Hiring a Freelance Editor

by Erin Brown

October 2013

You've slaved for months, years-perhaps decades-to finish your manuscript. You've tackled all-nighters, tear-your-hair-out rewrites, grueling self-imposed deadlines; you've grappled with creative juices that either flowed until you were drunk with brilliant narrative or dried up to leave you parched, devoid of inspiration, sobbing onto your keyboard. You get my drift. You've poured your heart and soul into this baby of yours. You've reached the point when you want to start submitting to agents or self-publish. Of course I might be biased, but based on fifteen years in the business, your manuscript and chances at success will only improve if you have an editor review your manuscript so that it's grammatically clean and the plot, characters, pacing, description, dialogue, and all of that fun stuff is up to par. Remember that you don't get a second chance to make a first impression with an agent or your readers. The writers that dig in their heels and decide not to hire or listen to their editor usually never make it out of the starting gate.

So what happens when you get it into the hands of an editor such as moi? You couldn't be happier! Finally, someone to tell you how wonderful your writing is! To affirm what you've known all along: that your novel/memoir/epic saga/brilliant tome will change the literary world as we know it.

But what happens when you get back the editor's notes (insert ominous music here)? "Hey!This isn't what I signed up for-there's red all over this damn thing! She's rewritten half of chapter one! She wants me to completely get rid of the elfin king/swashbuckling sidekick/sickly grandmother/omniscient narrator/the last half of the book!" This is a travesty and not what you signed up for, right? Wrong. This is an editor's job. To make a manuscript the best it can be based on years of experience, knowledge of the industry (hopefully, if you get a good one), and their honed skills of enhancing storytelling and writing.

More often than not, the way a writer works with their editor makes all the difference between a good final product and a bad one. This relationship is what separates a smart writer from a-ahem-not-so-smart one. You must have faith in your editor, in their knowledge, in their experience. If not, what's the point of having an editor? And yes, you do need one. Everyone needs one, even the most brilliant writers, and the smartest writers embrace what their editors do for their books-which is to make their "baby" that much stronger. Whether the manuscript comes back to you covered in red (and early in a career, most do, so don't fret!) or if there are a few simple, but significant suggestions here and there-these edits are made in order to make your book better. Even if you're hiring a freelance editor to clean up your manuscript in terms of grammar so that you don't embarrass yourself when you begin the submission process, it's almost always advisable to get someone (not a family member or friend) to review your work. And usually hiring an editor to give advice on content is even more valuable.

Here are the steps to getting the most out of your editor:

1. Throw your ego out the window. Once you've written ten bestsellers, then you can poo-poo your editor's suggestions (however, if you'll read some of these bestsellers later in the career of an "Author with a Big Ego," you'll find yourself asking, "Sheesh, didn't this guy have an editor?" Yes! But he didn't listen to his editor because Mr.-Fancy-Pants-Author-Who-Got-Too-Big-for-His-Britches thought he knew everything. He didn't. *Note: please feel free to appreciate my double pantaloons cliché). An editor exists to strengthen "your baby," not tell you that you're fantastic. You have a wife or husband, and eventually a publicist, to do that.

2. Once you've picked yourself off the floor after reading the edits and suggestions, dust yourself off, embrace the revision process, and get to work. Once you begin revising and/or incorporating your edits, you will find that ninety percent of the time, indeed, the changes are strengthening your work. You'll experience, "Damn, why didn't I think of that" moments. The reason you didn't? Because a fresh set of eyes is essential. You're too close to the work to see the flaws and what is needed to take it to the next level.

3. Learn from the editor's changes and suggestions. Feel free to ask "why" and "how" so that you'll be able to give your future manuscripts a stronger self-edit. You will learn from the edits, and in the next go-round, there won't be as many. Keep in mind, however, that even the most prolific writer needs revision work . . . and the smart ones know and welcome it.

4. It's okay to question your editor's suggestions if you feel very strongly about something. You can stick to your guns in certain instances, but pick your battles. Working with a freelancer, it's your prerogative to ignore every piece of advice they give you, although a waste of money. Most of the time, a fresh set of experienced eyes will have suggestions that you've overlooked or can't see because you're so close to the work. The most amazing and successful authors I've ever worked with are those who accept revisions and edits (not blindly, but because they recognize the worth of the revisions) and then embrace the revision process.

If you find an editor and follow these steps, I can almost guarantee that your manuscript will be stronger after a round (or two or three) of revisions. Smart and successful writers embrace their editor and recognize them as both their cheerleader and partner in the process of making a book the absolute best it can be. A smart author has to check their ego at the door, put faith in their editor, but still be strong enough to know when to pick their battles. Allow your editor to guide and help you to be the best writer you can be. Chances are, you'll take "your baby" from good to great.

Erin Brown worked as an editor in New York City for over eight years. She recently left Manhattan to start her own freelance editorial business. To learn more about Erin, visit her website at www.erinedits.com