So, you’re looking to take your novel to the next level, but you’re apprehensive about working with an editor. You’re not alone! You might be thinking:
What if they rip my work to shreds? What if I don’t recognize my story when they give it back? Is it even what I envisioned anymore?
Look, I get it. Handing your story over to anyone is scary. But handing it to a professional might be even scarier than giving it to readers. Who doesn’t remember getting an assignment back in school marked up by all that red ink? That’s what editors are for, right? To show you where it all went wrong?
I’m gonna clue you in on a little secret… we editors were just as traumatized by the red pen as everyone else. And we don’t want to do that to you or your story! Any editor worth their salt doesn’t want to take over and tear down all those carefully laid story bricks. Instead, we want to sharpen your story, bring your vision more into focus.
So, let’s erase that vision of the editor sitting there with the red pen.
We’re gonna dive into what an editor actually does to improve your story to put your mind at ease. Here’s what we’re covering:
Details Matter When Working with an Editor
No matter which stage of editing you book an editor for, one of the main things we’ll focus on is the details. Instead of looking for places where we can tear your story apart at the seams, we’re going to look for details that can be tweaked, adjusted, relocated, or empahsized to make your story stronger.
Read that again. We’re going to do things to make your story stronger.
See, we editors don’t want to just make your story better. That implies that we see it as bad and will be making significant changes. Our job is actually to elevate your story as high as we possibly can. And the devil is in the details.
When we go into your story, we’re going to focus on a few different things. But much of what we edit does come down to details—both big and small. Pacing? Details—what can we lengthen, shorten, shift to improve the experience for the reader. Character development? Details—what can we emphasize to make a character more loveable? Worldbuilding? Details—where can we get more info or where can info be shifted to make it easier to digest and less of an info dump.
See what I mean? So many elements of a story come down to choosing and focusing on the right details. When working with an editor, this will probably be the biggest thing we focus on.
Expect Constructive Ideas and Suggestions to Elevate Your Story
You might think working with an editor means them telling you what’s wrong with your story and leaving it there. It’s up to you to figure out how to fix it.
But that’s not what an editor is supposed to do. And it’s certainly not what I do with my own clients.
If something isn’t working, it is our job to tell you. But we have to take it a step further than that. It is also our job to aid you in fixing it. Otherwise, it’s like you’ve just received an item with instructions in a language you don’t and could never read.
There’s lots of ways an editor might go about helping you fix the problems in your story. They might give you tips, or they might give you concrete ways of how to adjust something.
Personally, I like to give my clients ideas, especially if it’s something that isn’t so straight forward/an easy fix. I’ll tell you something isn’t working and then give you X, Y, and Z options of things you could do to take things in a direction that does work.
I like doing it this way because I want you to see me as a sounding board. You could take any number of my ideas and run with them. Or you could use them to bounce your own ideas off of and come up with something completely new that is totally your own.
No matter what though, we’re here to collaborate with you on your story. It’s important to us editors to see you and your story succeed. So, it’s in our best interest to not leave you hanging!
Working with an Editor Can Encourage You and Boost Your Confidence
Not everything in your story will be wrong. Not everything will need fixing. In fact, a lot (if not most), of your story will be just right.
And you know what? It’s super important that we, as your editor, tell you that!
I will admit, some editors are a bit more blunt than others. And that’s okay. We all have our different styles. And different clients gravitate towards those different styles. But! If your editor isn’t mentioning things they like about your story, they might not be the right editor for your book.
If all you’re getting is critique after critique after critique, you’re gonna start feeling like you’re back in school with those red-ink-covered papers! And your own editing process might suffer as a result. Nobody wants to hear that they’re terribly and horribly bad at something. Especially after they’ve poured their heart and soul into it.
We as editors, especially if we’re a good fit for your book, will hype you up just as much as we show you where your story can be made stronger.
We’re Not Going to Rewrite Your Book — We’re Going to Elevate and Champion It!
When working with an editor (ANY editor), you should always go through a sample edit before you sign a contract and hand your work over. There’s a few reasons for this, but the main one is to determine if you and the editor are a good fit for each other.
We editors actually use this process to determine if we connect with your story enough to edit it. Because if we can’t get behind your book and champion it, well… we shouldn’t be editing it!
We need to:
- See your story vision
- Love your writing
- See the potential for growth
Our job is not to rewrite your book. And if the sample edit process happened, then we already know we like (or more probably, LOVE) your book. We like it as is! Before any edits have even been made.
So, instead of tearing it apart, we want to help you polish it. We see the potential in it and want it to be the shiniest of gems for your future readers to adore. Readers are on a treasure hunt for their next book. And we want yours to be the one that catches their attention.
If we’ve chosen to edit your book, then we already believe that’s going to be the case. We’ve just gotta help you get it there.
Save this image to help you get comfortable with your next book editor.
How I Apply This for My Clients
When I go into an edit with a client, I feel like I’m stepping into a collaboration with them. I will love their story just as much as I love my own, and I’m uber excited to help them make the readers in the world love it too!
So, with that in mind, it’s very important to me to ask what my client feels like they might be struggling with. While I will most certainly focus on other things, it’s important to me to spend time focusing on the things they struggle with especially so I can help them gain more confidence around that.
Here’s the result of my client Izzy:
I reached out to Tessy for help with my novel and WOW did she set a high bar!!! I communicated what kind of help I needed with my story, and she jumped right in with no hesitation. She stayed in contact with me throughout the entire process, keeping me updated on her timeline. When I got the document back, her in-line comments made me laugh, feel more connected to my story, and provided valuable insight. Her edit letter did just the same: I feel empowered & motivated, yet ready to take her advice and jump back in my story to edit. Tessy was the PERFECT FIT!!
It’s super important that I leave my clients feeling motivated, encouraged and empowered for the steps to come. That’s what working with an editor should be.
It’s also equally important that I leave the door open for my clients to come to me with questions. This is a collaboration. I never want them to feel abandoned after the feedback is returned.
I am here to champion your book!!
Now You Know What to Expect When Working with an Editor
I know it’s super hard to hand your book baby over to someone else. But please understand that working with an editor does NOT mean having you or your story torn to shreds. We know how much work it took to lay those story bricks one-by-one, layer-by-layer.
We’re here to help you find the right things to focus on during edits. We’re here to give you ideas to improve and build upon what you already have. We’re here to encourage you and make sure your story has the best chance of succeeding!
We editors find it an immense honor that you chose to trust us with your story!
Ready to see if I’m a good fit to edit your story?
If you think I might be a good fit to edit your story and you’re ready to take the next step, feel free to fill out the form here to set up a free sample edit.
I’m excited to dig into your story and see how I can help you take it to the next level!
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