Many elements go into creating a novel that sells well. For all writers, these include: time, effort, dedication, money, talent, a strong plot, pacing, and well-developed characters. For a writer who elects to self-publish, there are some additional important steps. Among these are engaging the services of an experienced professional freelance editor, utilizing beta readers, and soliciting critiques by fellow writers. I’ll address the first of these, professional editors, in this post. We’ll discuss the other two in following posts.
Let’s start by identifying who not to use as an editor. For one, Mrs. McGillicuddy, the retired middle school English (Language Arts) teacher who lives down the block. In all likelihood, she will destroy your creative masterpiece by grading it like a classroom essay. Don’t ask a friend or family member to do it. While their services probably come pretty cheap, they lack the right experience and likely will add nothing of value to your work.
The person you want is someone who has a lengthy work history as an editor or acquisitions editor, preferably with a major publishing house. Their bio should list the names of the major authors he or she has worked with, and the titles of the bestselling books they’ve edited. Equally as important, at least some of their editing experience should have been in the same genre as your book. Also, it’s absolutely mandatory that you insist on the editorial candidates providing you with a sample of their work before you sign their contract. This would be about 10 pages of your manuscript.
Where do you find these editors? For starters, you can Google professional freelance book (or thriller or romance or sci-fi or whatever) editors, or some combination of those qualifiers. You can search through the online résumés on websites such as book-editing.com. You can ask other self-published writers for recommendations, but stick to those within your own genre. If your book is a techno thriller, for example, an editor steeped in romance or Young Adult (YA) is not a good fit. Also, many magazines aimed at writers have classified ads in them where freelance editors advertise.
I know what you’re wondering: how much do these editors charge? As a general rule, they charge by the word. The amount typically varies greatly from around two cents per word to eight cents. This is a very good reason not to be verbose. Forget the 200,000-word tome. Keep it succinct, pithy, and short. Why the variation in fees? Many reasons: experience, availability (current workload), reputation, etc. Personally, I think the sweet spot is around four cents per word. Less than two to two-and-a-half cents per word and they probably aren’t very good and may be desperate to get work in the door. More than five-and-a-half to six cents and you probably are getting screwed.
Also, keep in mind that you can minimize the strain of this cost by submitting your manuscript in sections as you create it. In the long run, the cost is the same, you just won’t be paying it all at once. Speaking of which, how do you typically pay the editor? Usually a portion, such as half, up front and the balance after you’re satisfied with the completed job.
This was just the basics of identifying and working with a professional freelance editor. You should check the subject out in more detail, as there is a great deal of information on the internet.
NEXT POSTING: BETA READERS