Making Your Manuscript Shine with Mandi Andrejka

Expert InterviewsBook Marketing

Jan 30

Written By Kate .

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR: Freelance Editor Mandi Andrejka of Inky Pen Editorial Services

WEBSITE: https://www.inkypenediting.com/

Getting ready to work with an editor

So you’ve finished your novel! Congratulations! You may be hoping that the hard work is over and it’s all smooth sailing from here, but the truth is there’s still plenty to be done. The good news is that you’re not alone in this part of your publishing journey!

Once you’ve written your first draft, ideally the next steps are that you’ll begin revising the manuscript through your own rounds of self-edits and get additional feedback from outside readers, even at an informal level—this could be from friends or family members or from writing groups and critique partners. A good sign that you’re ready to bring on a professional editor is when you’ve incorporated all the feedback you can to revise your manuscript and are starting to feel like you’re stuck or don’t know what to do next. If there are still things you’re tweaking or playing around with, then keep at it! The time to work with an editor will come when you’re ready.

Another sign that you’re ready to work with a professional editor is that you’ve taken care of some technical cleanup: Is your manuscript within its genre’s suggested word-count range? Have you fixed any typos or minor errors in the document? Those are easy elements for you to tackle yourself before bringing in a professional for editorial work.

Let’s say you’ve completed those early steps in your own self-editing work. Woo-hoo! You’re ready to work with an editor! …What does that mean exactly?

The editorial process can vary among editors, publishers, freelancers, and others in the industry, however in general there are four main stages. They may go by different names or have some overlap depending on how an individual editor or publishing house operates, but I’m going to break this down the way I’ve come to define it through my experiences as formerly an in-house editor and now a full-time freelance editor. At the very least, this will give you the basic overview and language used when referring to editorial work.

Developmental Edit: This first/broadest stage of editing is sometimes called a content edit and focuses on the big-picture stuff. Developmental edits aim to strengthen the book’s foundation, making sure the key elements are working: plot, characterization, structure, pacing, etc. While the editing needs of every book are different, don’t be surprised if a lot of heavy revising gets done during this stage—the further along you work into the editorial process, the more things should become solidified and the less heavy lifting will be needed.
Line Edit: Sometimes referred to as substantive edits, line edits still focus on content work but at a narrower scope. Rather than looking at overall character arcs or storylines, line edits focus more on the beats and pacing of a specific scene, chapter, or even sequence. Dialogue is also often honed during line editing. Because the nature of line edits focuses on detail work, this sort of edit is typically held off until the developmental editing has been finished. You don’t want to edit the dialogue for a scene if that scene ends up getting cut! Line edits are another stage of editing that involve significant revisions.
Copyedit: By the time we reach a copyedit, it’s assumed that the manuscript is in relatively solid shape. There should not be major changes happening during or after a copyedit, however one goal of a copyedit is to review for consistency and continuity issues, so there may be the occasional minor tweaking done. A copyedit also includes reviewing for repetitive phrasing or sentence structure, ensuring timeline and timing components are all aligned, and fixing minor grammar/punctuation issues.
Proofread: The last stage of the editing process! By the time you’ve reached a proofread, the draft is considered pretty much nailed down and content should not be changing unless there’s a true or significant error that needs fixing. A proofread is the manuscript’s final polish and includes reviewing for remaining grammar, spelling, punctuation, or formatting issues as well as any lingering typos.
Not sure where to find an editor? There are lots of resources available to help you do just that!
Many freelance/independent editors (myself included) are members of associations, such as the Editorial Freelancers Association or Professional Editors Network, and you can search for editors in those groups via their directory or place your own job posting to have editors apply to you. You can also look to social media! You can follow editorial hashtags or search for editor profiles and check out their posts to see if they seem like a good fit for you. Lastly, don’t forget to check the books of your favorite indie authors! Many self-published authors include credits and/or acknowledgments for their publishing team in the front or back of their books. It doesn’t hurt to check your favorite authors’ books to see if their editor(s) may be right for you as well!
Once you’ve identified a few editors you’re interested in working with, do some research!
Make sure they work in your book’s genre and age category. Many editors list their full offering of services and rates on their website, so you can take a look in advance to see if they’re in your financial range. If not listed, you can certainly reach out to ask for an estimate!
Other things to look for in an editor?
Experience—Do they have professional training or background in publishing? Have they taken classes or received a degree related to publishing/editing? Have they worked with authors or publishers that put out the quality of work you’re looking for? Don’t be afraid to ask for a sample edit! This is typically a couple pages (or a chapter) that the editor will edit to give you a taste of their style and approach. It also gives them a chance to see your writing, allowing you both to determine if you’ll be a good fit to work together. (A sample edit should be provided for free—if an editor requires payment for a sample edit, I recommend looking elsewhere!)
After that, you can work with your editor to identify where you’re looking for help on your manuscript, and they’ll provide their own info on what you can expect to receive from them. Ultimately, you should be choosing an editor you feel a connection to, someone you can collaborate with and feel comfortable working with. My philosophy is that editors are here to help you make your book the best it can be. We’re not here to “fix” your book or change it into something you don’t want it to be. At the end of the day, an editor’s goal is for you to come away from working with them feeling like your book has gotten to the place you want it to be and that you’ve become a stronger writer for it.