in. Take a good look through their portfolio to find out which books they have worked on before and check what genres these fall in. If they don’t seem to edit your genre much, you don’t necessarily need to worry – some editors may have worked on more than is in their portfolio, so do ask! It also depends on what level of editing you require. For example, a proofreader will be correcting technical, small details such as spelling and grammar, so the genre may be irrelevant.
However, a developmental editor will be looking at the plot and pacing, so it might be best if they do have experience in your genre. This is because it helps for your editor to know what kind of style is expected from your genre before they start editing. They can then ensure your writing matches this as much as possible, while still keeping your own style. It is also important that any edits or additions they make match the genre you are writing in, as readers will notice if your book’s tone is a bit off. Of course, you will have your own style anyway, but will still want to keep within the vague style of your genre.
Testimonials
At this stage, you will be checking what other authors think of the editors you are considering. You should be able to find testimonials or endorsements of the editor, explaining why you should choose them and the benefits of them over other editors. This is especially useful if the writer of the testimonial is an author you have heard of and are familiar with their work, as this can reassure you that the review is genuine and the final result of the editing is good. In addition, you can check which genre the author is writing in, which should give you a good idea of whether they will suit your book.
However, one problem with testimonials is how to find reliable ones. If you don’t know who wrote the testimonials, you might not know how good their judgement is and whether to rely on it. You don’t want to have to buy their books just to determine how good the editing is! You also can’t be sure that the author given actually wrote them, especially if they are on the editor’s own website. For this reason, if you can find any independent reviews of the editor, this is a more reliable way of gathering testimonials. For example, you might find an author’s blog that mentions working with the editor.
Use Your Network
If you have a professional network, now is the time to reach out to them. Tell them which editors you are considering and ask whether they have worked with any of them and what their experience was like. This should help in several ways. Firstly, it should help you to determine which genres the editors have experience in and how this plays out. Secondly, you can ask your network what their editorial style is like. Is it intensive or quite a light touch? Do they explain more complex edits or just do them? There’s nothing wrong with any of these approaches – it really depends on what suits you and your book best.
Get a Sample
One of the simplest ways to tell if an editor is a good match for you is to get a sample of their editing on a selected portion of your work. This may or may not be free depending on your editor, but is often worth it even if you have to pay. One of the advantages of getting a sample is that it gives you an opportunity to see how an editor deals with your work – what kind of edits they make and how they implement them.
A second advantage of having a sample is that it lets you see how the editor communicates – both in the edited sample and directly with you. You will have to get in contact to arrange for a sample, which gives you a great opportunity to decide if their communication style is a good match for yours. It is vital that you feel comfortable and confident with your editor to ensure the process is as smooth as possible.
Wrapping Up
Choosing an editor is a difficult process but it is worth the time invested to find a good match. Hopefully, these two blog posts will help to guide your search. In my next blog post, we will be looking at the role of a traditional publisher, so come back in two weeks for that!
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