How to Prepare Yourself, and Your Manuscript, for Editing
Never fear, for I am here! Scouring Google for answers is great, but let’s hear it first hand, shall we?
First things first, the author - editor relationship is tricky, but when it’s good—it’s really good.
-
Your editor is human. They have on days, off days, emergencies and deadlines. You do, too. Empathize, don't attack. Disrespect and harmful comments will be grounds for dismissal as a client with no reimbursement from costs already paid.
That said, if your editor is disrespectful or harmful in any way, you are also legally empowered to terminate your contract. In most cases funds already paid out are non-refundable—see your editor's contract if you are unsure whether or not you may be reimbursed.
-
Especially when it comes to creative or stylistic advice in the manuscript evaluation or developmental and line editing phases of a FICTION piece, most suggestions are just that—suggestions. Your editor may know best for most things, but you do not have to take and use every piece of advice.
If an editor comes back to that same thing multiple times, but you don't want to change it, just respectfully ask for them to add what ever "it" is to your style sheet (or add it yourself prior to the professional editing) so that everyone who views the book as an author or editor from there on out recognize "it" as a conscious choice and part of the author's style (for example: misspellings being used purposefully so that a character's dialogue reads with an accent). Quirks are ALLOWED.
Non-fiction or academic editing is a bit less flexible and often depends on the publishing university or publishing house's standards. Share them with your editor so that you are on the same page!
-
Just ask! Be thoughtful, respectful, and kind, just like you would like for them to be with you.
Appropriate phrases to use:
"I'm confused by [_]"; "What do you mean by [_]"; "Are you talking about [_] and [_]?"; "Can you explain [_} comment or concept?"; "There's a lot to digest! Some of this is over my head. Can you meet for a phone or zoom call to help me figure out where to start?"; "Do you have any resources on [_] to share so that I can learn more?"
And more! These are only here to help you if you need them.
Hopefully your editor sets a positive, welcoming tone so that you always feel able to say and ask for exactly what you need to!
-
If your editor is more introverted and less likely to reach out on their own, don't shy away from reaching out yourself! They are here to help and most often feel happy when they know they've been helpful. Be gracious with your words and offer thanks when appropriate!
That said, it depends on the editor as to how they prefer to be in contact. Some choose email, some choose texts. Some choose phone calls, and some choose regularly scheduled video calls. Some send an update every week, some send an update with each milestone (such as "It has begun!"; "We're halfway!"; and "The end is in sight—expect your copy by the end of the week."). If you have a preferred method of contact, please communicate it with your editor so that they can do their best to accommodate your needs.
Personally, I tend to be the editor who is in touch with every milestone (usually when the next payment is expected) at minimum, but likely more if I have a question regarding the book in some way (a character arc, world-build detail, etc.). I may request a video or phone call to discuss. An email is my usual method of contact.
Get the most out of your editing by prepping your manuscript well!
-
Nine times out of ten, your editor will want to edit your document in Word! Send your file through email (if it's too big zip the file or use Dropbox) in .docx format. This way your editor can track changes for you!
-
As much as you want or as much as you can! The cleaner you can get the manuscript yourself, the more effective your editor's help will be. That said, don't let perfection stop you from sending the document over and getting the help you need when you need it! Don't edit to the point that you're either burnt out or overly attached to every little detail—a lot will change, especially in the early stages of editing!
-
Not necessarily. Use chapter titles or numbers, extra spaces or indentations between paragraphs, and page numbers at minimum. Most editors don't care if the document is single-spaced or double, because they can change that feature as needed themselves. Font should be legible (usually Times New Roman 10-12 point, or similar), but editors can also change this feature however they need to for themselves and change it back before they return the finished edits to you.
Much will change between the first round of editing and the last which can make formatting first a major pain and can even mess up the formatting beyond repair which can mean redoing it entirely.
That said, formatting can definitely (and often should) be done before proofreading—the final stage of editing, which ensures that prior editing has caught as many errors as possible. In case of any formatting errors, I suggest having a minimum of one proof after formatting, whether or not one was also performed prior to formatting.
*Note: unless you are an experienced author and know exactly what you want formatted and how, I suggest hiring this out to a formatter. If you need recommendations, I have a few!
Also, please feel free to use page breaks at the end of chapters or to use the outlining feature in Word to jump around in your document if you know what they are! They can be helpful for everyone, but they are certainly not required. If you use them for yourself, leave the formatting in place; if you don't even know what they are—don't worry about it. I do not generally recommend formatting chapters into the outline feature of Word prior to structural/developmental editing because whole chapters and sections may be rearranged and formatting can “break” or be lost.
-
An outline and overall synopsis are very helpful for your editors! They can do a quick overview, edit big-picture, and add bird's-eye view notes on your outline and synopsis. It also helps us to note the theme and desired goal/s of your book (and/or you can just add those to this extra document).
Even better, you can go the extra mile and, in your outline, provide a 1-3 sentence synopsis per chapter telling your editor briefly: what scenes are included, what happens, and what the goal of the chapter or arcs in said chapter are. This is also a fantastic exercise for authors to perform for themselves in self-editing stages because you get to zoom out and see if each chapter accomplishes its goals and drives the overall plot + character arcs forward. It may also help to identify which “beats” are accomplished in each chapter so that you know your story flows well and nothing major is missing. An editor may request this anyway for developmental editing, or they may make one themselves.
Also provide your style guide if you have one, whether you created it or another editor provided it to you.
If you have character descriptions, a list of names and proper nouns, a map, timeline, or anything else that may aid your editor, please provide it either separately or as apart of your style guide.
Don’t forget to prepare yourself for feedback and editing, too!
-
Breathing is key to making it through life, I promise. Feedback can be hard to hear (or read, as the case may be), but if your manuscript transforms not just from your dream book, but into the book of your audience's dreams? A few deep breaths and anxious sips of tea might be necessary. However, don't sit by the computer just waiting to hear from your editor! Live your life! Work on your next book or other projects, go on that vacation you and your partner or bestie have been craving, go to the spa because sitting at the computer all day takes a toll.... You've got this. And if you really can't handle the wait a second longer, ask your editor how things are going (just don't helicopter parent your baby—er, manuscript).
-
Great editing isn't cheap. It's expensive to be an author! As soon as your book starts selling, and you get rave reviews that sell even more copies, you'll know every dime was worth it, though.
Read up on your desired editor's pricing if they make it public. Whether they do or don't make it public, research what you might be expected to pay so that you're ready to discuss prices and/or your budget with your chosen editor. If the budget is tight, they may be able to help you with a payment plan or with finding a way of creatively funding it (such as kickstarter or booktok). However, I don't suggest trying to get your editor to agree to working for less than what they're worth. When they make less for the same amount of work, it impacts their ability to support their cost of living and may negatively impact how they prioritize your project in comparison to others. In order to show your editor, and your book, how much you value them, find a way to give each what they need and are worth.
-
Hire beta readers or purchase a manuscript evaluation in order to get a clearer idea from a third party about whether or not you're ready for editing at all, and if you are, which stage you are ready for.
To learn more about manuscript evaluations and the difference between an evaluation and a beta read, click here!
-
Click here to see a detailed price guide, contract guide, and timeline guide!
Jargon Guide
Do you want to know what the ever-loving cheese your editor is saying when they write you “Scratch that on this pass, but save it to your stash in order to rework in a future round for character B’s arc at ‘all is lost’ beat.”
Yeah—I would, too.
-
First things, first. Just ask!
Appropriate phrases to use: "I'm confused by [_]"; "What do you mean by [_]"; "Are you talking about [_] and [_]?"; "Can you explain [_} comment or concept?"; "There's a lot to digest! Some of this is over my head. Can you meet for a phone or zoom call to help me figure out where to start?"; "Do you have any resources on [_] to share so that I can learn more?"
Etcetera! Hopefully your editor sets a friendly and welcoming tone for your work together so that you feel able to ask whatever you please, whenever you please. However, there are a few things to be aware of when establishing communication with your editor.
-
First off, there are some basic editing words that might need to be clarified.
Scratch - delete.
Pass - a single read-through or editing phase of a document. Also called a “round,” as in, this round of editing.
Reword - rewrite, usually for the sake of clarity.
Beat - a part of any good story in which something happens to drive the story forward. There are more bird's eye beats (such as "climactic event" or "all is lost" pivotal moment) and there are smaller beats (such as "Character A makes decision" that drives something in their arc or plot line).
Stash - usually a separate document in which unused, but worth keeping, text is kept. It can include anything from the working outline to deleted dialogue and potential characters. Also known to some as the scratch document - where deleted things go to rest until they are needed again.
Arc - the journey of a character or particular plot line, with a starting place, development, and end-goal that achieves something for the manuscript.
Turnaround - the time it takes for the agreed-upon work to be completed and the edited document to be sent to its author.
MC - main character (usually the protagonist).
MFC / MMC - main female character, main male character (MC is what is used for non-binary, or not-defined genders).
ML / FL - male lead, female lead (leads are more often used in screenwriting and theater, but I see or use them regarding books all the time.
Lead - MC (main character).
Sensitivity Reading - an editing phase conducted to ensure that unintentional offensive language or non-inclusive language is avoided. Some authors choose to get one, some do not. Some editors may suggest one.
And so many more—please feel free to ask your editor to explain or use Google if you need to!