The two things I always tell budding authors, hire an editor and have a professional cover done. And definitely vet the editor. I was in an online MX writing group and there were a few good editors in the bunch. I chose mine (she'd been editor in chief of a small southern CA publishing house for 10 yrs and had branched out on her own) and she's great. When sending off original ms, my heart was in my throat. Since I write thrillers, there's a suggested word count, 70k. I'd written 100k. She literally suggested I cut one entire chapter and 30k words. First I cried, then I got angry, then I got to work. She was absolutely right. It was hard giving up some of my backstory on one secondary character in particular, but I did it. So many readers commented on how they wanted to keep reading and not put it down. A high compliment to a thriller writer.
So true! On my memoir many years earlier than my fiction writing I was in a very very good writing group w/ 2 published authors. They were my BETA testers, and it worked out fine. But for fiction, I went with a pro and am so happy I did!
I reached out to two editors. One is an author running a draft-to-submission program, the other is a big “how to Substack” guru, and both quoted me a figure of $10,000 for their services. I’m sure they’re worth it, but that is a ridiculous amount of money.
I have set price points like that for ghosting a book for someone, but not for editing work for writers trying to develop their business. Maybe they are worth it to established writers/authors, and I say good for them. My business theory has always been earn a conservative fee from a lot of people instead of premium++ pricing from a few. That way, my business is more stable and my client’s business can breathe.
To be honest, Elizabeth, they probably are NOT worth it. I'm sorry that I had such bad experiences with the two editors I "danced" with. In the end, the book may have been greatly improved by a good editor, but I didn't have the time, energy, or budget to look for a third. And by that point, I no longer had a lot of faith in editors at all. Hopefully my book hasn't suffered a great deal by my changing many of my editor's comments back to my original words. I'm just glad I have been published enough to trust my own instincts about these things. Because her writing style was so different from mine, some of her additions made the text sound AI generated. Her style was quite bland, from my perspective.
Gosh, I hear this kind of story so often! An editor should never impose their voice or perspective on you. Like a therapist, my job is to evaluate your project, offer suggestions for more workable ideas, explain the reasoning, and step back so you can make your own calls. It’s YOUR book or project. I am a facilitator. Fixing mechanical errors is one thing (I try to stay away from that, there are bots to do that) but developmental editing aims to help a writer refine and polish their craft—assumedly, the editor’s craft is already developed and doesn’t need to be validated by clients bowing to pressure.
I suppose it depends on who does the recommending. For every skilled editor who really understands the business of editing, there are multiple questionable ones. Everyone thinks they can be an editor if they know where to put an em dash. Not true—it’s a matter of knowing how to let the writer drive the bus while you nudge them away from crashes. I know a great editor if you need one. (heh heh)
The two things I always tell budding authors, hire an editor and have a professional cover done. And definitely vet the editor. I was in an online MX writing group and there were a few good editors in the bunch. I chose mine (she'd been editor in chief of a small southern CA publishing house for 10 yrs and had branched out on her own) and she's great. When sending off original ms, my heart was in my throat. Since I write thrillers, there's a suggested word count, 70k. I'd written 100k. She literally suggested I cut one entire chapter and 30k words. First I cried, then I got angry, then I got to work. She was absolutely right. It was hard giving up some of my backstory on one secondary character in particular, but I did it. So many readers commented on how they wanted to keep reading and not put it down. A high compliment to a thriller writer.
A perfect success story. Skipping the cost of professional help when needed is a most expensive fail. Thanks, Jenaine, for the input.
So true! On my memoir many years earlier than my fiction writing I was in a very very good writing group w/ 2 published authors. They were my BETA testers, and it worked out fine. But for fiction, I went with a pro and am so happy I did!
See—good editors are gold, and we do exist. :)
Goodness knows how to find a good editor. I've found recommendations to be pretty unreliable.
I reached out to two editors. One is an author running a draft-to-submission program, the other is a big “how to Substack” guru, and both quoted me a figure of $10,000 for their services. I’m sure they’re worth it, but that is a ridiculous amount of money.
I have set price points like that for ghosting a book for someone, but not for editing work for writers trying to develop their business. Maybe they are worth it to established writers/authors, and I say good for them. My business theory has always been earn a conservative fee from a lot of people instead of premium++ pricing from a few. That way, my business is more stable and my client’s business can breathe.
I can feel your integrity across the interwebs!
A good editor is invaluable. It's not the price per se, but the fear of choosing a “bad” editor, and of course, the ability or inability to pay.
To be honest, Elizabeth, they probably are NOT worth it. I'm sorry that I had such bad experiences with the two editors I "danced" with. In the end, the book may have been greatly improved by a good editor, but I didn't have the time, energy, or budget to look for a third. And by that point, I no longer had a lot of faith in editors at all. Hopefully my book hasn't suffered a great deal by my changing many of my editor's comments back to my original words. I'm just glad I have been published enough to trust my own instincts about these things. Because her writing style was so different from mine, some of her additions made the text sound AI generated. Her style was quite bland, from my perspective.
Gosh, I hear this kind of story so often! An editor should never impose their voice or perspective on you. Like a therapist, my job is to evaluate your project, offer suggestions for more workable ideas, explain the reasoning, and step back so you can make your own calls. It’s YOUR book or project. I am a facilitator. Fixing mechanical errors is one thing (I try to stay away from that, there are bots to do that) but developmental editing aims to help a writer refine and polish their craft—assumedly, the editor’s craft is already developed and doesn’t need to be validated by clients bowing to pressure.
I suppose it depends on who does the recommending. For every skilled editor who really understands the business of editing, there are multiple questionable ones. Everyone thinks they can be an editor if they know where to put an em dash. Not true—it’s a matter of knowing how to let the writer drive the bus while you nudge them away from crashes. I know a great editor if you need one. (heh heh)
Cool, but what did you think of my post?