Decide Now, Decide Later: Decisions to make before an edit -

Decide Now or Decide Later?

The internet is afloat in advice about the different types of editing your book could use: developmental editing to optimize the story, line editing to polish the writing, copy editing to steer the usage and style, proofreading to catch remaining errors … You can read one of those articles on the types of editing here at my site too.

Most people assume that the right editing package is about getting as much spit and polish as they can afford. The “best” editing, in their view, is all the editing they can afford and then some.

But that’s not the way editing works. The right editing approach for your book comes down to your individual publishing goals.

If you can afford a good editor who can give your manuscript the works, of course your book will emerge the better for it. If you’re a newer writer who’s still learning the ropes of storytelling, writing, querying, and selling books, go for it. Give yourself as many opportunities to learn and improve your manuscript as you can.

But realistically, very few writers have the budget for full edits at every level.

So how do you know what your book needs and what it can do without? The answer lies in making the right decisions before editing. Here’s what to decide—and what not to decide—before embarking on professional editing.

Decide Now: How will you publish?

The editing needs of a strong novel that’s destined to make the rounds with agents and publishers are different from the needs of a manuscript by a first-time writer who plans to self-publish. Know your publishing options, and commit to a path. A publishing plan that sounds like I’ll query agents for a few months, and if nobody wants it, I’ll probably self-publish leaves your book hanging without direction and an actionable plan.

If you’re an exceptional storyteller and writer, you may land an agent with nothing more than a thoroughly self-revised manuscript and a polished query letter. More likely, however, you’ll benefit from some professional guidance first.

Agents and publishers have different views on whether a manuscript should get professional editing before a query. How many manuscripts have you written before? Is this a figuring-out-how-to-write-a-novel book, or is this an actual marketable novel? Have you workshopped and beta-tested this manuscript? Will you be frustrated if you devote considerable time and budget to editing your novel, only to be signed by an agent who requires major revisions before it even goes out on submission? Do you believe your novel is strong enough to compete with other professionally edited submissions?

Self-publishers, on the other hand, have a different set of priorities. Self-publishing means you’re now in business as a professional publisher, and it’s up to you to bring professional standards to your product. What you don’t know about writing and publishing will hurt you. There’s a line between an acceptable threshold of learning on the fly and doing considerable damage to your reputation with an amateurish first book.

Decide Now: How long to support this manuscript’s development

Finishing a novel is only the first step of the notoriously glacial publishing process. Developing, revising, and editing a book can take a year or more—and that’s before production and marketing, which demands a different type of focus.

If you’re hoping to traditionally publish, how long are you willing to wait to get this book on the market? Signing with an agent typically takes a year or more. Do you have the stamina for that? Once you’re represented—if you’re picked up for representation—how long will you continue to plug away for sales? If nobody shows interest, will you trunk this manuscript, or will you self-publish as a fallback?

It’s said that most authors write four novels before producing something compelling enough to earn an offer of representation from a literary agent. For most writers, that means writing more books—not later, but right now. Are you willing to put this book aside to work on the next? Are you willing to write four or more books before you even get a foot in the door?

If you’re not willing to go the distance, there’s not much point in pursuing traditional publishing. But if you are prepared for the long haul, your story must be as competitive as possible. You may be happy with it, but if you’ve never had professional-caliber feedback on your work, your manuscript will inevitably reveal the signs of all the things you didn’t know that you don’t know about writing fiction. Your manuscript needs developmental editing.

If you’ll be self-publishing, are you prepared for the work of getting your product on the market, or did you blow your entire load of energy writing your first draft? You’re not just an author—now you’re a project manager too. Design, production, marketing, fulfillment … All of these are on your plate. Are you ready for the long game?

All these choices directly affect which editorial approach will best serve your project.

Decide Now: Genre and target audience

Before you spend time and money editing your manuscript, ask yourself whether you’ve written something readers will be interested in buying. If you can’t define your genre or identify your core readers, your book isn’t ready for editing (although a book coach could help).

Creative writing can be pursued for your own enjoyment, but novels are written with readers in mind. A commercially successful novel needs a target audience and a genre. Genre categories aren’t designed to keep uninterested readers out; they’re designed to invite your target readers in. Genre helps readers put their finger on which books they’d most like to read.

If even you can’t define where your book fits into today’s market, don’t rush ahead blindly anyway. A book coach or editor can help you define your concept and genre. Figure out who your book is for first, before you leap into manuscript editing.

Decide Now: Your editing budget

You get what you pay for—this is as true in editing as in anything else. The level of service, experience, skill, and results you’ll get from someone who charges a fraction of a penny per word for review is drastically different than what you’ll receive from someone at a price point that supports twenty, forty, sixty or more hours of quality editing.

Deciding whether you care more saving money while observing the forms (“I got an edit!”) or securing quality work for your manuscript is up to you. One way to determine whether you’re paying a realistic rate is to figure out about how much the editor will be making per hour for your project. Is it a livable wage? If not, you’re probably looking at a hobbyist, a part-time editor, or someone who’s just getting started at editing. People don’t voluntarily accept low rates for no reason. Find out how much time the editor plans to spend on your book and what they’ll specifically do during the process.

The rates you pay for editing are within your control to a large degree. You could pay an editor to clean up, revise, and even lightly rewrite sloppy writing, but why would you? Save money on editing by preparing your manuscript completely and thoroughly.

Decide Now: Hiring the right editor

Would you rather have your book edited by a neighbor who got As in English twenty years ago or a professional who applies modern publishing industry standards to your manuscript? The choice is yours. Finding a qualified professional is the first step in getting your manuscript the support it needs to evolve into a book. Consult the Author’s Guide to Finding and Hiring an Editor to make an informed decision.

Choosing an editor isn’t only about qualifications and experience. Are you looking for a particular type of editing? Comprehensive editorial development? Turnkey project management all the way through production? Are you looking for someone who can schedule you in on the fly, or are you willing to wait for the right person who’s the perfect fit for your publishing team?

It’s also important to connect with an editor who clicks with you on a creative level. Hold out for a compatible editor who fits your style.

Decide Later: What types of editing

Deciding what kind and level of editing you need before you get it is like going to the doctor with a diagnosis already in mind. You might be right—but you might not. If you’ve already settled on a particular course of action before you schedule your edit, you could end up wasting time and money.

A good editor will look over your book and talk to you about your writing and your publishing goals before making a recommendation and giving you a quote for your project. An editor who’s sensitive to your needs and goals will work out a proposal specifically designed for you and your book.

Decide Later: Cover design

My heart sinks when a new client excitedly emails me with a cover design before we’ve even edited the book. The editing process is designed to generate foundational recommendations and revisions, so a cover at this stage is premature. It’s not uncommon to change a story’s title and genre during development and editing, rendering an existing cover moot.

What if the story you always envisioned as YA turns out to be MG, but you already dropped your budget on a cover featuring a teenager? What if you paid a professional illustrator to create a map of your world, but editing uncovers issues that mean those mountains to the east need to be five days closer to the city?

Editing comes before production. Plan ahead for cover design and marketing, but don’t leapfrog your book’s development process. The story comes first.

Decide Later: Interior book layout

Please don’t send out your manuscript set to some twee custom page size with gap-toothed leading and a quirky font you think makes your book look “like a book.” Editors, literary agents, acquisitions editors, and other publishing pros need to see your work in a standard presentation that’s easy to read, easy to parse, and easy to work with.

In order to make sure your manuscript doesn’t contain any typographical inconsistencies or issues, an editor will strip any special formatting and scrutinize it in basic, industry-standard manuscript format. Hang on just a little while longer. It won’t be long before you can make your creation look as beautiful as you please.

Decide Later: The rest of the series

There are many reasons why your first book should not be part of a series—it’s like trying to start your athletic career at the Olympics. I strongly encourage you to confine your story to a standalone title when you’re getting started as a writer. A multi-book series is harder to write, more expensive to edit, harder to sell, harder to make money from, and more demanding to follow up on. It’s a serious handicap for any emerging author.

A series can give you impressive sales boosts, but mistakes along the way will be compounded. Master the art and craft of writing a complete novel first. Get several complete manuscripts under your belt before you try your hand at a series.