How To Find Professional Editor In 5 Simple Steps
This article will break down the 5 steps to find professional editor for your book. We take the mystery out of the industry and teach authors how to self publish today!
Step 1 – Have A Third Draft
I say this to raise some eyebrows. When I say to have a third draft I mean that you should be giving an editor something to work with, not a pile of unorganized confused garble. You should have written a first draft and have gone through your manuscript enough times yourself so that you can easily describe your book to the editor so they know what to do when they get their hands on it.
Step 2 – Know What You Want Done
Now that you have a decent draft of your book you might be thinking that you can simply give it to an editor and they will work their magic without being given any direction. Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but that’s not exactly how it works. First you will need to know what kind of editing will need to be done before you hire an editor. Will you need an editorial assessment, developmental editing, copy editing, proofreading, or all of the above? Let’s quickly go over the different types of editing so you can figure out what is best for you.
Editorial assessments are often the first professional critique of your book and will provide you with excellent feedback and direction. Imagine you gave your draft to an English teacher, what would they say? That is the basic idea of an editorial assessment.
Developmental editing (or content editing) involves an editor providing more detailed feedback on your book as a whole than an editorial assessment would. They’ll help shape your ideas and help you fix any major incongruencies in the plot or theme. It’s similar to an editorial assessment but contains much more detail and what to solve.
Copy Editing is editing to make your manuscript more readable. This is where the editor will refine your word choice and even sentence structure to make your book easier to read and understand.
Proofreading is the last step in making sure that there are no spelling or grammatical errors in your final work.
Once you know what kind of editing you will need, you can then go ahead to step three and find your editor!
Step 3 – Sign Up On Reedsy, Upwork, and Fiverr
Now that you know what kind of editing you need, it is time to find an editor who is professional and can give you the quality of work and communication you need. You can search and choose from thousands of freelance editors online for free using Reedsy, Upwork, and Fiverr. You might get a few rejections, but do not be discouraged, there is someone out there who is qualified and motivated to work with you!
Step 4 – Vet Your Editor
Now that you have your accounts with a few freelance websites, you can start to browse through all the editors and send requests to those who you think will be a good fit. It is best to look for editors who are well experienced in the kinds of editing you need done, and have experience working in your genre. When an editor gives you a quote you will be able to start an email chain with them and potentially even set up a meeting with them to discuss your needs and vision for the book. If they feel like a good fit and have a good portfolio with reviews you can pull the trigger and let them get to work!
Step 5 – Sit Back And Wait!
Now that your book is being edited by a professional you are comfortable with, the only thing left to do is sit back and relax. Your journey to publishing your first book is starting strong!
Learn From Authors With Success!
Owner of Scherr Publishing and Author Kenneth Scherr is spilling the industry beans by layout out exactly how to find a professional editor without the help of some fancy publisher who charges an arm and a leg. We are committed to our mission of helping struggling self-publishing authors accomplish their dream and vision to be the number one resource for self-publishing authors. If this has helped please share this with your author friends or leave a comment to help spread the knowledge!
To see how this process turned out for Mr. Scherr, check out his book “Behaving As US” on Amazon, and if you have any more questions about self-publishing please email us at info@scherrpublishing.com or leave a comment below!
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