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.

Do you work for free? I don't. Well, I suppose I might if I were desperate enough and thought it might lead to a paying job. Do you want a desperate editor?

For some editors, often the lesser experienced ones, sample edits are a come-on to capture business. Getting something for nothing always attracts attention, but what is it truly worth? It supposedly gives you a preview of what to expect from a full-scope critique, but does it really?

The most important part of any edit is the editor's commentary, not markings on a page. Major problems, those that dramatically impact serious readers of your book, evolve over a series of chapters rather than a few pages. Major issues are impossible to detect within the brief span of a sample edit.

So what does a sample edit actually give you? You’ll basically get virtually worthless proofreading markups. If there's any commentary at all, it can't be trusted because it's based on only a small sample of your overall text. Again, critical developmental issues can't be identified over the span of only a few pages.

Never make your choice of editors based on minor observations and markups. It's the big stuff that matters.

Also, editors who offer sample edits work hard to get your business, reminding me of those TV commercials for lawyers who offer free initial consultation. True professionals don't work for free or beg for business; their reputations alone attract plenty of clients. There's a steady demand for their services, and they don't accept every manuscript submitted to them.

A sample edit is truly worth what it costs—nothing—and it's completely misleading.

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 not. The only way they could be authentic is if whoever compiled the list has sampled the services of every professional editor available, and that's impossible--there are far too many. These lists are often comprised of friends and business acquaintances and misrepresent the listed editors' capabilities compared to those not listed.

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.