Good afternoon, everyone! Today we are going to continue where we left off on how to actively seek representation with an agent, by discussing the process for prepping a polished work to make it ready for querying: editing and editors.
Many new authors generally don't know exactly how much their work needs to be edited in the process of turning out a finished work. This is one of the most common reasons a work is rejected before it goes further than an agent's inbox. If the work is not a polished and finished work of art, the query will not be either. And on the rare occasion someone gets the query right and then sends ten pages of unedited disasters, they will get no further than a thank you very much, but...
So, what do you do to get ready for that perfect submission? Let's start with the most obvious one - having a manuscript that is polished and ready for publishing. Countless authors new to the industry think it is as simple as writing a manuscript to what they THINK is good enough and then taking it to a publisher and getting it published. What they are confused about is that this is a goal, not reality and not how publishing actually works.
To successfully get your foot in that door, you don't just write the manuscript. You have to polish it to a finished and perfect piece of art. You would not go shopping for a sofa and pick one that had not been upholstered, with a bare frame and no fabric, cushioning or comfort. You would not by a piece of clothing that was not stitched together properly. You would not buy a car that did not run. Well, a rough manuscript is no different. The first round is called a rough draft for a reason. This is because it is just your ideas first being put to paper, and it should go through many evolutions before it is finished.
Then comes the editing, and the best authors know this is not something you just hand over to someone else. You always do at least one or two runs over your own work before the first editor ever sees it. It used to be that the author would do most, if not all the editing themselves before starting to query. But the changes in the industry that began with the sudden explosion of self-publishers has changed that. Now, the majority of authors out there send their work to editors and pay to have it edited in prep for publishing.
Now, having an editor has always been important, and there are many kinds of different editors in existence. Each of them also does a specific job. Here is a list of different editors and the jobs they do:
THE DEVELOPMENTAL EDITOR - This is the person who looks at the concept of your book as a whole - your theme and plot, your point of view, character development, story flow... in short - your work as a whole. These editors are only sought if an author needs guidance creating their story, or when their first draft is finished and they are not sure if it works. Now, that being said, keep in mind that many authors are unsure of their own work and are their own worst critics. So know the difference between having self-doubt and truly thinking there could be something missing structurally from your first draft. Authors who have mastered their craft do not generally need this type of editor.
THE LINE EDITOR - The line editor's job is to find issues within a written work, such as using too much passive voicing, inconsistent story flow, repetitive or awkward phrasing, and too much telling vs showing between dialogue and narrative. They focus on your voice and writing style, ensuring your work is solid. Authors who have finely honed their skills also do not need this type of editor, as they have gotten to the point they can edit out most of these problems on their own.
A COPY EDITOR - This type of editor is a little more commonly used, and for self-publishers is sometimes necessary to ensure a quality product. This editor focuses on some of those final polishing qualities in a manuscript, such as grammar, punctuation, and spelling, as well as words that are commonly confused with each other (then-than/ through-threw etc.). They also check the consistency of your work to be sure the story flows the way it should. This is the last stop before a proofreader. Authors who have honed their skills to a finely tuned art don't always need this kind of editor, and can usually edit their own work in this category. But they need to be ABSOLUTELY SURE they have enough of a handle on their knowledge of writing to skip this if they are a self-publisher. This is the turning point when a work in progress becomes a polished and finished piece that is ready to publish.
THE PROOFREADER - Here is where your work is finally inspected. This editor is important, because he or she is the last stop before either the acquisition editor in a publishing house, an agent or self-publishing. And make no mistake, a proofreader is an editor. They are the final read-through, making sure your book is as error-free as possible. By now, your book is considered a "proof-copy" or working copy that is supposed to be polished and ready. This editor looks for typographical or page number errors, layout errors, and anything else that could be a potential problem, to be sure your book is ready for both digital and printed publishing.
THE ACQUISITION EDITOR - This editor will not be used by many, as their job is usually tied to a publishing office. Their job is to "acquire new manuscripts and evaluate their saleability" for the publisher. These are often the editor that new authors think the publishers use to clean up their work. Nothing could be further from their defined duties. Your average publisher has thousands of acquisitions each year, and do not employ enough staff members, even if you counted every single person in their companies, to be able to edit that many manuscripts each year like that. That would not be profitable to their companies, and they would be spending more money paying their editors than publishing books. So, the only way you will deal with one of these editors is if you are traditionally publishing, have been accepted by an agent or publishing company. Self- publishers will never have to worry about these.
Now, before you ask - no. This does not mean you have to have each and every one of these types of editors edit your work. Most authors who have mastered their craft honestly only need either a copy editor or proofreader, or both if you're that worried. However, as a self-publisher, when you are seeking an editor, ask for their credentials. A person who just decides to be an editor one day, because they themselves have self-published, does not necessarily have the qualifications to know how to properly edit a manuscript and prep it for publishing. This is something many new authors do not think to check for. Ask about their education and what their qualifications are. Remember - this is who you are asking to work on your manuscript. It will not matter how much you agonized or bled over it if you trust it to the wrong person.
You also need to talk to them about price and time before you agree to anything. Find out what kind of a schedule they keep for editing and how long it will take. It should never just "sit with them until it's done" or until you give up and demand it back. They need to give you a roughly agreed on time frame. After all, you hired them. So, as independent contractors, they need to uphold their side of the contract. Also knowing their price is important. Ask up front what they are charging and ask around to compare it with other editor's prices. If they are legitimate, they should have both credentials and fair pricing.
Do not send your work to them without getting something in writing about your contract, stating that you are sending them a copy of your written work, and if sent through email, never delete that email until they have completed the contract with you, you have received your work back completed, and you get it copyrighted. This is for your own protection. Some authors have failed to do this and have ended up in court battles over their own material, and some of them have lost because they lacked simple proof. To protect your intellectual property, always make sure you have the proof you sent it to someone, whether editor, beta reader, or a publisher. This is simple common sense.
In short, the editing process is extremely important to get your work noticed, and to turn out a quality piece that can be recognized by industry standards as quality work.
We will discuss more about seeking representation next week.