Independent
Editors
What Editors
Do
An independent editor, sometimes called a book
doctor, is someone
who, for a fee, will undertake
to read and edit your manuscript for structure, style, plot, character
development, continuity, and so on.
What's the difference between anindependent editor and an
editor employed by a publishing house?
- An in-house editor works with
authors on a
publisher's behalf, editing books prior to publication. She
edits to her own taste but also to the publisher's standards. Any book
acquired by a reputable commercial publisher will
be edited in-house. Editing is part of the publication process,
and the author isn't charged for it.
- An independent editor
is an
independent contractor working directly for, and paid by, the
author. What kind of editing is done, and how extensive, is entirely up
to the author.
Most independent editors offer a number of
different levels of editing,
from which you can pick and choose. These may
include:
- Manuscript assessment or critique. A
broad overall
assessment of your full ms., pinpointing strengths
and weaknesses. Specific problem areas may be flagged, and general
suggestions for improvement made, but a critique
won't usually provide line-by-line advice on revision.
- Content editing (also known as
developmental or substantive editing). Focuses on structure,
style, and content. The editor reads the ms. to flag specific
problems--structural difficulties, poor pacing,
plot or conceptual inconsistencies, stiff dialogue, poorly-developed
characters, stylistic troubles, flabby writing.
The editor him/herself may rewrite the ms. to fix these problems, or
may provide notations and detailed advice
so the author can address them.
- Line editing. Editing at the
sentence level,
focusing on paragraph and sentence structure, word use,
dialogue rhythms, etc., with the aim of creating a smooth prose flow.
- Copy editing. Correction of
common errors (grammar, spelling, punctuation), incorrect usages, logic
lapses, and continuity problems.
- Proofreading. Checking for typos,
spelling/punctuation errors, formatting mistakes, and other minor
mechanical problems.
Editing terminology is fluid. Some editors define
the above terms
differently, or use different terms. Others
simply provide "light", "medium", and "heavy" editing--light being on
the order of
copy editing, medium and heavy being some combination of line and
content editing. It's important, before hiring
an editor, that you're clear on exactly what services s/he provides.
When
Do You Need an Independent Editor?
Hiring an independent editor can be an expensive
proposition. A thorough content edit from an experienced, credentialed
editor can cost several thousand dollars, pounds, or euros. A basic
copy edit
may cost several hundred.
Do you really need to spend that kind of money? Before you decide, it
makes sense to investigate alternatives--a
sympathetic friend who's not afraid to criticize, a local writers'
group or critique circle, an online writers'
group, a creative writing course, an English professor at a local
college, a professional writer with whom you're
acquainted. Any of these may be able to give you the help you need,
free of charge or at a fraction of the cost.
Still, there are circumstances in which hiring an independent editor
may make sense:
- If the alternatives aren't easily
available--or if you've used them, and still don't feel you're
getting the feedback you need.
- If you've begun submitting your
polished ms. and are getting positive comments, but still are racking
up rejections.
Something's wrong, and you aren't quite sure what--or the rejections
all seem to identify the same problems. Again, a good independent
editor
may be able to help.
- If you've written or want to write a nonfiction book on
a subject in which you're an expert, but you aren't a professional
writer.
If your idea is marketable, an independent editor may be a good
investment.
- If you've chosen self- or vanity
publishing, or one of the non-fee-charging print-on-demand-based
publishers
with an open acceptance policy. Publishers like these may copy edit,
but they don't do substantive editing--so if you want the
benefit of that final professional scrutiny, you'll need to find
someone to provide it.
Whatever your situation, hiring an independent
editor shouldn't be like taking your car to a mechanic--i.e., you go
away for two hours and when you come back your car is fixed. You'll
get the most out of your experience if you
treat it as a learning opportunity--a chance to hone and improve your
own editing skills. Self-editing is an essential
part of the writer's craft. If you're really serious about a writing
career, it's something you need to master.
What
Editing Can't Buy
When considering an independent
editor, keep your expectations realistic. There are
things even the best editor can't do for you.
- Provide a magic fix. Editing is a
subjective process. There's no set "formula" for dynamic
plots or well-rounded characters or even good prose style (beware of
any independent editor who tells you there is).
And even the most accomplished editor can't make a bad manuscript into
a good one. As one in-house editor commented
at a writing conference I attended some time ago: edited slush is
slightly better slush, but it's still slush.
- Turn a good book into a potential bestseller. Again,
there are no formulas for this. Bestsellers come
in all shapes and sizes, and even publishers are sometimes surprised
when bestsellerdom occurs (and when it doesn't). Only
a dishonest editor will make such a promise.
- Ensure publication. Good editing may improve your
manuscript, but finding publication depends on more than
just the quality of your work. Effective targeting of your submissions,
editors' judgment of readers' tastes, the
perceived marketability of your book, and what the publisher is already
publishing all play a part. An excellent, polished manuscript is
essential,
but it's just one piece of the total picture. There are no guarantees.
- Make literary agents and in-house editors more likely to
look at your work. Agents and in-house editors
know the limitations of editing. They're also well aware of how many
underqualified and unscrupulous independent editors
there are. Typing "professionally edited" on the title page of your
manuscript, or mentioning it in a
cover letter, will not improve your chances. In fact, it may harm
them--there are so many unqualified editors
that agents and in-house editors may assume you've been duped.
Manuscript
Assessment Services
Common in the UK and Australia, manuscript
assessment services provide a critique of your
manuscript, focusing on strengths and weaknesses and
offering suggestions for improvement. Many assessment services also
promise to evaluate the marketability of your work, and give
advice on where and how to submit it.
Assuming that the staff of the assessment service are qualified (and
this is not necessarily a safe assumption--see the suggestions below on
how to judge an assessment service's competence),
writers may benefit from a thorough manuscript critique. Suggestions on
where to submit can also be helpful (though these should always be
supplemented with
your own research, for the widest range of options). Another possible bonus: assessment services can be less
expensive than independent editors, and may have a quicker turnaround
time.
Marketability evaluations, however, are of
doubtful usefulness, and not just because they depend at least in part
on subjective factors. No marketability evaluation
can take
account of the many related issues that affect the
publication process--editorial taste, publishers' needs, what the
publisher bought yesterday
(it might have been a book very much like yours, which means that even
if your book is better, it's out of the running). Ultimately, the only
opinons about marketability that count are those of the agent who signs
you for
representation, and the editor who buys your book. The only way
to determine those opinions is to submit your work for
publication.
Some assessment services may also encourage you
to believe that an assessment gives you a leg up with agents
and
publishers, who give preference to pre-screened manuscripts. Be
skeptical of such claims. A 2007 survey conducted by the Queensland (Australia) Writing Centre
found that few writers who had used assessment services had been able
to gain representation or publication. And an earlier survey of agents
and publishers (quoted in the 2007 survey) found that attaching an
assessment to a manuscript submission had little effect on publication.
Also in 2007, Writer Beware contacted a number of UK
agents, all members of the Association of Authors' Agents, to learn
their opinions of assessment services. Most agreed that the better ones
could help writers improve their manuscripts (though some expressed
concerns
about the possibility of high fees). But they were unanimous in
responding that they want to make their own assessment of a
manuscript's marketability, rather than relying on others' opinions,
and would not give preference to an assessed submission.
A number of large UK and Australian publishers'
websites do suggest that writers seek out assessment services to help
them
learn their craft, or in lieu of the detailed rejection letters that
publishers no longer send. However, this is not the same as
recommending assessments as part of the submission process, or giving
priority to submissions that are
accompanied by assessments.
The bottom line: If you choose to use an assessment service, do it
because
you want to improve your writing and/or obtain an objective
opinion of your work (though remember, as noted above, that there are
ways to do this that won't cost you any money). Don't do it because you
hope
that having an assessment will impress agents and editors, or make it
easier to find representation or publication.
What
to Watch Out For
There are plenty of expert
independent editors and manuscript assessment services. However, there
are also many who set up shop with
little experience and few qualifications.
These individuals or services may be entirely well-meaning, sincerely
believing
that a love of reading, or a career as a teacher, or some
technical writing experience, is enough to qualify someone to edit or
assess others'
work. But such people rarely possess the specialized skills, not to
mention the
industry knowledge,
that are essential for a useful critique or a professional-quality line
or content edit. They may not be able to properly judge your
manuscript's strengths and weaknesses for the trade marketplace, or
they may provide services
that are little more than glorified copy
editing or
proofreading--i.e., things you could probably do yourself.
Still other independent editors and assessment services are outright
frauds--Edit Ink, for instance, an editing
firm that engaged in a kickback scheme with agents and publishers and
employed underqualified staff to perform rudimentary, overpriced edits
(for an in-depth look at Edit Ink, see
the Case Studies
page).
How to avoid unqualified or questionable people or services? A few
common-sense guidelines:
- Be sure the editor or assessor is
qualified. You're
looking for professional editing experience (preferably with a
commercial publisher) and/or professional
writing credentials (legitimately-published books, articles, etc.). If
the editor has a website, her CV should be posted there. An editing
or assessment service should post staff names and biographies. Be
extremely
cautious of editors whose websites say nothing about their credentials,
and of editing/assessment services that don't identify their staff.
For individual editors, membership in the
Editorial Freelancers Association (US), the Society of Freelance
Editors and
Proofreaders (UK), the Institute of Professional Editors (Australia),
or the Editors' Association of Canada are all indications of
professionalism. In New Zealand, the New Zealand Association of
Manuscript Assessors is a professional body specifically for assessment
services.
- Ask for titles of some of the books on which the
editor
has worked. Commercially published books
indicate professional experience and standing, though some good
independent editors specialize in self- or POD-published
authors (if that's the case, try to get hold of one or more of the
books so you can assess quality). Again, if
the editor or service has a website, the information should be
available there.
- Be sure the editor or assessor has experience
appropriate to your
work. Good editors and assessors specialize. Someone whose main
experience
involves nonfiction may not be the ideal choice to edit or assess your
epic
fantasy novel.
- Verify that the editor or assessor really is
independent, especially
if you've been referred to him/her. No third party
(such as a literary agent or publisher) should benefit from your use of
the editor's
or assessor's services.
- Get references, and check them. This is important.
Other than a recommendation from someone you trust,
it's probably your best way to judge professionalism and
effectiveness.
- Ask to see a sample critique or assessment.
This will give you an idea of what you'll be getting for your money.
- Before making a final commitment, speak or correspond
with the editor or assessor. You want to be sure the person you'll
be working with
understands your needs, and that you understand what they will do
for you. You also need to feel comfortable
with the editor or assessor--not just professionally, but
personally--and s/he with
you.
- Make sure the business arrangements are clear. You
should know exactly what you'll be paying for, including
the scope of the work to be done, the charges you'll incur, the
approximate time period involved, and who will
be doing the editing or assessing (you don't want to choose an editor
because of
his reputation and discover you've
been passed on to a less-qualified underling). Ideally, obtain a
contract or a letter of agreement that covers
all these areas.
And if you encounter any of the following, be
wary:
- A referral from a literary agent or
publisher. A reputable agent may tell you that your book needs
work, and suggest that you think about hiring an independent editor.
She may even give you some names to choose from. Be on your guard,
though, if you're urged to use a specific editor or editorial service.
In
such cases, a kickback arrangement may be involved, a la Edit Ink, or
the agent or publisher may own the
service itself (perhaps under a different
name). Either way, it's a conflict of interest--how can a writer trust
a referral that makes a profit for the referrer?
- Recommendation of a publisher's or
agent's own paid editing or manuscript assessment services. Another
conflict of interest.
If the agent or publisher can make money from selling you editing, a
critique, or a manuscript assessment, how can you be sure
that the recommendation is in your best interest?
- Editing or manuscript assessment as a requirement of
representation
or submission. Some questionable agencies oblige you to purchase a
critique as a condition of representation. Some vanity publishers
make you buy an assessment as part of the submission process.
Again, this is a conflict of interest, allowing the agency or publisher
to increase its profit margin by charging you for extra services--which
may or may
not be of professional quality.
- Extravagant praise or promises. No
reputable
independent editor or assessor will tell you that your book has huge
commercial potential or that it's likely to become a bestseller. Nor
will they claim that an edit or assessment will make agency
representation more likely, or improve your chances of selling to a
major publisher. Why? Because these are promises
that can't be guaranteed, and a good editor or assessor, like a good
agent, knows
better than to make them.
- Warnings that publishers nowadays won't look at mss.
that haven't been professionally edited. Dishonest or ignorant
independent editors often prey on the anxieties of aspiring
writers by saying that publishers won't look at
manuscripts unless they've been professionally edited. In-house
editors, they say, no longer have the time to edit--they
want books that are picture-perfect and ready to publish.
This isn't so. It's true
that in today's world of big publishing
conglomerates, where in-house editors must handle
enormous workloads and do double duty as administrators, the days when
an editor could afford to invest months
working with an author to shape a promising but not-quite-ready
manuscript are largely gone. But it's false
to say that in-house editors don't edit (they do), or that professional
editing is a prerequisite for publication
(it isn't), or even that the name of an editing service on a manuscript
will make a publisher more likely to read
it (it won't. See above). Your manuscript needs to be as perfect as you
can make it--finished, polished, and properly
presented. But no one will hold it against you if you accomplish this
yourself.
- One-size-fits-all editing or assessing, all comers
accepted. Expert editors and assessors have areas of
specialization
that reflect their experience. The skills required to edit or critique
a romance
novel, for instance, are quite different from
those needed for a work of narrative nonfiction. That's not to say a
single editor or assessor won't possess both skill
sets--but it's unlikely that one person will be able to edit any and
all subjects and genres with equal effectiveness.
Also, within the basic scope of services s/he provides, a good editor
or assessor will tailor the job to the
client. Standardized services and a lack of specialization
suggest a lack of professional knowledge and/or experience.
- Anonymous editing or assessing. Some editing and
assessment services don't post
staff resumes on their websites, and don't tell you in advance who will
be assigned to you. You thus have no way of verifying the
credentials of the person you'll be working with, or of ensuring that
he or she has experience appropriate
to
your work. Sometimes the services will provide this information if you
request it. Be wary of those that won't.
- Direct solicitation.
Independent
editors or assessors may maintain websites or advertise in industry
journals. But
they don't cold-call writers. If you've registered your copyright or
subscribe to a writer's magazine, you may
be a target: disreputable people sometimes purchase mailing lists
from
these sources.
- Refusal of reasonable requests for
information. Like
a reputable agent, a reputable editor
or assessor should have no problem providing a resume, references, and
samples of
her work. Be wary if you
encounter resistance in any of
these areas.
- Vagueness about specific services.
An editor or assessor should
be willing to say exactly what he will do for
you. If an editor or assessor won't give you a firm price, or doesn't
want to
specify what his fees will cover, or won't
tell you exactly who will be working on your manuscript, move on.
|
