What Questions Should Writers Ask BEFORE Hiring a Book Editor

Here is an excerpt from a tutorial I wrote at Novel-Writer forum

Feel free to ask me questions in the forum about hiring an editor/ghostwriter/book coach. It is a tricky business, and the cost can far outstrip any royalties earned by the book.

What genres do you edit the best?
No REAL editor will say they can do ALL genres well.

How long did you work in a publishing house?
Surprisingly, most publishers do NOT hire university graduates - especially fiction publishers. A university education does not teach you how to edit.

An editor needs to work in a publishing house, and complete at least 20 manuscripts for the publisher before they start to 'get it.' That is why most publishers make new editors intern or work in the slush pile for as long as 2 years before they have their first manuscripts.

Are you published?
Do not be concerned with how many books the author is published. What you want to know is whether the editor is more concerned about your work than they are about theirs. You do not want an editor who is always bragging about how great they are. These editors will never devote all of their attention to you book.

How long will it take to edit my manuscript?
A real editor CAN and WILL give you an answer. The answer many vary, but they have done this enough times that they know how long it takes. I can tell clients exactly how long a book will take - within a 5 hour window - after reading the first chapter.

What books have you edited?
Books do not list the editors, but editors are allowed to claim their work.
How many books have you edited that are published?

This is the golden question. If the answer is none, then the editor should not be charging more than $2 a page. After all, you are not hiring an editor to give you a clean manuscript, but you are hiring them to help you get published.

Last, do you content edit or line edit?
If the editor does content edit, which means editing for character growth, structure, plot holes, loose ends, etc... then ask them if you can take a look at their basic story arc. If they cannot whip one up, then they really don't understand the premise behind a content edit.

A line edit, and proofreading are two different things. An editor may do a line edit, checking for grammar, typos, and reconstructing paragraphs. That doesn't mean they are proofreading. In fact, expect to pay more for proofreading. Most authors only pay to have the first 50 pages (the submission) of their novel proofread.

How Much will the editor charge to critique the book?
A good editor will not accept a bad book. It may hurt to be turned down, but that editor has done you a favor. There are many great courses out there, affordable ones like are found at http://www.writersonlinecourses.com .

I teach A full, six month HOW TO WRITE A NOVEL online course for only $50.00. This involves working with your novel, and learning how to edit. A course like this can save you hundreds of dollars - because, whether you fix your novel in a course, or with an editor, you will have to do all of the fixing.

If you want to participate in the forum, ask more questions, or read the rest of the article, then sign up at the forum and use this link to find the post:

http://www.novel-writer.com/forum/view_topic.php?id=89&forum_id=3