Recently, I had a great exchange on Facebook with author George Pearson. An author of two books and currently working on a third book, his books are written for the Christian market. However, the criteria George and I discussed for finding the right editor for his work is applicable for authors of various genres and topics. As you are read through our Q&A and a question comes up for your particular writing project, please feel free to leave your question in my comments.
George: Are there different types of editing? And what are some good tips or guidelines to use when choosing an editor? When writing from a doctrinal point of view should I look for someone knowledgeable of the subject matter I'm writing about?
Jevon: “Chemistry,” how you and your book jive with an editor's experience and preference, does matter. How you feel they understand your goals and vision for your project are key, but you also want to be able to count on their expertise as book industry professionals. And you really want your editor to be a master word wrangler. They must have a command of the English language, grammar rules, and Chicago Manual of Style, which is the style guide that governs the how books are written and edited.
If an editor does not have experience in book publishing, they may not be able to advise you on how your content needs to fit your target audience and communicate to their felt need. Editing is a bit more involved than just proofreading. Also, your editor does not need to agree with you 100 percent on theology [politics, social views, and the like], but they should be in the neighborhood of belief [or understanding]. For example, [as a Spirit-filled Christian author] you may not want to hire an editor who hates God (and I am being extreme), but they may edit your work with a level of contempt and skepticism. You also may find it hard to work with an editor who is a cessationist and doesn't believe that the Holy Spirit is active in the lives of believers.
Another example is if an author is a naturopathic doctor or chiropractor and is querying an editor who thinks alternative medicine is quackery. That editor and author would not be the best fit.
An editor’s knowledge of your particular topic does not necessarily need to be at a scholarly level. Scholars don’t always make good editors. Your editor’s main goal should be to help you express your perspective in the best, clearest, and soundest way that supports yours or the publisher’s vision for the project. You can get a feel for this by asking for a list of projects the editor has worked on in the past, references, and/or a free sample edit of a few pages of your manuscript. And talk with the editor about your topic, what they think of it, and ask them how they would approach editing it.
G: When writing prophetically should I just be concerned about grammar, spelling, punctuation, word choice and the flow of my message. In other words are there different rules or guidelines for editing different writing styles?
J: Yes, there are different rules and guidelines for editing various types of works. We call them style guides. And in general, editing should be flexible and take into account the specific content and the audience it is being written for.
When it comes to editing a prophetic word, you would need to use discernment. When I edit prophetic words, I edit grammar, punctuation, spelling, and the like. But I also edit out redundancies, stutters, and similar things, mainly because listening to someone speak is different from reading what was spoken. I am very careful when the prophetic word includes things such as, “...and the Lord says...” At that point, I edit only for punctuation, spelling, and grammar. I've notice that a prophetic person vacillates between direct words from the Lord and their interpretation of what the Lord is saying. I pray a lot while I'm editing prophetic words, asking the Lord for a double dose of wisdom and discernment. I even pray that He would give me the same revelation He gave the author so that I get all that He wants to say through them, including filling in any gaps. I know of a couple other editors who do the same thing.
G: These are some great responses. Very informative. The first two books I wrote were edited by individuals who weren’t editors by profession but scholarly, knowing the English language. I thank God for them because we were all learning. LOL. But I think they could have been so learned that they couldn't connect totally with the heart of what I was trying to communicate and changed things. I had to go back and undo many of their edits because they took away from what I was saying.
J: Editing really is a unique expertise. An editor’s goal is to enter the manuscript only to improve it, and exit as if they never were there. An editor is not interested in pushing their own views and beliefs into an author’s work but is committed to making that author shine for who they are. An editor is OK with being unseen in that way.
Scholars, to some degree, are used to making arguments, proving their points, and even challenging existing systems of belief, but that is not at all what editing is about. However, I will say this, when I am editing a piece and I notice that the author’s argument or position seems unusually contradictory to certain well-known theories or concepts, I will point it out to the author so that they are made aware and are able to retract their statement, clarify their meaning, or further substantiate their differing position. But this is all in my service to the author and their message.
G: What is your take on using software to copy edit? I’ve tried to research to see if that would be a way to go to help with the editing process since I basically self-publish for now for a couple reasons trying to learn as I go and budget.
J: Using software to copy edit your work could affect your unique voice. I use Grammarly for my own writing and Microsoft Word’s auto features are always on by default while I’m working on other people’s projects, but sometimes I choose to ignore their suggestions because they sterilize the text. Generally, these features can help, but it’s great to see someone’s personality come through in writing, sometimes—and only sometimes—even at the expense of being grammatically correct.
G: Also can or should a person have more than one editor one that edits the editor, or would that be too many hands in the pot?
J: Yes, you should absolutely consider having more than one editor edit your work. Many traditionally published books go through the hands of at least three editors, each performing a different level of editing. One editor focusing on one level of editing will not catch everything.
G: When I solicit the services of an editor, should I inquire to see what exactly is their process for editing, what comes with the services? For example, if you were to render or provide your editing services, is there a difference between the different levels compared to the different types of editing I read on your website? Or would the different levels be a system that is in place for more than one editor to review for errors that may have been overlooked regardless of the type of editing that your receiving?
J: Yes, you should ask an editor what their edit process entails, and they should be able to outline it for you. The levels of editing are the same as the types of editing performed and one editor should not attempt to do them all in one pass of the manuscript. If I am being asked to edit a book, I ask the author what level of editing they think they need. My favorite, though, is when the author asks me to do a manuscript critique first and then allows me to recommend to them the level of editing I think they need—and they don’t have to hire me to do it. When an author knows the level of editing they require, I edit their work at that level unless I find that the level they think they need is insufficient.
Some manuscripts are in bad condition but the author only wants someone to proofread it. (And maybe they don’t know that proofreading should only happen after a book has been typeset, right before it goes to the printer.) I am not helping them or using my time wisely by proofreading a poorly written manuscript. Also, I will not attempt to do a substantive (content) edit and a copyedit at the same time. It’s not going to happen. I can do one first, take a break from the manuscript, and come back at a later time to do a copy edit.
Each level of editing pulls on a different skill set and a different perspective. I call them hats. I wear one hat when I am content editing, and put on another one when I am copyediting. I inform my authors of this as well and encourage them to have someone else follow behind me if they’ve hired me to do a substantive/content edit.
Also, there are editors who only do developmental editing, editors who only do substantive/content editing, editors who only copyedit, and proofreaders who only proofread. Then there are editors who do all of the above, but not all at one time on one project. They will perform the level of editing you request from them. However, some editors will not skip a level. In other words, if your book has just been written and you are requesting a copy edit, an editor may recommend that your book go through a substantive edit first. I support this, especially with first-time authors.
Your book will have kinks in it that will be best worked out through the substantive editing process. My book, if I wrote one, would have kinks in it and I am an editor. I have my work (not my blog) edited every time. I am not exempt. And even further, there are editors who do any of the above levels of editing but only for certain genres and topics. For instance, some editors only edit adult nonfiction Christian books. Some editors won’t touch Spirit-filled/Charismatic-type books. Some editors are experts in health and fitness books or historical fiction but don’t edit Christian books of any kind. Does that make sense?
G: Yes, it does. Basically, before choosing an editor, I need to do my homework and make sure we are going to be on the same page. They need to know what I'm expecting or the type of editing I’m in need of, and they need to let me know what they can or cannot do.
Thanks once again you have been extremely helpful. I gotta take it to the next!