You might find yourself asking “Why Do I Need An Editor?”

This is a common question for most aspiring authors who are hoping to publish either traditionally or self-publish. No matter which route you take, you’re still going to need to invest in editing services at one point or another. Why? Because your manuscript needs to be the best it can be. Won’t the publisher hire an editor if I traditionally publish? Yes, of course they will. With that being said, you have to get your manuscript into the hands of a literary agent first who wants to sign you and has faith in your manuscript as much as you do and then to a publishing house. If your manuscript is full of errors and the flow is off in just the first few pages, you can bet your buttons you will get a rejection letter. By investing in an editor before your manuscript ever goes to a literary agent, you will strengthen your chances at a ‘yes.’ Not to mention, it shows agents and publishing houses that you believe so much in your story that you’re willing to make a financial investment in it as well.

As for self-publishing authors, you will definitely need a couple sets of eyes on your manuscript before you upload it to Amazon KDP or another self-publishing platform for the same reasons. You wouldn’t want lousy reviews (which is what helps you continue driving sales) because many words were misspelled, sentences were clunky and awkward, and your main character started out with green eyes that magically changed to blue part way through the manuscript. An editor can help catch these mistakes before your book baby goes out into the wild!

What Kind of Editing Do I Need?

Technically, you need three different kinds of editing: developmental, content/line editing, and copyediting/proofreading. Yes, all three. Are all three edits necessary? If you’re serious about writing and publishing your work, yes. Are there instances where one or two of the edits can be skipped? Possibly. The more seasoned of a writer you become, the less you will likely need a developmental editor, although I wouldn’t completely take it off your list of “to-do’s.” The three kinds of editing all have a purpose.

Developmental editing: This type of edit is going to be your initial edit. A good developmental editor will do a thorough read through of your manuscript and looks at the “big picture.” Does your story have substance and structure? Does it fit the genre in which you are trying to “sell” it as? Does it have a theme? Are there good character arcs? Is the story sellable? He/she might do some in-manuscript edits, but they will more than likely be giving you pointers for your story line, characters, and plot holes. You wouldn’t want to have a line edit before developmental because you may need to make large changes to your manuscript and a line edit would be a waste of money beforehand. Make sure the story is flowing the way it needs to, and has the structure needed to pull off the message you’re trying to convey.

Content/Line Editing: This type of editing will dive more into specifics. It looks at the manuscript on a line-by-line basis, checking for sentence structure, word choice, flow, and readability. It picks apart clunky sentences, tightens dialogue and looks for inconsistencies. This edit should be done after you have already restructured your manuscript based on your developmental editors’ suggestions. Reminder: you may need to write and rewrite your manuscript several times before you get to this stage.

Copyediting/Proofreading: *Cue Etta James* Aaaatt laaaast! This is your final stage of editing. Copyediting, or also called proofreading, is when your manuscript is complete, and it just needs a final check to polish it up. This edit will look for spelling, small but noticeable grammar issues, punctuation, and any inconsistencies that might have been missed in the content/line editing phase.

How Much Does Editing Cost?

This is the part that all writers worry about. In this economy, it’s understandable. I’ve definitely “been there, done that” as an author myself. I’ve paid as little as $600 for a developmental edit and as much as $2,000 for one. A lot of it can depend on who you get your services from. Obviously, someone who has been in the business for years or decades can be expected to charge up to $0.10 per word. Industry standard costs run anywhere from $0.01 per word to $0.10 per word. Just to give you an example, a typical romance novel runs around 75,000 words. At the lower end up that range, you can expect to pay $750, however, on the higher end, it would be more like $7,500! And remember, you likely need three types of edits done to your manuscript. Reedsy estimates a typical author will spend anywhere from $2,400 to $3,400 total on editing services for their manuscript.

Be very careful when you are finding an editor. Just because someone charges $0.10 per word, doesn’t mean they are worth that much. Or, as a more positive perspective, they just may not be the right editor for you. Most editors will provide you a sample of their work or will give you a “free” example of how they would edit your manuscript. This means they will ask you to send your first few pages and they will edit it so you can decide if their work works for you. With that being said, expect to pay a couple thousand dollars total for your edits but always do your research and don’t be afraid to fish around for the right editor for you!