Friday, June 27, 2014

Is an external editor necessary?

 There is a question pecking my mind. Is it important for writers to work with an external editor before we go on submission? So far, all my books that have been published, have been edited by the inhouse editors of the publishing houses themselves. This is the normal procedure in India. The editors of the publishing houses work with the writers to polish the book before the book is published.

Whenever I read about my blog buddies’ working with external editors (who they pay from their own pocket) I feel a bit worried. I never did that for any of my manuscripts. When I started querying a few years back, my manuscript/s went through my critique partners. I made the changes that they suggested. After a few rounds of revisions I started querying. I am wondering that if I had an external editor, perhaps my chances of getting an agent would have increased. But, if the story or the character did not appeal to the agents, then no amount of editing would have swung the scales in my favour.

I am thinking whether to work with an external editor after I my finish my current work in progress. But that will be only after my critique partners go through it (as it is about a topic I am not familiar with).

What’s your view about external editors? Do you think they are necessary if one is looking for traditional publishing? Do you think external editors can get our manuscripts into the best possible shape and increase our chances of getting an agent or bagging a publishing contract?


15 comments:

  1. External editors would continue to have their say in the traditional publication world, is what I feel, Rachna!

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  2. I don't know, I employed an external editor, but my book was edited only once as it was self-published by me.

    Destination Infinity

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  3. I've never paid, although I rely on several test readers and critique partners to help edit. I'd heard others say they paid for editing, and if it polishes the work and makes it more likely to be accepted, I'd say that was a good thing.

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  4. Professional editors work best after you've polished your manuscript enough to have it accepted somewhere that hires their own editors.

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  5. In my seminars, I always tell writers that they are better off hiring an editor before they submit. Yes, a publisher will have their own editors go over it, but when it comes in professionally edited and polished, it's more likely to be accepted.

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  6. I would think having an extra set of eyes on your work would be beneficial. You would just have to be careful that the external editor, the writer, and the internal editor are not on completely different pages or it would be a really frustrating experience.

    Enjoy your weekend Rachna.

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  7. Hi friends, I agree that an external editor can get our manuscript into the best possible shape, thus increasing its chances of acceptance. I just hope that the external editor is on the same page as us where our story is concerned.

    Hope you all have a nice weekend!

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  8. Glad to learn about the intriguing tidbits of publishing!

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  9. I think external editors come in handy when you're self publishing, but if you're trying to go for the traditional route, I don't think it's a good idea, since the editor only does what an in-house editor does.

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  10. I think an external editor is essential for those who are self-published--and they should be sure to pick a good one. It can't hurt with the traditional route, but it's dangerous to toy with it too much...an editor could suggest some changes that go against what your future publisher would want you to do.

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  11. An editor is important. In traditional publishing, you'll have one anyway. In self-publishing, hire one. I don't think it's necessary to have an editor before you submit to a publisher though.

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  12. Interested to read this post and comments as this is something I have been thinking about lately. If I did decide to self publish I would definitely want to hire an editor.

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  13. I've tried various editors and found one I like. I've found them to be useful, especially in polishing up an MS. However, I don't shell out big bucks for it. A lot of editors charge thousands of dollars, but I don't work with any that charge more than hundreds.

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  14. It won't hurt to have fresh eyes on a manuscript but I don't think it's necessary. Publishers are looking for a good story more than a perfectly polished manuscript. As long as it's of a reasonable standard I'm sure they'll be ale to judge the quality and be prepared to help fix any edits that might be needed.

    mood
    Moody Writing

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  15. I think external editors are helpful for either new writers who can learn from the process, any writer who feels that something might be off in an otherwise good manuscript, and self-published writers.

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