DO YOU ACTUALLY NEED AN EDITOR FOR YOUR MANUSCRIPT?

You’ve written a book! Congratulations! The hard part is done. Just Kidding!! 

Much like first-time parents with a newborn, more than likely right now you’re reeling from this amazingly fantastic achievement but also wondering what comes next. And that, for most authors, is finding an editor. (If only babies were this easy!). 

But why do I even need an editor, you might be asking… well, we’ll get there, but first let’s start with what a fiction editor does.

What does a fiction editor do?

Editing isn’t a single, linear process – it usually happens in stages. 

The three most common types of editing are: 

Developmental Editing

This is the big-picture stage, and where most of the rewrites happen. Not because your initial draft isn’t good, but because, simply put, the first few drafts are for getting your book out of your head and on to the page. It’s unrefined by definition. During the developmental edit we make sure there are no big issues with the story, the characters, and the structure. We aren’t looking at the actual writing yet. 

Some of the things a developmental editor looks at:

• Plot and structure
• Pacing
• Character development
• Point of view
• Overall story coherence

If something isn’t working, this is where it gets addressed.

Line editing

The next step is line editing, and that focuses on how your story is written at the sentence and paragraph level. This is meticulous work, and where most of the debating between author and editor happens, in my experience. Sometimes it’s hard for authors to see changes in their writing, but sometimes it’s also exciting to see a reworded concept really come to life, because author’s are human and not every single word of every single sentence of your book will reflect your absolute A-game.

A line editor is mainly looking at style issues at a line level and works on:

• Clarity
• Flow
• Tone
• Rhythm
• Readability

The goal is to make your writing stronger while preserving your unique voice.

Copyediting (and Proofreading)

This is the final polishing stage, it’s more detailed work that doesn’t really require any rewriting on the author’s part.

Copyediting focuses on:

• Grammar
• Spelling
• Punctuation
• Consistency

At this point, your manuscript should already be structurally sound — copyediting ensures it’s clean and professional. Sometimes manuscripts get a final proofreading pass, that concentrates mainly on typos and consistency. 

Now for the million-dollar question: 

Do You Need an Editor?

If you’re planning to publish — whether independently or traditionally — the answer is almost always yes. And if you’re working with an agent or a publisher this step is almost certainly a given. An editor will take a pass (or several passes) at your book. But this is usually a very difficult decision for self-published authors. Hiring an editor is costly, self-published authors often don’t have the budget, but it’s still something to consider. Why?

Because even experienced writers benefit from an external perspective. As the author, you’re often too close to your own work to see everything objectively. And mostly, after all the work you’ve put into your manuscript, it really should get all the attention it deserves.

An editor can help you:

• identify weaknesses in the story
• improve clarity and flow
• elevate the overall quality of your manuscript

If you’ve finished your draft and revised it yourself, that’s usually the right time to start looking for an editor. 

In the next post we’ll delve into how to choose an editor!