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<p>You’ve achieved a milestone in your life. You wrote your first book!</p>
<p>That story inside of you—the one that’s been screaming to be heard—has finally been given the voice it deserves.</p>
<p>This is your book.</p>
<p>It’s part of who you are.</p>
<p>It represents the best of you.</p>
<p>It’s like your baby, so congratulations on bringing this new life into the world.</p>
<p>But, like a baby, your book is fragile. You can’t send it off into the world yet. You and your book are in a vulnerable state right now. Questions and doubts run through your mind.</p>
<p><em>What will other people think? Will they read it? Will they laugh at it? Is it even worth putting out there?</em></p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="" class="alignnone wp-image-15562 size-full lazy" data-src="https://media.convertkit.com/post/RqEbKU6T-How-to-find-a-book-editor-e1536192432488.jpg?fm=pjpg" alt="How to find a book editor" width="1500" height="570" />Before you launch your book into the world, there are steps you can take to ensure your book will stand on its own. The process involves top-rated editing and proofreading, and we’re here to explain how to find the best editor for your book.</p>
<h2>Why do I need an editor?</h2>
<p>An editor is a second set of objective eyes. They will catch mistakes you have overlooked. And let’s get serious here—you’ve been so close to this project for so long that you will have missed a few glaring mistakes.</p>
<p>There is not one published author out there who can catch all the unintended flaws before distribution. But a good quality editor will look at your book with objectivity to assess it on many levels according to your needs.</p>
<h2>What does a book editor do?</h2>
<p>First of all, let’s define what kind of editing options are out there. When you know what is available, you can better assess your needs.</p>
<h3>Developmental Editor:</h3>
<p>Sometimes we have a great idea, but we need help with getting our ideas organized in a coherent manner. A developmental editor will give you general advice on the structure of your story before you even get started. They almost act as a coach to help with ideas and keep you on track.</p>
<h3>Line or Content Editor:</h3>
<p>Every new writer could benefit from a line or content edit. It’s important to get a different set of eyes to evaluate sentence structure, clarity of thought, continuity of ideas, and overall believability.</p>
<p>If you are a fiction writer, your novel must follow the <a href="https://writingcooperative.com/fundamentals-of-story-structure-e199f131a891" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">basic rules of story structure</a>, and you’ll need help finding plot holes in your story, sticking with the proper point of view, showing vs. telling, as well as other key elements specific to fiction.</p>
<p>A content editor will not fix all of your mistakes. Rather, their job is to point out where flaws occur and advise you to apply the kind of revisions that will make your manuscript clear and compelling.</p>
<h3>Copy Editor:</h3>
<p>After a good line editor has cleaned up structural mistakes, your book must then pass through a copy edit.</p>
<p>A copy editor is not reading your book for content value. They will concentrate solely on punctuation, spelling, and grammar mistakes—stray commas, inverted quotation marks, improper use of numbers, and a whole myriad of other issues that if left unfixed will be jarring to the reader and ultimately diminish the value of your work.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="" class="alignnone wp-image-15624 size-full lazy" data-src="https://media.convertkit.com/post/srD7ea01-How-to-find-a-copy-editor-e1536624330184.jpg?fm=pjpg" alt="How to find a copy editor" width="1500" height="303" /></p>
<h3>Proofreader:</h3>
<p>A proofreader is usually called in after the book has been through many other editors—beta readers, content editing, and copy editing.</p>
<p>When the book has passed these stages successfully and has been submitted for publication, a print copy is sent to you to proof. It’s crucial to have a new set of eyes to read the proof so as to catch that final stray comma and to evaluate the interior formatting.</p>
<p>Sometimes a book can come from the factory with formatting issues that never pop up on the screen, and the only way to catch them is with a print proof.</p>
<p>But don’t do the proofing yourself. Get a trusted friend to do it for you—you might even get a new fan out of it as well.</p>
<h2>How can I successfully assess my editing needs?</h2>
<p>If you are in the developmental stage, it will be clear to you since you don’t have a full manuscript yet. However, deciding whether or not to have a line edit before the final copy edit can be a tricky decision.</p>
<p>New authors should always opt for a line edit because the art of writing has many rules and nuances that must be adhered to. Even if you are an avid reader, you’re so close to your project that you will miss mistakes that could potentially kill your story.<br />
<img decoding="async" loading="" class="alignleft wp-image-15563 lazy" data-src="https://media.convertkit.com/post/LTYLnwLf-How-to-find-an-editor-beta-testers-e1536192536704.jpg?fm=pjpg" alt="How to find an editor- beta testers" width="333" height="333" /></p>
<h5>Pro tip: One way to help with time and expenses is to join a critique group with other authors.</h5>
<h5>You agree to read each other’s writing to ensure the integrity of your work. They will read your manuscript and point out plot holes and inconsistencies that you can clean up in later drafts.</h5>
<h5>You can also find beta readers—trusted friends or family that will read your work with a critical eye and give constructive advice. If your book has been through multiple drafts before it reaches the editing stage, it will save you a lot of time and money.</h5>
<h3>How to find an editor who is qualified?</h3>
<p>Check out the editor’s website. You can see the genre they primarily work with– that will go a long way in deciding if they are right for you.</p>
<p>Also, read some endorsements from past editing gigs. Finally, if you ask them what style guide they adhere to and they don’t know what you’re talking about, run. Run fast, and run hard.</p>
<h3>What would a good editor need from me?</h3>
<p>A good editor will need:</p>
<ul>
<li>Your genre</li>
<li>Word count</li>
<li>What you require (line or copy edit, or even both)</li>
<li>What your price range is</li>
<li>How soon you want the work complete</li>
<li>A short synopsis of your book along with either the entire manuscript or a sample of your work—this can be a chapter or two, or even the first 25 pages. This will be used to evaluate the overall structure of your book and to see if you have a handle on the project from beginning to end.</li>
</ul>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="" class="aligncenter wp-image-15625 size-full lazy" data-src="https://media.convertkit.com/post/kYL1fgk9-What-to-give-an-editor-for-your-book.jpg?fm=pjpg" alt="how to find an editor" width="1500" height="2186" /></p>
<p>With all these items in hand, a good editor can make a valid assessment of your needs and do their best to meet them.</p>
<p>Keep in mind, especially you first-time authors, the condition of your work might require more than you expected to contract out for.</p>
<p><strong>This is normal.</strong></p>
<p>Remember, your idea is golden—but the manuscript will need polishing in order to let the world see how golden an idea it was to begin with.</p>
<h3>How can I trust an editor’s assessment?</h3>
<p>Most editor’s will offer a free, no-obligation assessment of a short sample of your book that will come back to you with corrections, comments, and suggestions for improvement. It will have explanations for each of the suggested changes so as to help you understand the process.</p>
<p>You should also receive a quote for services, a time frame for completion of the work, and a contract which you both would sign to make this a legal and binding agreement.</p>
<p>An editor’s aim should be not only to improve your work but also to help you become a better writer in the long run. You should feel like an equal partner in the process.</p>
<h3>How to find an editor that is the right match</h3>
<p>When you get your sample edit back, you’re in the driver’s seat. You get to evaluate their work, so do it with a critical eye. Look for red flags:<img decoding="async" loading="" class="alignright wp-image-15564 lazy" data-src="https://media.convertkit.com/post/IiyRknWt-How-to-find-the-right-editor-for-your-book-e1536192631728.jpg?fm=pjpg" alt="How to find the right editor for your book" width="158" height="199" /></p>
<ul>
<li>Are they marking it up as a content edit when you asked for a copy edit? Are they missing obvious grammatical or spelling errors?</li>
<li>Are they harsh, offering too much input (messing with your voice), or too little input (everyone makes mistakes)?</li>
<li>Are their comments condescending or encouraging?</li>
<li>Do they have constructive criticism? (You don’t want someone who gushes over everything you write—you&#8217;re paying them to catch errors, so you want them to correct you!)</li>
<li>Do you get a general feeling that they are on board with your topic?</li>
</ul>
<p>All of these points are crucial in deciding if your editor is right for you. Remember, this is a mutual agreement between two professionals—the author and the editor. If you don’t feel you are being treated as an equal, you have no obligation to work with them.</p>
<h2>What can I expect to pay a book editor?</h2>
<p>Most good editors will charge by word count, ranging between 1 cent per word for proofreading/copy editing and up to 4 cents per word for line/content/developmental editing. But don’t be afraid to negotiate within your price range and possibly work out a payment plan.</p>
<h5>Pro tip: If your book is 70K words and you only have a budget of $500 and your editing work requires an extensive content edit, something will have to give on either side.</h5>
<h5>The question you should ask yourself is this: Do I want my book handled right the first time, or do I want to go back a second time to get the job done right?</h5>
<h5>Don&#8217;t set your budget too low (you might end up with editors for whom English is a second language who do a sloppy job). You&#8217;ll end up paying a good editor in the end anyway, or you&#8217;ll publish a shoddy product.</h5>
<h3>Is a contract necessary?</h3>
<p>This is a working agreement between two professionals. You absolutely are in the right to expect a contract. Oftentimes, an editor will ask for 50% up front and 50% upon completion. Make sure you have a signed contract in hand before you make your first payment.</p>
<h2>How to find an editor with these qualities?</h2>
<p>It seems like a tough process, and you might dread the idea of your hard work being critiqued, but remember this: A good editor will respect your book, and through the editing process, they will raise it to be fully grown and mature, to stand on its own with integrity, and to make its mark on the world of literature.</p>
<p>If you’re ready to find an editor for your book, we at <a href="https://authoracademyelite.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Author Academy Elite</a> can help in a couple ways.</p>
<p>You can request a FREE editing sample for your book from us at <a href="http://authoracademyelite.com/the-guild" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a> or click the button below to watch a free training for more information on how to find an editor for your book.</p>
<p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary" href="https://youtu.be/qKEff2BtnqU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">5 Steps to Finding the Perfect Editor </a></p>


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