| Are you hoping to get your book published? Did | | | | point, you may want to hire a freelance editor for |
| you write a book and now you need to hire a | | | | your book. |
| freelance book editor? It's possible that you will | | | | |
| need a freelance editor to help you achieve your | | | | There are two basic types of freelance editors, |
| goal. However, there are two types of freelance | | | | with very different duties. The first, the |
| editors, each with different credentials and skills. | | | | developmental editor, does the "heavy lifting" and |
| Know which type of editor you'd like to | | | | should be hired before you have the book line |
| hire—and whether you even need an editor at | | | | edited (copyedited) by a line editor or a |
| this point. | | | | copyeditor. |
| | | | | |
| Should you decide to try to get a book deal with | | | | Developmental editors restructure manuscripts, |
| a traditional publisher, be aware that they will do a | | | | clean up writing to make it less awkward and |
| moderate to minimal amount of editing of your | | | | more consistent in tone, and add in transitions and |
| completed manuscript. You won't have to greatly | | | | headers. They may also suggest chapter titles |
| concern yourself with copyediting, also known as | | | | and headers, rearrangement of material, and a |
| light line editing, because they have people who do | | | | change in the voice or tone. They will tell you |
| that for the books they publish. The editor at the | | | | what is missing, what needs to be expanded |
| publishing house understands that the book-length | | | | upon, and what needs to be whittled down. Some |
| manuscript he receives from you will have some | | | | can help you further develop your ideas, taking |
| typos or the (very occasional) grammatical or | | | | them to the next level of sophistication. And they |
| spelling error, or a few boring headers that need | | | | will help you figure out what to do if chapter 2 |
| to be jazzed up. Of course, you don't want to | | | | turns out to be 35 pages long while chapter 3 has |
| deliver a manuscript that is filled with errors and | | | | only 8 pages! Developmental editing is also called |
| has structural problems either. Just remember | | | | heavy line editing, structural editing, or book |
| that the publisher's concern is whether your book | | | | doctoring.Developmental editors, or book doctors, |
| is in good enough shape for him to feel confident | | | | vary in the depth of editing they will do and what |
| that with some minor changes, it will be ready to | | | | they charge for their services. |
| go into production. Then, professionals will | | | | |
| copyedit and proofread the manuscript (and later, | | | | Light line editors, also called copyeditors, do not |
| proofread the typeset version). | | | | address the structure of the book, the voice, or |
| | | | | the tone. Instead, they fix grammar and |
| Should you decide you want to self-publish your | | | | punctuation, decide on styling (such as choosing |
| book, you are the boss and you will need to hire | | | | whether to hyphenate a word), fact check, and |
| an editor to help you make your manuscript the | | | | note inconsistencies. It is not their job to help you |
| best it can be before it becomes a bound book | | | | develop ideas or keep an eye on the big picture. |
| or eBook. If you want a quality book, at the very | | | | |
| least you will need someone to fix any errors in | | | | A copyeditor or light line editor doesn't necessarily |
| your text prior to printing. You might also decide | | | | do developmental editing. A developmental editor |
| you want a freelance book editor to look at the | | | | will often only do minimal copyediting, leaving most |
| big picture and help you with the structure, tone, | | | | of that work for someone else to do. Even if |
| and voice of your book. | | | | your developmental editor has great copyediting |
| | | | | skills, and not all do, you really need a second set |
| Let's say you decide you want to get a book | | | | of eyes to look at text after she has finished |
| deal. Even if you have written the entire | | | | working with your book. |
| manuscript for your nonfiction book, you will need | | | | |
| an excellent book proposal. Why invest in editing | | | | There are many "editing mills" out there that hire |
| your entire manuscript when what you most | | | | copyeditors (light line editors) and claim that they |
| need right now is a proposal, the marketing tool | | | | can provide to you a professional editor who will |
| that will help a literary agent get a book contract | | | | "edit" your book. Know what you are getting in a |
| for you? A quality literary agent or a freelance | | | | "freelance editor for hire." If you want to hire a |
| editor can help you determine whether your | | | | freelance copyeditor, I highly recommend the |
| proposal is all it could be, and can help you | | | | experienced professionals at the Editorial |
| improve upon it. Most book agents will make at | | | | Freelancers Association. But if you want to hire a |
| least some editorial suggestions but will not line | | | | developmental editor who can help you more |
| edit your book. Later, you may decide you need | | | | deeply develop your ideas and get your |
| a little more help shaping the manuscript before | | | | manuscript in better shape, check her credentials. |
| you hand it in to your in-house editor. At that | | | | Make sure she has the skills to do the job right. |