Prepping a book for publishing takes a village. But when should you seek professional help, and what other resources can you use before hiring an editor? Find out in this article.

Writing a book can be overwhelming. With the rise of online book sales and the growing difficulty of snagging a contract with big publishing houses, self-publishing has become a trusted vehicle for getting your book in readers’ hands. But what does being an independent author even mean? Do you have to do all the work yourself? No. When you choose to self-publish, you’re acting as your own publishing house: hiring editors, designers, and setting up your own distribution deals. Luckily, many editors have also chosen the independent path outside of publishing houses, so now you can find an editor of any shape or size to help you meet your publication goals.

But when should you contact an editor? When do you know you’re ready?

Let’s take a step back. You know better than most that the process of writing a book takes energy, thought, and time. At Rooted in Writing, we begin our editorial relationships with a few questions that help us get a feel for who you are as a writer, what your relationship looks like with your manuscript, and how we can most effectively help you. These are questions that every writer should ask themselves before they pursue a relationship with a professional editor.

What kind of writer are you? Do you dream of sharing your one perfect story with the world? Or do you want to hone your craft and write dozens of books? Some writers like to be elbow-deep in their writing at all times and want instruction on how they can improve their craft themselves. Some writers have experiences or knowledge bursting inside them and want to pour it out into a book for others—but they’d rather leave the nitpicky details for someone else to worry over.

Who is your target audience? Some of this may be determined by the genre you’re writing in. For instance, women make up 84 percent of the readers of romance books. If you’re writing a romance, is this the demographic you’re aiming for? If you’re writing for a readership outside the normal audience of your genre (i.e., a romance book for men), you need to identify that and communicate it to any editor you hire.

How do you plan to publish? Traditional publishers often employ their own editors and pay for the editing process. So, once you’ve snagged a book deal you probably won’t need to hire a copy editor (though you may need an editor to help get your manuscript in shape for querying agents). Some custom and niche presses may recommend an editor to you, but you will foot the bill for their services. If you decide to completely self-publish, you will be responsible for hiring an editor for all stages of the production process. If you know how you

Knowing your goals and expectations is crucial to finding an editor who will meet them.

Many writers loathe self-editing, and understandably so. It can halt your creative juices and be discouraging. A grueling round of self-editing includes rewriting whole sections of material, cutting filler words, and for some, a lot of self-doubts. Even for those who despise self-editing, however, it is an essential step before you hire an editor. Unless you’re willing to work with and pay for a ghostwriter, only you know exactly what your book is destined to be. You should never send the first draft off to an editor, because oftentimes the first draft isn’t actually the story you meant to write. Take some time to work on your own words, and your editor will be an even greater help to you.

For big-picture self-editing, creating plot and character arc charts are invaluable. Make a list of every important plot point or character decision that happens in your book. Write out the character’s motives and the stakes in each decision. Break your manuscript down into small pieces and examine each for flaws or inconsistencies. Then revise as necessary.

If big-picture editing is a pair of binoculars, sentence-level editing is a magnifying glass. I once read a writer’s tip that said, “Pretend you have to pay ten cents for every word in your manuscript.” Since editors sometimes charge by the word, this mental note helps when learning how to cut unnecessary phrases, reduce redundancies, use stronger verbs, and be more vividly precise in your writing. A simple internet search for “filler words” points out dozens (if not hundreds) of words that you can usually cut from your writing.

Self-editing is the necessary pruning, but it doesn’t stop there. Once you have molded your book into the best shape you can manage, the next step is to find people who will read and share feedback.

This is a big step, and one of the hardest. Your manuscript still needs improvement, but you are too close to the work—you have fostered its growth every step of the way, and to you, it looks perfect. A fresh eye, however, may help point out obvious problems before you take it to a professional.

In some ways, finding good beta readers is as difficult as finding an editor, and a lot of people want to forego the potential rejection and get a professional at this stage. Resist the urge. Instead, find people who are within the demographic of your (previously defined) target audience. Well-read writing partners, conference-goers, and acquaintances may have invaluable insight to help you prune your manuscript. This takes courage, but it is well worth the effort.

Once you find them, remember: These people are evaluating your book for free. Treat them kindly. If they are also writers, and if you aren’t already part of a writing group or partnership, form one. Trade constructive criticism and encouragement. Give the kind of feedback you hope to receive. Improve your work—and your writing—together.

Make sure your betas know what you are looking for in the feedback, and send your manuscript out to as many people as you can. Some beta readers will provide helpful and constructive comments—and some will forget to read your book entirely. This is okay. The sum total of your feedback, taken with a grain of salt, will help you to vastly improve not only your story but also your skill.

A freelance editor can perform a lot of different functions, and usually each editor has their own specialties. Determining what they are supposed to do for you can be difficult, especially because editors in the industry often define types of editing differently. If you are not sure what kind of editor you need, try taking this simple quiz. Posting your jobs on sites like Upwork and the Editorial Freelancers’ Association website will enable editors to see your needs and pitch their services to you. You can evaluate them based on the kind of qualifications they have, their rates, and their genre specialties. Most editors offer free sample edits of one thousand words or fewer. Take advantage of these, because you will be able to see the editor at work and get a better picture of what your relationship with them might be like.

Be sure to be clear with your potential editor on what the process will look like. If you’re looking to learn how to write better in the process of receiving your edit, ask if that’s something they provide. Rooted in Writing specializes in teaching writers how to better their craft in the midst of an edit, but some editors will only provide project-specific feedback. And if you’re looking for just suggestions and don’t want a lecture from an editor, great! Make sure to specify that request too.

If you would like to know more about the types of editors, check out our Working with an Editor series that will go live on the blog later this year. The first post will highlight all the major types of editing, and how to tell when you need what.