How to Know If You’re Ready for
a Book Editing Service
By Mary Kole
Mary Kole is a former literary agent, freelance editor, writing teacher, author of Writing Irresistible Kidlit, and IP developer for major publishers, with over a decade in the publishing industry.
Behind every great book is a … book editing service. Writers might cultivate the persona of a lone genius in an attic somewhere, but it actually takes a village to make an amazing book. If you’re serious about pursuing publication or self-publishing your work, you need to make sure that your writing is as strong, compelling, and error-free as possible. That’s where a book editing service comes in. In this article, we’ll discuss what a professional editor can do for a writer, and whether you’re ready to take that big next step.
Defining a Book Editing Service
A professional editor provides a book editing service, and this can take many forms, as there are many types of editing. But at the heart of it, a book editing service entails a writer getting an objective outside perspective on their work to help them make revision decisions. A book editing service might include big picture feedback (most likely from a developmental editor), or nitpicky correction for grammatical and syntactical issues (from a copy editor or proofreader). The goal of any book editing service is to make the manuscript robust and engaging at the story level and at the sentence level well from the highest level of story down to the sentence level. An experienced editor will also know how to make suggestions to improve clarity or readability without changing your unique voice or style, all while understanding your intentions for the project.
The Benefits of a Book Editing Service
Working with a professional editor is one of the best investments you can make in your writing career, whether you plan to pursue traditional publication or self-publishing. Many successful authors swear by their editors—some even use multiple rounds of editing before submitting manuscripts to agents or publishers or allowing a manuscript to go to press. There isn’t a level of professional writing in the world that doesn’t involve getting some kind of editorial feedback. And until you’re working with a publishing house or magazine editor as one of their chosen writers, you will need to invest in a book editing service yourself.
Unfortunately, getting feedback from a freelance editor has become a very standard part of gearing up for submission, and almost a requirement if you want to stand out in the slush pile. (I was a literary agent before I became an editor, and while I’m not mad about the job security, I also know how competitive submissions are because I’ve seen “the trenches” firsthand.)
If you choose to self-publish your book instead of going through traditional channels, having a polished manuscript makes all the difference in terms of how seriously potential readers will take your work. (You’ll want to hear about your errors from a book editing service and not in the reviews, where a few bad reports will drive your customers away.)
Are You Ready for a Book Editing Service?
While the benefits of a book editing service are obvious, not every writer is ready to work with an experienced editor. Editing involves rigorous feedback and requires a thick skin on the part of the writer. Make sure you’ve had some experience getting writing notes from a critique partner or writing group, or rigorous professional feedback might make your head spin. If you’ve done your due diligence and found the right book editing service provider, and you’re still feeling defensive or defeated, you can always take the wisdom and leave the rest.
If you’re able to keep an open mind, you might get a lot out of a book editing service, but it does take a certain level of experience and maturity. The part of a book editing service that surprises some writers is that you’ll be expected to revise your work after and make the suggested changes (or those that you agree with). Unless it’s very clear that an editor or ghostwriter will revise your manuscript for you after the notes land, you should be prepared to do self-editing on the heels of a book editing service.
Working with a professional editor can bring out the best in any writer's work—but not every writer is ready for such rigorous feedback. Before taking on the challenge of a book editing service, make sure you want to do the hard work of revising and incorporating feedback. If you are, your career might just take off in a hurry after a book editing service.
Click here to purchase Irresistible Query Letters, my book on query letters, including over forty examples with comprehensive notes on each one. There’s a ton of submission advice, best practices, and insider information in these pages, and you’ll really enjoy seeing what other writers are doing in the slush.