Before you hire an editor
Editors are here to help. With us, you can get a professional eye look over your work and give it that little something that'll put your book up there with the best.
To get the best out of an editor, it helps to view them as a partner in your writing journey. The more you can help them focus on the task (whether that's developmental editing, copyediting, or proofreading), the better their work will be.
So, here are a few things you can do before hiring an editor.
Formatting
This isn't the most exciting topic, but formatting issues can really get in the way of a clean edit. So, we'll cover them from most to least distracting.
Paragraphs and Indents
If you use Microsoft Word for writing, odds on your paragraphs are already set to a standard style, but issues can still occur.
The most common mistake here is using the TAB key to indent paragraphs (or, even worse, pressing SPACE until you reach the indent level you want – it happens!). This is especially important if you plan to self-publish using services like Amazon because both TAB and SPACE are treated as characters, making the formatting of your e-book a time-consuming and messy nightmare.
As a proofreader, this is something I look out for and fix, but it's easy enough to do yourself (there is a document on this on this page).
New Pages
When you finish a chapter and want the next to start on a new page, how do you get there? Do you:
a) Press ENTER until you get there?
b) Press CTRL+ENTER?
c) Set a Headings Style with "page break before" ticked and apply it?
d) Press SPACE until you get to a new page?
If your answer is anything other than c, there's a problem (especially if your answer is d!),
Extra Spaces
Extra spaces (mostly) come in two forms: double spaces after full stops and extra spaces at the end of a paragraph.
Both are troublesome when it comes to formatting, but both are pretty simple to fix using the FIND AND REPLACE tool in MS Word.
Being Prepared
You know your book. You know the names of your characters, towns, races, organisations, and pets. You know how you like to phrase things, what punctuation you like to use, and everything else that makes your book yours.
Editors don't, but being given documents that reference these aspects can help keep the focus on your novel and away from figuring out the correct spelling of Khazad-dûm.
Styles
I've mentioned style guides before (sample style guide download), so I won't go into too much detail here, but creating even one as simple as "use Chicago Manual of Style" will help the process of editing.
The more detail you add (preferences regarding punctuation, spelling variations, number usage, italic/bold usage, etc.) the happier your editor will be.
Names
Does your main character have an unusual name? Is the place your story is set a made up word?
This one is especially important for sci-fi and fantasy authors who have created whole worlds, races, cultures, and characters with unique names. Spellcheckers likely won't know these words, meaning that dreaded red line won't appear.
A document listing all the names in your story can help your editor keep the spelling of each consistent and accurate.
Consistency Markers
These are things such as the position of a place in relation to another (is town A to the east or west of town B?), character details (does character A have black or brown hair? Do they speak in an accent?), proper nouns (is your race called the blue men or The Blue Men?), and world details (how many suns are there? Moons? Is there anything unusual like purple grass in your story?).
As above, a document covering these areas can do a world of good, giving your editor a head start on your novel. Even better, if you have a map of your world – even just a hand-drawn one – send it over!
Wrapping Up
There are many ways to make your editor's life a little easier, and it's always a good idea to ask if there is anything specific your editor would like before you start working together.
Remember: the more things you tell your editor, the more energy they'll be able to focus on the things that matter.
All of the things listed above are part of the checks I make when editing a novel. If you'd like to know more about my author services, check out my Proofreading and Manuscript Evaluation pages.
If you're unsure whether you need a proofreader yet, check out this page: Are you ready for a proofreader?