It may be because I’m an editor…

www.inkthinkerblog.com — …but I feel like folks are pretty down on the whole concept of professional editing lately, and I don’t really understand why. Yes, some people are totally unqualified scammers. But that could be said of some people in pretty much every profession. So why are professional editors getting such a bad reputation? I think it’s because writers who hire them aren’t doing their research, not because there’s something inherently wrong with hiring an editor.

Why in the world would anyone hire anyone, editor or otherwise, to do work for you without being sure they were capable of doing it and qualified for the job? Folks who do that get burned, but is it the fault of skilled professional editors that Suzie Writer forked over a check to Johnny No-Grammar without getting a sample edit or insisting on references? I’m an editor. I’m not a scammer. I’m tired of being lumped into the same category as the idiots on Craigslist who will “Edit you book in 24 hrs! paypal only. [[anonymous address here]].”

Any ethical editor will offer (or provide upon request) a sample edit and some evidence of successful experience. If the editor you’re considering doesn’t do this, run and don’t look back — whether he’s in the I’m-a-big-fat-scammer category or the I-have-so-much-work-that-I-don’t-need-to-prove-myself-to-you category, that person isn’t someone you want to work with.

If you are a completely sucky writer, no editor on earth is going to be able to do anything about that. You simply need to hone your craft. But if your writing is basically solid and your grammar and punctuation (or maybe organization or structure) need some work, or if you just need outside input from someone who works with a lot of writers and will be able to give you some sage advice, or if you know something is wrong with your manuscript and you don’t know what it is or how to fix it, what is wrong with hiring an editor to work the manuscript over or give you a critique.

I truly believe that everyone who writes, myself included, needs an editor. We all need someone else to point out our problem areas and to help us smooth them. It’s just a fact of written communication that editing is necessary. Whether you pay the person who edits your work or you find someone who will volunteer his or her time is your business, and frankly I don’t care (unless, of course, you do want to pay someone, in which case, call me). You’re not going to be able to fix everything that’s wrong with your writing on your own (see above: “everyone who writes…needs an editor”), but there’s a lot you can do. Put in some time to learn how to fix stuff on your own before enlisting outside help. The more you do yourself, the less you have to pay someone else (either monetarily or in other forms) to fix for you.

If your manuscript needs work and you have a free option such as a critique group or resources at the library for solving that problem, you’d be a dummy not to take it. However, if the people in your critique group — or your well-meaning family members — don’t know what they’re talking about, that may do more harm than good, so just be careful.) Those people may very well be experienced in solving the type of problem your manuscript has. But if they’re not, why wouldn’t you want to find someone who is?

Seriously, people, if you fall off a roof (because you didn’t want to hire one of those scamming roofers) and break your leg, are you going to make your own cast out of papier mache because some doctors are total hacks, or are you going to the hospital to hire a professional who has training and experience to help you? This is kind of a no-brainer for me. What about if your tooth hurts? You can show your girlfriend and your dog and your boss and the guy who sits next to you on the bus, and they may have some good suggestions, but when it comes down to it, the only person who can definitively tell you what’s wrong and fix it is a trained dental professional.

My approach: Each client gets a free, no-obligation sample edit of 500 to 1,000 words using Track Changes and Comments, with a quick assessment of problem areas and stuff to work on in a cover letter BEFORE we make a commitment. I strongly suggest that people review the sample edit and apply the changes throughout their document before hiring me or anyone else so they can save some time and money. I also let people know if their manuscript isn’t ready for the type of editing they want me to do (eg, they want proofreading, but their manuscript has enormous structural problems and is basically unreadable) and point them toward resources that may be helpful. Sure, I offer my services as a coach, but I also let them know that there are other people out there cheaper than I am and that there are also free resources. I also let people know if they’re asking for more than they need (eg, a full copyedit when the manuscript is virtually finished and really only needs a proofreading). If you’d rather pay someone else to do for you what you could do for yourself, or if you want to overpay me, I will cheerfully take your money–but not before I tell you that you could save some serious bucks.

The take-away from this? Don’t be an idiot when shopping around for editing help — and don’t assume that, just because you (or some random person in a writing forum) had a bad experience with a Johnny No-Grammar, real professional editors are big fat scammers. We’re not.

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www.kristenkingfreelancing.com
Finalist in 2006 Writer’s Digest Best Writer’s Website Contest

Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King

Contents © Copyright 2006 Kristen King. All rights reserved.