Why Authors Need an Editor

The first step in successfully marketing your book is to create a quality product. In today’s guest post, writer and editor Yvonne Perry shares her thoughts about working with editors.

Welcome Yvonne and thanks for sharing. Why is it so important for authors to hire an editor?

An editor who knows the book industry is an asset to any author, but first, let’s talk about the different types of editing. A copy editor looks for spelling, punctuation, grammar, and usage errors, and will note awkward transitions, redundancies, and hyperbole. Think of a copy editor as the teacher with a red pen, who is ready to grade your paper.

A manuscript that needs further development is not ready for a copy editor. It needs a developmental editor who can coach or guide an author's work to the next level by offering suggestions to strengthen the author’s writing and develop the story to its best potential.

This “writing mentor” may work with an author on all elements of book development including front matter, back matter, and citing references. After a book goes through a development process with an editor, it may still need a copy edit.

So, why should an author hire an editor? After several rewrites and re-reading, an author can easily get so close to his own writing that he is not be able to see his own errors. Some may not even be aware of the mistakes they are making because they are not familiar with style guides or grammar rules. For example, there are several different style guides and while most agree on the basics, there are acceptable word usages and punctuation that make writing a book different than writing for the Web.

Additionally, we see so many typos and grammatical errors on the Web and in books that are self-published (or brought to market by publish-on-demand companies) that after a while, these mistakes become so commonplace, many people view them as acceptable. To an avid reader, these errors are sure signs that the book was either written by an amateur or by someone who did not care about preserving the foundation upon which good books have always been built. That is not the image an author wants to portray.

Devoted readers are accustomed to a high standard of quality in the writing, layout, and physical properties of a book. They will not tolerate blatant errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar, nor will they be inclined to backtrack to locate what they missed when they are confused by what an author has written.

Another reason authors should have their books edited is because an unedited or poorly written book is a legitimate reason for a publisher to reject it. It is difficult enough to get a book accepted by a conventional publisher without having to further reduce your chances with a book that an agent can’t “sell” to a publisher or acquisition editor.

And, speaking of selling, from a marketing standpoint, good books are recommended by word of mouth to others who have read them. Poor books are not! In fact, an author may have a difficult time getting someone to write a review for a book that didn’t read well. Even if a book is self-published or published on demand, an author must have a great product to offer in order to sell books—especially in a declining economy.

A developmental editor knows more about current word usage, punctuation, grammar, book layout (front and back matter), character development, writing dialog, creating good transitions, setting and plot, and overall flow than the average high school English teacher.

What advice can you give to authors about hiring and working with an editor?

• Pick the right kind of editor. Most of the manuscripts I see need a developmental editor to at least review the manuscript before moving on to a copy editor.

• Check to see what types of work the editor does most often. An editor who edits mostly fiction may not know how to format a bibliography or cite reference sources; an editor who works mostly with non-fiction may have less ability to develop characters, plot, and scenes.

• Ask to see a list of clients the editor has worked with. Don’t be afraid to ask how many books the editor has edited, particularly in your genre

• Ask what style guide the editor uses. Books published in America are typically edited using The Chicago Manual of Style, Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style, or the MLA Handbook for Writers. APA Style is preferred for behavioral sciences and research books.

• Ask to see samples of the editor’s work. While I work under a non-disclosure agreement which prevents me from sharing a client’s before and after manuscript, I offer (at no cost) to edit two pages of the prospective author’s work to demonstrate my skills.

• Check the editor’s references. If an editor cannot or will not provide references, run the other way and don’t look back while you find someone else to help you.

Tell us a little about you.

As the owner of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services, I am both a writer and editor. I have authored twelve titles of my own, and I have written or edited more than thirty (some bestselling) books for my clients. That's in addition to hundreds of articles, marketing text, biographical sketches, résumés, media releases, Web text, and newsletters I have written.

Writers in the Sky provides developmental and copy editing, as well as a book evaluation service to help an author determine the condition of the manuscript and what it would take to make the work marketable. We also publish a monthly e-zine that provides a rich resource of articles and information about the craft and business of writing, publishing, and book marketing.

I am a graduate of American Institute of Holistic Theology where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Metaphysics. I completed the requirements for Distinguished Toastmaster certification from Toastmasters International, and I put this training to good use on my weekly podcast when I interview authors, publishers, and book publicists. The podcast is accessed on our blog.

Comments

[Barbara]

I am thrilled to see this interview with Yvonne. She is truly a gem in the writing world. I have hired her often, as well as some of her team members and it has always helped my writing career. Yvonne is currently editing my children's book for me. I wanted to work with her as an editor because I knew she understood what my books mean to me and would help me make my book the best it can be. I appreciate Yvonne's thoughtful insight as well as editor eye in making my book pop. I highly recommend Yvonne and her team and am so glad I found her!!
~Barbara Techel
Author & Mom of Frankie, the Walk 'N Roll Dog
www.joyfulpaws.com

[Susan Heim]

This is a fabulous article. As an author and editor myself, I am always dismayed by how many books I read, mostly self-published, that are just riddled with errors. It completely detracts from the professionalism and quality of the book, no matter how good the content. Nobody should self-publish their book without having a good editor go through it. This should be a professional editor, not your cousin the English teacher! It's entirely worth the expense if you're serious about publishing your work.

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Thank you Barbara and Susan for your comments! Good editing is vitally important to creating a quality book.

Dana

[Yvonne Perry]

Thank you, Barbara and Susan, for your wonderful comments.