Episode Thirty: 5 Signs You’re Ready Hire a Professional Editor for Your Novel
You’re writing a book. You know that you need a professional editor to help you figure out how to revise your book successfully, but you’re not sure if you’re truly ready for such a big step. In this episode, I’m discussing five signs that you are ready to hire an editor. If you check all of these boxes, it’s time to reach out!
Here are the five signs that you are ready for professional editing:
You’ve taken your manuscript as far as you can on your own.
You’re actually open to feedback - not just looking for a rubber stamp on your writing.
You’re ready to invest in your work (even if you’re not guaranteed to make that money back).
You know how editing fits your personal and professional writing goals.
You’re emotionally ready to get feedback that may sting a little.
Want to work with me? Check out my services here: https://oliviahelpswriters.com/services
Still revising on your own? Grab my free revision kickstart guide here: https://olivia-helps-writers.kit.com/revision-kickstart-guide
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Thanks for listening, keep writing, and keep getting better one word at a time!
Transcript
Olivia (00:00)
You've been working on your book for a while. You know that you need professional help at some point, but you're not sure if that day has come or if you should keep working on your own. Don't worry, I am going to help you figure it out with five signs that you are ready for professional feedback. Whether you are planning to work with an editor or a book coach, I'm going to help you figure out if now is the right time or if you should keep going on your own a little bit longer. Let's get started.
Welcome to episode 30 of the Better Writer Podcast. In this episode, I'm sharing five signs that you are ready for professional feedback. Whether that feedback is coming from a book coach, an editor, or a professional beta reader, we are going to talk about what it looks like when your manuscript is ready for that feedback.
I am specifically going to focus on developmental feedback. So we are not talking about copy editing or proofreading or anything like that. Quick rule of thumb: you don't want to get any kind of professional editing on your manuscript until you are 100% certain that all of your story level revisions are done. So if you are still moving scenes around or deciding that things are going to get cut or stay or whatever, do not even go near a copy editor or proofreader.
I have had some people get a copy edit before a developmental edit in the past. It is a mistake. All of your developmental edits should be done before you go near line editing, copy editing, proofreading. All right, with that out of the way, let's talk about the signs that you are ready for developmental feedback, whoever it's coming from.
All right, sign number one is that you have taken your manuscript as far as you can on your own. That means you have identified problems in your manuscript. You have revised for those problems. And you know that something still isn't right, but you have no idea what it is, or more importantly, you have no idea how to fix it. If you are in that place, it's time for help.
And that could be true at various points in your process. There is no one size fits all. It's not like after draft two, you get an edit. It's once you feel like you have solved all of the problems that you can personally identify, but there still is something that isn't quite working, that's when we get help. For some of you, that could come halfway through draft one, where you get stuck in the middle, you have no idea how to move forward. You can hire an editor or a book coach for a partial draft and they can help you move forward. You might be someone who is more experienced and you get to draft four and you think it is you know as good as I can make it I think it can still be better and then we get help so there is no one size fits all it will depend on your skill as a writer it will depend on that particular story sometimes you run into a plot problem you cannot solve on your own even if you're experienced that is when we get help you do not need to suffer on your own
Alright, sign number two is that you are genuinely ready for feedback. You are open to new ideas, you are willing to make changes in your story. And for some people, that day will never come, in which case, don't waste your money on an editor. Because if you are thinking that an editor is going to give you the green light rubber stamp and say, This is perfect, that's probably not going to happen. And you know, if I were to run into a situation where I got a sample edit request from someone and their manuscript truly was perfect, I had no notes for them, I would tell them to move on to the next step in the editing process. I would not, you know, take their money for developmental edit if I didn't think that I was genuinely going to make the manuscript better.
Other people might feel differently about it, ⁓ but that is what I would do in that situation. Or I would downgrade them to something like a revision strategy session or even an outline critique to check for any structural issues that aren't showing up in the sample edit. But if your manuscript is perfect, or you think it is, and you are not willing to budge from that idea, don't waste your money.
I will also say that if you are someone who is really, really firmly attached to an idea or a certain set of ideas, and there are things you absolutely will not budge on, ⁓ you are going to need to be careful. And I think that if you know, if there are only a few select things that you say, these are things that I'm not willing to change, and you are very upfront about that with the editor, that can absolutely work. There, you know, there is nothing wrong with having things that you are really set on in your story, and there should be things that you love in your story. But if that applies to everything, if you really find yourself thinking there's nothing that you could possibly change or nothing that you really want to be open-minded about. ⁓ Then I would definitely not recommend a developmental edit. I don't think you should spend a ton of money getting feedback at that time. ⁓ I would recommend maybe something a little bit less than first just to see how you feel after getting feedback. ⁓ but if you are not willing to change mind, then don't waste your money. You have to be open-minded when you hire an editor because you might think you know what they're going to say. You might think you know what their feedback is going to be, but we might surprise you because we are bringing a lot of expertise and knowledge to the process.
And especially if you are a newer writer, you may not get what you're expecting. not in terms of deliverables. Hopefully the editor will give you exactly what they promised, but in terms of the substance of what we say, it may be unexpected. If you are not ready to really be open-minded and take the time to think, is this feedback true, then it is not going to work out. No matter who you hire, no matter how good they are, if you are not willing to listen, it's not going to help.
Alright.
Sign number three is that you are ready to invest in your writing. And I mean that financially. And we don't always like to talk about money. And it's kind of the elephant in the room with any creative pursuit. But if you are going to hire an editor, it is going to cost something. There are editors at every price point. ⁓ there are different editorial services that you can pursue, but it is going to cost you something. And if you are not prepared to spend that money, then I recommend waiting. I recommend saving up, finding someone else who can offer maybe a lower tier service or who can work within your budget. ⁓ the thing about fiction writing is that this market does not come with any guarantees, it is a difficult market. Even if you are deciding to self-publish, there are many things that you can be in control of, but it is not everything. And there is a risk that your book will not earn back what you spent.
So if you are counting on a quick return on an investment, there are easier ways in the world to make money writing and making money with your writing is possible, but it is not going to be super easy. And you are not guaranteed to make your money back. I'm gonna be super honest about that. I never promise anyone that they are going to make their money back when they invest in my services. I very much hope that you will.
I have definitely had writers get book deals or make enough sales to pay back what they spent, but it is not a guarantee. It is not something I can ever promise. So if you are not in a position where you can spend that money and not see it back for years or ever, then hold off. Wait until you can or find a cheaper service. There are many amazing ways to get feedback that do not cost anything or cost a lot less than a developmental edit. So find the option that works for you and for your budget right now.
All right, and then sign number four is you know exactly what you want to get from the editing process. You know what your goals are and you know how editing fits into that plan. If you are just writing for yourself, it might be fine to hire an editor, especially if you have money to do that and you don't care about the outcome.
If you're just trying to learn and do your best, that's great. But I think for most writers, it does not make sense to invest in editing unless you have a clear plan for your writing and you really want to see it in the world. You have a plan to either query and try to get a book deal. You have a plan to self-publish. You have a plan for sharing your story with readers. And I think that's important to know what are your goals because that an editor can help you achieve them. And so you can find the right editor for you. If you are planning to self-publish, you don't need to worry about some of the things that people who are trying to get a book deal do. So
If your editor only works with people who are trying to get book deals, then they might not be the best fit. And if you don't have that filter of understanding what your professional goals are, you are unlikely to find the right editor for you. We also want to make sure we know our genre before we hire an editor because you want someone who specializes in what you are trying to accomplish on a genre level. So it is really important to know what you're writing, what you're trying to do with your writing, so you can find an editor who fits those goals, who's going to help you get closer to those goals. All right, and that brings me to number five.
The fifth sign that you are ready to hire a professional editor is that you are ready to share your story with the world. And I mean that on an emotional level. Obviously, when you are hiring an editor, you are still several steps away from actually sharing your story with readers. You are not putting it up on you know the Kindle Marketplace the day that you hire an editor. But it is for many people.
One of the first times that they really share their work with someone else, and especially in a professional context, it can be very vulnerable. And you need to make sure that you are ready for that step, that you are ready to have someone in your book, fully immersed in it, figuring out what is and isn't working. And you know, a lot of that can be very raw. It can bring up a lot. So you need to make sure that you are in a position to not just take their feedback in the sense that you are willing to hear what they have to say, but you are willing to just send the manuscript over and have it be taken out of your hands.
Are you in that place where you are secure enough in yourself that you are not going to be shattered by someone telling you that your story is not yet working. Because that is likely what's going to happen. As much as I am an editor who tries to celebrate the strengths in a manuscript, I always lead with what is working. But my job is to tell you what is not yet working in your book. And so most of my editorial letters spend about 10% of the time talking about what is working and about 90% talking about what isn't, because that is what I'm paid for.
And if that idea of someone sending you pages and pages of what is not working in your story makes you feel sick to your stomach, there is some internal mindset work that needs to happen first, just so you can protect yourself and not have an edit wreck you. Because the thing that I never want to see happen is someone has an edit and they never write again because it destroys them. Obviously, again, I try to make my feedback as kind and gentle as possible without being dishonest, but if you are not ready emotionally.
To have someone tear your writing apart to have that raw piece of you be shared with the world. Do the internal work first. Make sure you are truly, truly ready for the good, the bad, and the ugly that comes with sharing your work and getting feedback. Because even the best editor is going to be telling you things that it might be hard to hear. And we just want to be sure that we're all ready. And then you can get the most out of that feedback possible. Alright, just to quickly recap: the five signs that you are ready for professional feedback. Number one, you have gone.
As far as you can on your own. Please please please. Get your manuscript to the point where you can no longer see the problems on your own. Otherwise, you're probably wasting your time and mine. Number two, you are ready to listen to the feedback that you got. You are open to the critique. You are ready to make changes as a result. If you are not, don't bother wasting your money. Alright, and number three, is that you have the money to invest. You are not counting on an immediate ROI return on investment because that is not a guarantee that any legitimate publishing professional will ever make unless they are literally offering you a book deal no one can promise you are going to make money so do not listen to any editor or coach out there who promises to make you a bestseller overnight unless you are literally hiring them to make your content for you and generate sales. And even in that case if they're guaranteeing to make you a bestseller, it is a scam and you should run the other way.
An honest editor will set the right expectations with you, and none of us can guarantee that you are going to be a success or make all of your money back in any sort of time frame. That's just the truth. All right, and then number four.
You know what you want to get from the editing process. You have professional goals as a writer and you know that this is part of your process to either get an agent or self-publish. Ideally, you know which of those two pathways you are pursuing before editing begins so that we can help you and help you kind of adjust accordingly.
But at a baseline, you should have some idea of how you want to share your book with the world and actually be intending to, because I think you don't necessarily need to invest in the high cost of editing if you are not planning to publish. All right, and then finally, sign number five, you are ready to share your story with someone else. You are ready to have that person potentially rip your story apart, that we will do it in the most loving and gentle way possible. And if you are not yet in that place where you feel secure and you feel like you and your creativity and your spirit can survive getting that feedback, hold off a little bit. Do some of that internal work first, come back. We will be here ready and waiting when you are ready.
All right, those are your five signs that you are ready for a professional edit. If you are interested in working with me as either your book coach or your editor,
Please reach out. You can find me at oliviahelpswriters.com or I'm at Olivia Helps Writers on basically any social media. I am most active on Instagram, but you'll find me elsewhere as well. All right, have a wonderful, wonderful day. Thank you so much for listening to another episode of the Better Writer Podcast. If this episode resonated with you, please share with a friend, post about it. I love getting tagged in your posts about the show. It genuinely means the world to me. All right. Thank you again for listening. Have a wonderful day. Keep writing. Keep getting better. One word at a time. See ya.
