Finding a Good Editor

 

By Debra DuPree Williams

 

One of the best things a writer can do is to hire a good editor. But before you hand your work off to your editor, tweak it until you can do nothing else to improve it. Then trust that your editor will find things you missed even though you read it a thousand times.  

 

Where does one find a good editor? That question has a few answers. Word of mouth is great. Maybe you know of a writer who recommends their editor. Perhaps you attended a writers’ conference, and you met an editor there. Maybe one of your writers’ groups will have recommendations. Those groups should be able to point you to a solid editor.

 

How about the books you read? Who edited your favorites? They should have a website that explains the type of editing they do and the cost. First, you need to know what kind of editing you need or want.

 

If you want an all-inclusive or substantive edit, you will need someone who will do both content and copy editing. Content editing includes digging into characterization, plot, POV, dialogue, and even the pacing of your manuscript. Copy editors (and proofreaders) check things like spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

 

I needed and wanted both, so I found the best editor out there—Andrea Merrell. She took my messy manuscript and turned it into something I know my readers will enjoy. Believe me when I tell you it needed help. It mostly made sense, but there were missing links and things that needed clarification.

 

During this process I decided to go indie and publish my books myself. Rights to book one were returned, and the remainder of the series will be under my label, Bee Meadow Books.

 

Have you wondered if an indie author needs an editor?

 

The answer is yes!

 

You may need one even more if you are going indie because you won’t have the staff of a publishing house behind you. Don't think you are any less an author because you indie publish. Go hire an editor so that people will know you are a professional.

 

What can you do before you hand your work off to your editor? There are many apps out there. A couple that I use are Grammarly and ProWritingAid.

 

ProWritingAid is expensive, but it is affordable when they put it on sale for around half off. It is a once-in-a-lifetime purchase.

 

Bottom line, no matter where you are on your writing journey, you need an editor. You will know when you’ve found the right one for you. They will “get you” and your writing. And they will make your work shine.

 

Mine certainly did.

 

What has your experience been working with an editor?

Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Stuart Miles.

Debra DuPree Williams brings her love of family into the stories she shares. A true Southerner, she can’t help but weave her ancestors’ tales into all that she writes. She’s an award-winning author whose first novel, Grave Consequences, A Charlotte Graves Mystery, won third place in the Director’s Choice category at the 2021 Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. Her work has appeared in the Selah Award Finalist, Moments With Billy Graham, and in Michelle Medlock Adams’ deluxe edition of Love and Care for the One and Only You. Debra is a guest blogger on the Blue Ridge conference website and The Write Editing, among others.

 

A wife, mama, and grandmother. Debra and her amazing husband make their home in the majestic mountains of western North Carolina.