Last Updated on January 20, 2023 by Nathaniel Tower
You’ve completed your manuscript. Time to celebrate, right?
Not so fast. There’s still the whole “getting it published” thing you need to worry about.
Finishing a manuscript is certainly a huge accomplishment in its own right. But you didn’t spend countless hours typing away so your manuscript could gather virtual dust. You want someone to read it. Probably many people. You want to be rewarded for all your efforts.
What should you do after you finish your manuscript?
The biggest question you should be asking yourself after finishing your manuscript is not where you should send it to get it published. Rather, you need to take a good look in the mirror and ask yourself if your manuscript needs a professional editor.
Before we get too far down this road, let me provide you this comforting disclaimer: I am not a professional editor. While I have edited many things for many people, I do not make a living—nor do I want to make a living—editing manuscripts. If you’re reading this post and thinking to yourself, “Wow, I can’t wait to send my manuscript to this guy for editing,” then I must discourage you from doing so right now.
This post is not designed to help you find an editor. Instead, this post is about whether or not you should find an editor for your manuscript.
First, let’s get a big question out of the way:
Won’t a publisher do all the editing for me?
Yes, of course a publisher will do some editing for you. The publisher will get your work into a publication-worthy form before it’s released into the wild. That’s not the purpose of hiring an editor prior to sending out your manuscript.
If you hire an editor to review your manuscript, that person will help get your manuscript into good enough shape for a publisher to even consider it. If your manuscript isn’t thoroughly polished before you send it out, you probably won’t even find a publisher who’s willing to read it.
Now, another question that needs addressing:
What exactly does a professional editor do?
Not every editor operates the same way or promises the same results. When you hire an editor to review your manuscript, you may be paying for any of the following services:
- Proofreading – Every professional editor will probably include this as part of their editing service. During this process, the editor ensures your manuscript is free of embarrassing typos that will make you look like an amateur. However, this does not necessarily mean your manuscript will be grammatically perfect when it arrives in the publisher’s hands. But that’s okay. After all, they have their own editors.
- Editorial suggestions – A professional editor may provide suggestions for how you can make your manuscript better. This may include recommendations for rewording specific sentences. It may also include pointing out things you need to add or eliminate from your manuscript. An editor may point out times when you change a character’s name or let other inconsistencies sneak into your writing.
- Revisions – A professional editor may go as far as to implement revisions rather than merely make suggestions. These editors will generally charge a lot more, and you want to be careful about selecting them because you may not agree with their changes.
It’s also important to consider that an editor may ask to see part of your manuscript before they agree to take on the job. If your manuscript is in terrible shape, they may very well tell you to fix it before they can review it.
Okay, now that we have those big questions out of the way, let’s figure out if you really need to hire an editor at all. Here are six signs you should hire an editor for your manuscript:
1. You aren’t a grammar whiz
If your command of the English language is shaky at best, then you’ll definitely want to hire an editor to review your manuscript before you send it anywhere. Having grammatical mistakes will make your writing seem unprofessional and not worthy of publication. We’re not talking about simple typos here. We’re talking about major mistakes that lessen the overall quality of your writing.
Even if you are a grammar whiz, it’s a great idea to invest in a tool like Grammarly before you even think about hiring an editor.
2. You keep finding more mistakes
If you find more mistakes, typos, inconsistencies, and other issues every time you re-read your manuscript, then this is a good sign you need to bring in a professional. This constant discovery of mistakes doesn’t necessarily mean your manuscript is in bad shape. It might just mean you are too ingrained in the story to find them.
3. You don’t have time to read it over yourself
If you’ve just finished an 800-page manuscript and also have to balance a day job and a family, then it may not be feasible to review it yourself anytime soon. In this case, you’ll probably want to hire a professional editor just so you don’t have to sit on this manuscript for years before you try to get it published. This is especially true if your manuscript is timely in any way.
4. You don’t trust yourself
Whether it’s a self-esteem issue or simply a realization that you aren’t a professional editor, there’s nothing wrong with admitting that someone else would be better at editing your manuscript than you would be. If you don’t believe you can whip your manuscript into shape, then hire a professional.
5. You haven’t been able to get your manuscript published
If you’ve been sending out your manuscript and only gotten a pile of rejection letters in return, then it’s probably time to bring in a professional. Hiring an editor isn’t a guarantee you’ll get published, but it will certainly help—provided you send your work out to the right publishers or agents once the editing is complete.
6. You aren’t sure it’s any good
If you’re worried about whether or not your manuscript is even good enough to be published, then you should hire an experienced editor who can evaluate the quality of the writing and provide quality feedback to turn it into something worthy of publication. A professional editor shouldn’t be shy about telling you that your manuscript is garbage.
On the flipside, sometimes you think part of your story is great when it really isn’t. An editor can help you kill your darlings so you don’t become obsessed with leaving your favorite parts in when they are actually holding you back.
Do I need to hire an editor?
If any of the above applies to you, then you should probably find a professional editor to help with your manuscript. On the other hand, if you’re confident you can handle it yourself, then save the money and send out that manuscript for publication. Many writers have been published without the help of a professional editor.
So how much will a professional editor cost me?
As you can imagine, nothing good in life is free. The longer your manuscript is, the more you should expect to pay. Many editors charge by the word or page. Others charge a flat rate based on how long they think it will take. Here are some of the factors that may impact the cost:
- The length of your manuscript
- The type of writing (fiction vs. technical)
- Their experience level
- The type of editing you want (proofreading vs. revising)
- Their location (Topeka, Kansas vs. New York City)
High-quality editors aren’t cheap, so if you don’t have deep pockets or you aren’t willing to invest in your manuscript, then you can look for an editor with little or no experience. Or you can just try to do it yourself and see what happens.
If you don’t want to hire an editor, then try these editing tips first.
Have you hired an editor for your manuscript? Share your experience in the comments. And don’t forget to share this post on all your favorite social channels.
