Christina Kaye
The 5 best steps (plus 1 bonus step) to take to find the best book editor for you, save money, and get experienced, skilled help turning your book into a bestseller!
Finding the right book editor is a lot like dating.
You’re looking for someone who “gets” you, understands your vision, and doesn’t break your heart (or your budget).
Choosing the right editor is a big decision, and with so many options out there, it can be difficult to know where to start.
In this post, I’ll tell you how to find a book editor you can trust (and who fits your budget) to polish your work to perfection.
Table of Contents
Look in the Right Places
One of the reasons so many authors wind up with low-quality editing is that they looked in the wrong places when seeking one to hire.
The absolute worst thing you can do when searching for a professional editor is to post on your Facebook feed or in groups announcing your search!
Most of the people who comment (not all…most) on posts like this are inexperienced, unqualified, or both.
The truth is that any editor who has the skillset and experience you need and deserve doesn’t have to troll their feed for desperate authors because authors instead come directly to them.
The best way to reduce your chances of winding up with a bad editor is to search Instagram (or even Facebook) or Linkedin.
In the search bars, enter keywords like “book editor,” then look through the results of those who list that as their primary occupation.
Start making a list on a spreadsheet with the details you need, such as their name, where you found them, and their contact info.
PRO EDITOR TIP: About 20% of my editing leads also come from authors who searched Google using the keywords “book editor near me,” so you can absolutely try searching those keywords.
Pay Attention to Details
On each editor’s profile, pay attention to these important details, and update your spreadsheet accordingly:
- “Book Editor” as primary career
- Link to their website
- Helpful content for authors
- Decent following of engaged authors
You should pay attention to whether anyone is even following them, let alone responding to their content because that’s a good sign that they’re most likely legit and have the basic required knowledge.
PRO EDITOR TIP: I highly recommend you make sure any candidates are native English speaking and preferably based in the US to avoid any breakdown in communication or language barriers.
Narrow your options
Once you’ve got a feel for their social media presence, now it’s time to dig deeper and vet any of those editors who look good at first glance.
If they don’t have a website, mark them off your list.
But if they do, click on the link to their site, and ask yourself these questions:
- Do they show pictures of themselves?
- Is their experience listed clearly?
- Is there a clear explanation of their services?
- Are their fees (or how they’re calculated) clearly listed?
- Do they have client testimonials?
- Can you verify any of their claimed prior work?
If the answer to any of those questions is NO, then you need to either investigate further or mark them off your list.
If, however, all the answers are YES, then, it’s time to move on and start narrowing down your list.
PRO EDITOR TIP: What you’re basically looking for here is whether each editor seems professional, put-together, and legit. Go with your gut instinct and how you feel the minute you open their website. If it looks cheesy, unprofessional, or basic…pass!
Verify Their Skills and Experience
Hopefully, all your choices offer free sample edits, but if any don’t, they need to be dismissed.
How can you know for sure they are as good as they claim to be without them showing you exactly how they work?
The industry standard is for editors to offer anywhere from 3 pages to a full chapter for a sample edit, so go ahead and request one from your top candidates.
When you get the edits back, make sure they have provided you with ALL the following:
- Highly detailed line (copy) edits using track changes
- Feedback on content (development) using margin comments.
- Numerous suggested changes on each page.
- Clarification of why some edits are recommended.
If you get your pages back with only a few red items here and there across the page, that is a sign of an unskilled editor!
Dismiss any candidates who seemed to only add some commas here and there or suggest a word choice change every now and then.
PRO EDITOR TIP: Beyond having years of experience and ninja-like skills, a great editor should show an interest in helping you improve your story and become the best damn author possible, not just fix punctuation and spelling mistakes!
Compare and Choose the Best for You
Some editors’ work will make it easy for you to either rule them out or give them serious consideration.
But what do you do if you wind up with 2 or 3 whose work you like equally well and who all show a high level of skill and experience?
In the end, you should choose the editor who feels like the best fit for you.
An editor/author relationship is a partnership, and hopefully, it will be a long lasting one.
So, while capabilities and overall badassery is important, at the end of the day, choosing an editor who clearly cares about you and your book and shows sincere enthusiasm for helping you will give you the best chance at success!
Don’t focus so heavily on whether you agree with every single suggestion they offered in the sample edit.
You don’t have to agree with everything your editor recommends, and a great one will make it clear to you which changes are critical and which are strong suggestions.
PRO EDITOR TIP: At the end of the day, you need to be able to trust your chosen editor. I highly recommend you ask your top candidates for a quick 15 min video chat. This is a wonderful way to “meet” each one and get a gut feeling about them personally.
BONUS STEP! Think About Fees!
I know that, for most authors, until you’re cranking out revenue from your book sales, the fees that professional editors charge can seem exorbitant and unrealistic.
But I urge you to consider a few things before you completely discount even those who charge a premium fee.
As I’ve already said, experience matters above almost all else, and hopefully, you wouldn’t expect a seasoned editor to provide you with their very best work and help turn your book into a bestseller for a measly few hundred bucks!
You get what you pay for, and it’s no different than any other profession.
What an editor charges, in most cases, is a direct reflection of their skillset and expertise.
If you had a brain tumor, would you choose to go to the “doctor” who works out of a strip mall in a run-down, tiny office space, just because they claim they can save you for only $300?
Or would you instead choose the surgeon who has a busy, reputable clinic in a nice, clean high-rise building and tons of patients singing their praises, even if you had to dip into your life savings?
That may not be the best metaphor, but I think you get my point.
A typical 80k word manuscript will take a professional, experienced editor around 50 hours (total) to complete over several weeks…more if the word count is higher.
Any so-called editor willing to work at what comes to basically minimum wage (or less) is not someone you should trust your book with.
PRO EDITOR TIP: At the end of the day hiring a skilled, experienced professional editor isn’t just a good idea…it’s an investment in you, your book, and your future as a successful indie author.
Conclusion
All these steps above are my best recommendations, but to be fair, it’s a time consuming, often frustrating process to go through.
So, why don’t I make it all easier for you right here, right now?
I’ve been editing for authors for over 16 years, I have hundreds of clients under my belt, and a large percentage of them have gone on to become award-winners, bestsellers, and career authors.
If you want to see what a really great, highly qualified, seasoned editor can (and should) do for you and your book, let me at least provide you with a FREE same day sample edit!
CLICK HERE to learn more about my editing services and reach out now by emailing me at the below email address to submit now, and within 24 hours, I’ll return your sample edit and let you k now if I can take on your project.
If I can, you’ll also receive a quote that clearly reflects my total fee, fee breakdown, bundle discounts, turnaround time, and payment plan options.
I usually work off a 4-6 week wait list, but every now and then, I have room to start working immediately!
BEFORE YOU GO…
Please use the comment section below to let me know your thoughts on this article.
Was it insightful? Am I full of shit? I want to hear what you think!
