My publishing house was located in Aurora, Colorado, not exactly a known hub for publishing. I've probably critiqued and/or line-edited somewhere between 300 and 400 manuscripts. Granted, some were repeat authors, but I only remember meeting six before I either signed...
I find that many of the nonfiction writers I work with are maybe just a little too smart for their own good. I say this with affection and appreciation for how hard it is to communicate paragraph after paragraph of complex information and insight in a coherent way....
Fiction Editing Fiction is an art, and editors must be respectful of that. Typically, the best fiction engages readers in such a way that they fully embrace the alternate universe created by the writer and immediately "get" this other world. There should be no...
The Author-Editor Relationship There’s lots of information out there for writers about how to write, and for editors about how to edit. But not much about how to interact with each other. It used to be that authors and editors were separated by a publishing house....
I’d like to preface by saying two things. First, hiring a freelance book editor is not going to guarantee you a publishing contract. Second, editors approach their work differently. To be clear, the information that I am sharing applies to me and only me. I am not...
Why Different Editors Quote Different Fees You'll note that this site contains articles to help writers learn how to select an editor. Of course, we think you should strongly consider an editor from our freelance network. At a minimum, we want you to be an educated...
The Book Construction Process I like to think of editing fiction as the construction of a building. For new writers who are interested in or who have already reached out to an editing professional, I find this “picture” helps to give a sense of the chronology when it...
Caveat emptor, or buyer beware, is equally good advice for hiring an editor as it is for buying a washing machine, house, or automobile. An editor’s appearance on a list of editors—including members of freelance editorial associations—does not mean she or he is...
You’ve always wanted to do it, and now you finally have. It’s an exhilarating, wonderful feeling, and you have every reason to feel proud. You’ve written that children’s picture book—and you’re fired up and ready to publish. But stop. Before you slip your manuscript...
1. Is there a difference between an editor who edits other mediums (magazines, web copy, etc.) and one who specializes in books? Absolutely, because the goals differ, especially for fiction. Newspaper, magazine, and web editors trim and delete to narrow the focus to...
Recently, the New York Times notified their editorial staff that they were going to lay off or buy out half of them. So the editorial staff published an open letter to Executive Editor Dean Baquet and Managing Editor Joe Kahn. In it, they describe some of what we...
Sometimes we editors have to distance ourselves from a manuscript. Sometimes that happens when the scope of work requires a lighter touch from the editor than would best serve the manuscript. For example, a manuscript might be difficult to follow, sparse in its...