Best Book Editors

What a good book editing package includes

Book editing gigs are usually priced by word count and type of edit. Check that the package states:

• Type of edit: developmental, line, copy or proofreading.
• Word count covered.
• Deliverables: tracked changes, comments, an editorial letter.
• Style: US or UK English, and any style guide.
• Timeline, which is often several weeks for a full book.
• Follow-up: questions answered after delivery.

For developmental editing, ask whether you will receive an editorial letter: a summary of the book's strengths, main problems and suggestions. It is often the most valuable part, because it helps you plan the revision as a whole rather than fixing notes one by one.

How to prepare for a book editor

1. The manuscript in Word, with consistent formatting.
2. Genre, audience and word count.
3. A synopsis for developmental editing.
4. Your concerns: pacing, characters, ending, style.
5. Publishing plan: self-publishing or submitting to agents.
6. A style sheet of names, spellings and terms.

Finish your own revisions before hiring an editor. Editors are most valuable on a manuscript you have already improved as far as you can; paying them to point out problems you could have found yourself uses your budget on the wrong things.

Give yourself time to revise after the edit. Plan the schedule so you are not rushing to a launch date with unread comments, and consider a proofread after your final changes.

Ask whether the editor will also check consistency across the whole book: character names, timelines, spellings and details that change between chapters. These problems are easy to miss when writing over many months, and readers notice them. A good copy editor keeps a style sheet for your book and shares it with you, which is also useful for future books in the same series.

What drives the price

• word count
• type and depth of edit
• genre and complexity
• condition of the manuscript
• editorial letter and follow-up calls
• the editor's experience and timeline

Red flags

• No sample edit offered.
• Very fast turnaround for a full novel.
• No experience in your genre.
• Edits without tracked changes.
• Promises of publishing deals or bestseller status.

Remember that the book is yours. A good editor suggests and explains; you decide. If a suggestion does not fit your vision, you can reject it. Ask about any edit you do not understand.

For shorter documents, see our proofreading and editing guide. For the cover, read our book cover guide, and for an audiobook our audiobook production guide.

Quick pre-order checklist

• I know which type of edit my manuscript needs now.
• I have revised the manuscript myself first.
• I have seen a sample edit.
• The editor knows my genre.
• I have time planned to revise after the edit.