What to Expect from the Editorial Process

Working with an editor isn’t as scary as you might think

You’ve written your book (or your business documentation), done all your groundwork, sorted out your budget and found an editor you’d like to work with.

So what happens next? What can you expect from working with an editor?

The stages of working with an editor

Every editor is different. Just as there are different types of editing, there are different ways of approaching an edit, but generally the process will remain the same.

Let’s break it down into stages …

Make sure your manuscript is ready before approaching an editor you think you can work with. Self-editing is a vital stage – you need to make sure you’ve gone as far as you can on your own. Getting a beta read is also a really good idea as it means you can get a reader’s view of your book then go back and address any issues that come up.
After approaching an editor you’ll often be asked for a sample of your work (giving them the whole thing is a very good idea), which will allow them to quote for the level of intervention needed. A budget and the type of editing will then be agreed upon.
Next you will have to book your work into their schedule. Never expect that as soon as you are ready to go your editor will have space for you. Depending on the scope of the edit you may have to wait a while. Do expect to pay a non-refundable booking fee – editors need to know you are serious about the edit, and booking you into their schedule means they have booked that time for you and don’t want any nasty surprises if you fail to deliver. Loss of delivery or a sliding schedule means they lose income.
Generally, editors like to know that they have work scheduled, so many will have booked work a few months in advance. Expect to wait a few weeks to many months before they can start work on your manuscript. If they work in a highly specialised field you may have to wait longer. Don’t see this as a bad thing – once you’ve found an editor who you feel you can work with, the wait will be worth it.
Once you’re booked in send all your relevant details. This includes not only the manuscript that your editor will be working on, but your preferences for style. If you are writing for a company send the editor your company’s style guide. If you are an author let the editor know if you have been using a style guide such as New Hart’s Rules or the Chicago Manual of Style, and which dictionary you prefer. If you have made your own style guide too, let your editor know. You’ll be working together to make your writing the best it can be, collaboration is key – don’t expect your editor to be a mind reader.
Let the editor do their job. Once your slot has come around you will be contacted by your editor who will let you know that work will be starting. Now is the time to sit back and let them get on with it. Do not hassle them with ‘oh, by the way …’ or ‘can you just …’ or ‘when will you send …’ or ‘have you finished yet?’ Editing is both an art and a science. It takes time and concentration. If your editor has questions that are important to the flow of the job they will contact you. Just sit back and wait. Patience is a virtue.
Review the document. After speaking to your editor at the commissioning and booking stage, you should know how they will work on your manuscript and how many passes or rounds of editing are involved. The terminology can be loose, but generally a pass means how many times your editor has gone through your manuscript, a round means how many times it goes between editor and author. For example, when I edit your work I will generally carry out two or three passes in one round of editing. In this example my first pass will be to look through your document for obvious layout errors, spelling mistakes, stylistic errors etc. (a fairly mechanical process). My second pass will be where the majority of work is carried out: the nitty gritty editorial process using Word’s tracked changes. The third pass is a quick look-over to check that everything has been done and the manuscript reads well. The document will then be returned to you for review and any queries and comments will be addressed. That round of editing is then complete. Any further rounds will require payment as a new edit.
Move onto the next stage of your publishing process. Once you’ve reviewed the edit, and you’re happy that the document is ready, it’s now time to sign off the work and either move on or add another round of editing. Some people will go back and rewrite after an edit, focusing on the editors comments, while others will accept all the changes and feel that the job is done. It all depends on the type of edit carried out – a developmental edit is one at the beginning of the process, dealing with the big picture issues, whereas after a copyedit / line edit you should be ready for the final stages of publishing. When you’re happy, it’s time to get your manuscript typeset / formatted ready for publication and hire a proofreader for that final look-over.

So, you see, the editorial process isn’t at all mysterious. The main thing to remember is to talk with your editor, communicate well, and don’t take comments personally. It’s very easy to get protective of your work, but trust your editor, they want what’s best for you and your writing.