Are You Ready to Hire an Editor? Have you reached a point with your manuscript where you’ve finished writing and are ready to hire an editor before querying an agent or submitting it to a publisher? If you think your story is as ready as it will ever be and are ready to take the next step in getting your book published, there are various levels of editing for you to consider. The following information should give you a quick overview on editing. Perhaps you have begun querying agents or sending your unsolicited manuscript to a number of different publishing houses before your manuscript was professionally edited and have gotten zero responses. There is a very good possibility that the reason you have been getting no response or rejection letters is that your story needs to be edited. After consulting with commissioning editors and agents, there is no question that professionally edited manuscripts have a much better chance of getting picked up. We understand that as an author you have poured your heart and soul into your story over many months or even years and you know it better than anyone else ever could. As editors, we don’t want to take anything away from your story but help you identify any potential weaknesses in it that may be the reason for the aforementioned radio silence and to make it better. Trust us, we are here to offer guidance and helpful suggestions, not to draw red lines through your work and to tell you it should never see the light of day! If you want commissioning editors and literary agents as well as readers (should you decide to go down the self-publishing route) to take you seriously as an author, you need to be getting your work into the hands of a professional editor before you do anything. We would not recommend giving your manuscript to family and friends to critique. As much as you love them, they are not trained to understand the intricacies of editing even though they may have gotten a good grade in English in school or read a lot. Our job as editors is not just to correct any mistakes or typos you may have overlooked after you’ve undertaken your revisions or self-editing but to look at the story at a micro as well as macro level and make the prose sparkle and shine. Our work is as much getting inside your characters heads and making them the best possible protagonist or antagonist they can be as well as looking at your style, use of literary device, themes, tone, flow, pacing and many more elements that need attention to take it from being okay to being amazing! So, if you are ready to hire an editor and you’re unsure whether you need copy editing, developmental or structural editing, line editing or a manuscript assessment, then the following information should guide you through the levels of editing that may be required. Often writers will tell us that they have edited their own work and think it is good to go but a fresh pair or eyes and professional editorial input is still advised. If you are not going to take your work seriously and give it the treatment it deserves, then you can’t expect anyone else to. Manuscript Evaluations This should be your first port of call if you are unsure whether you require copy editing or developmental editing. We recommend the express evaluation if you’ve just finished your manuscript and want an editor to take a look over it and offer feedback on what needs to be done with it. The editor will read the first 25 pages of your manuscript and provide a written report detailing the core strengths and weaknesses of the story along with tips on how to improve your story and recommend further editing if required. Hire an editor for a manuscript evaluation Manuscript Assessments If you have completed your final draft and require your manuscript to be assessed, our editors can offer you practical assistance to help unlock your book’s potential by uncovering any areas in the manuscript which may need development. The assessment will identify key strengths and weaknesses in your manuscript and offer valuable feedback on plot, characterisation, and the overall flow of the manuscript to ensure its consistency with a detailed report of recommendations to improve your chances of landing and agent or getting a book deal. Hire an editor for a manuscript assessment Copy Editing A copy editor will look at the mechanics of your writing and undertake the necessary improvements such as correcting grammar, spelling, and punctuation issues to ensure accuracy and consistency. Copy editors are tasked with making sure the writing submitted to them adheres to the conventions of the English language, and insist on proper word usage as well as suggesting alternatives to any awkward phrases or lazy writing found within the manuscript. Request a quote for copy editing Recommended: Why You Need a Professional Copy Editor Line Editing As the term line editing suggests, a line editor goes through a manuscript line by line in a very methodical and meticulous way. A line editor may have to read a manuscript several times and go through a number of different passes to ensure that it has been edited to a high standard. Line editing is the stage of editing which hones in on the more creative aspects of a manuscript such as the author’s writing style, tone and usage at the sentence and paragraph level. Request a quote for line editing Developmental Editing Developmental editing is the most involved stage of the editing process. A developmental editor is usually the first port of call for an author even if they self edit their own work. A developmental editor will work closely with the author to establish an author’s goals and expectations for their project. Request a quote for developmental editing Proofreading Once the manuscript has been edited, a proof of the manuscript is sent to the proofreader. The job of the proofreader is to spot any typographical and grammatical errors or anything else which may have been missed by the copy editor. The proofreader can also focus on formatting issues and design and layout of the book. A proofreader is usually the last opportunity for any final changes that need to be made to the manuscript before it is printed or published as an e-book. Request a quote for proofreading Beta Reading A beta reader will offer a careful analysis of your manuscript by a team of highly experienced beta readers. After we beta read your manuscript we will provide you with valuable feedback in the form of a written report that will concentrate on flow, characterisation, dialogue, potential plot holes and any other areas in your story which may not work from an actual reader’s perspective. This should be the last stage of the process before you submit to a publisher, self-publish, or query an agent. Hire a beta reader Here’s what our authors had to say… - Bert O. I have just started book 4 of this series so I will certainly use your pointers! - Bert O.Read Moreread less - Mary K. Thanks for your quick turnaround on the report, but even more importantly, thank you for your thoughtful and constructive comments. I've been hesitant to contact the victim's family but you've encouraged me to give it a go and see what happens. Truthfully, in my mind this book is about possibly getting justice for Tatanisha as well as Dell. Thanks again for your excellent suggestions. Sincerely, Mary. - Mary K.Read Moreread less - Jennifer B. Thank you so much. This feedback was extremely helpful and I think it will be crucial in assisting me to tell the story I want. I greatly appreciate it! Sincerely, Jennifer Byrd - Jennifer B.Read Moreread less - Mitchell L. just wanted to thank you for your feedback when reading Last Man’s Last Stand. I found your feedback very fair and helpful. I especially appreciated all the examples you gave me in the notes sections. I am a new writer and I found those examples to be very helpful when studying how to improve my writing. I just wanted to write this up to show you my appreciation. Thank you. Mitch. - Mitchell L.Read Moreread less - Danielle B. Thank you so much for your detailed responses to all of my specific questions and also your general feedback! This all helps SO much. The two most important things I took from your feedback was that 1.)[...] I just thought of some scenes/ideas of how I can do this so now I just have to write them out and see which ones work best 🤞 2.) There needs to be a stronger hook in the first chapter. I can see now that where I started the story probably isn't the best place to start it. And 3.) there definitely needs to be downtime between the intense scenes. Someone actually suggested this to me before but I was wary because I was afraid of slowing down the story and boring the reader but I think I just have to figure out a balance. [...] Best, Danielle Brown - Danielle B.Read Moreread less - Chris How fast you work! Thank you for your beta-reading and yes, your revisions. I feel privileged. Your comments are quite encouraging. In light of what you have written, I will only send you the completed work. It will take a few months. Your feedback tells me this: 1. I am in the right direction, the pace is well set, my English grammar and style are adequate, but will need to be revised by a professional. 2. The story summary is enticing. 3. Judging the first chapter, the book has good marketing potential. All that galvanizes me. If I got it wrong, by all means, tell me. I am looking forward to contacting you when the first draft of the Great Inversion will be tweaked and ready, but not professionally revised. Most cordially, Chris. - ChrisRead Moreread less - Tina H. Thanks Declan for your thorough breakdown of my book. Yours is the first feedback that is constructive. Friends and family are always a little too enthused and not always honest with their feedback. I will take your thoughts into consideration as I rework some of the chapters. Thanks so much for beta reading my book! Thanks, Tina. - Tina H.Read Moreread less - Mel K. Thanks for your feedback. Its quite critical, but better to get it now than later. Mel. - Mel K.Read Moreread less - Bob L. Thanks for the insightful comments. Beautifully written critique and I will use it to polish the manuscript. Regards, Bob Levey. - Bob L.Read Moreread less - Margaret D. To cut a long story short. Could you improve the story and if so what would it cost me to do so. I'm thinking that a bit of tweaking will help the story tremendously. Margaret - Margaret D.Read Moreread less - Latifa J. Thank you for the manuscript assessment. I really appreciate how quickly you've gotten back to me. I'll start working on it as soon as possible, (rewriting it, taking everything you've mentioned into consideration). Thanks again! Regards, Latifa - Latifa J.Read Moreread less - Patrick L. Thank you for another wonderful assessment. This is very helpful and I greatly appreciate your suggestions and compliments. Everything makes perfect sense. I'm working on the revisions now and I am very excited to complete the next draft. I was planning to start querying agents/publishers after that, but I was curious if you think feedback from beta-reading might be necessary/helpful before moving forward. Thanks, Patrick. - Patrick L.Read Moreread less - Philip K. Hello Declan – I have been through your further assessment, thanks for those insights I can certainly work with those and will follow up on the contacts you suggest asap. I’m pleased to report that after many months of research and writing I have finally been able, this week, to self publish on Amazon the novel named “Treaty or Treason”! A close call with Penguin Ireland sadly didn’t work out for traditional publication. I would like to pass on particular thanks to Declan at Writerful Books (Dublin and Melbourne) who assessed the manuscript and helped me with many comments and kept me trudging or swimming on. Some famous author once commented that writing a book is like swimming the English Channel, you don’t know where you are, don’t know how far you have come or how far it is to go, but you have to keep swimming! Couldn’t agree more. Philip Kerrigan. - Philip K.Read Moreread less - Peter B. Thank you so much for your manuscript assessment. Very interesting and helpful to read it from the perspective of a professional. I agree with your advice. As I said in my draft submission letter I have spent a large part of my life writing and delivering humorous material as I seem to find much of what people find important to be in fact open to a humorous interpretation. Once again many thanks. Kindest personal regards. Peter - Peter B.Read Moreread less - Hanif M. Thank you for your concise report which was quite helpful in highlighting the areas which need to be worked on in the manuscript. Indeed the middle part did seem to go off point and there is no need for several characters/situations. Additionally your comments on the appropriate dialogue and South London lingo are well noted. There were some attempts to highlight the disillusionment the protagonist faced when arriving Nigeria. That was also supposed to be part of his journey. However It's clear that the manuscript does require a good plot overhaul/change in the sections mentioned Naturally the services of a developmental and copy editor would be engaged. The point of this assessment was to ensure if the story had some potential. Best regards Hanif - Hanif M.Read Moreread less - William Thank you so much for the invaluable feedback on Zoa's Arks. I am grateful for the cogent points you brought up. - WilliamRead Moreread less Load More Request a Quote Below Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Service Required *Creative EditingDevelopmental EditingManuscript EvaluationManuscript AssessmentOther ServiceCountry / Currency *Australia (AUD)Canada (CAD)Ireland (EUR)United Kingdom (GBP)United States (USD)OtherTurnaround Time *Wordcount *What Are Your Publishing Objectives?Submit Manuscript Click or drag a file to this area to upload. MessageSubmit