Can I Hire Someone to Edit My Book? – Freelance Book Editors to the Rescue!

A book can be referred to as a collection of ideas, concepts, arguments, and analyses falling into one or more of various categories. It could be a work of fiction inspired by the author’s imagination or based on actual events. A book can be considered nonfiction if it expresses an opinion or analyzes significant political, religious, environmental, and sociological concerns. Aside from these broad categories, books might also be written to convey biographies, cartoons, technical knowledge, or self-help topics. Once the manuscript of any book is completed, it goes through multiple rounds of editing and proofreading before being released. This editing is usually done by book editors rather than book writers because the author may overlook contextual errors. As a result, if you are looking for freelance book editors, you can employ professional freelance book editing service providers or proofreaders to thoroughly edit and proofread your book manuscript before sending it to publishing services.

What Do Freelance Book Editors Do?

Book editors meticulously review the entire book, looking for grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes. They also look for consistency in style, active or passive voice, tenses, and format in the book. In the case of nonfiction books, editors look at the uniformity of in-line citations and the final list of references. Editors also assist with the editing and formatting of book sections such as acknowledgments, table of contents, bibliography, prologue and epilogue, appendices, and in-text figures and tables. Book editors make meaningful suggestions to improve and prepare your text for publication based on your editing needs, target audience, and writing goal.

If you want to hire a book editor who can deliver high-quality freelance book editing services, you can go to any leading freelancer websites.

• When hiring a freelance editor, make sure they have a thorough understanding of various book categories and their writing styles.
• Strong knowledge of grammar principles and ability to identify errors in writing, including grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
• Strong vocabulary can help with a good flow of sentence structure.

When hiring book editors, ensure they have the talent and professional experience you require for your book. Finding a skilled editor can be difficult, but freelance book editing firms can help make the process easier. Use our “Search for Freelancers” feature to identify skilled freelance editors who can edit your book and submit it to publishers.

What to Look for in An Editor?

If you’ve never hired a freelance book editor, the procedure may seem intimidating — but don’t worry, it’s much easier than you think! The first step is to determine which types of editing your work requires. Once you’ve determined whether you need an editorial assessment, a developmental edit, a copy edit, or a final proof, you can begin researching and contacting appropriate editors. You need to find an editor who:

• has experience editing in your genre;
• A freelance book editor should thoroughly understand English writing styles, including different styles of book formatting and referencing.
• understanding the various book types, their purposes, and their intended audience.
• demonstrated subject matter proficiency in a particular domain and editing skills for manuscripts.
• proven expertise in assisting authors with the publishing process.
• aligns with your communication style;
• can work with your timeline; and
• fits with your budget.

Reviewing editor profiles and interviewing potential editors is critical to recruiting and determining the best editor for your book. As part of the recruiting process, you might ask the freelance editor to complete a test or job question to confirm they have the necessary professional expertise. Publishing a book is challenging; therefore, hiring the right professional book editor is critical to achieving that goal. Once you’ve identified an editor who matches the requirements of your project, you may feel confident about proceeding with your hiring decision. A selective, professional freelance book editing hiring platform with a standardized query form can help you find your editorial match by connecting you with a large pool of relevant editors.

Benefits of Using Freelance Book Editing Services

In recent years, several skilled book editors and proofreaders have chosen to provide online proofreading or freelance book editing services for book manuscripts. Because these editors have edited multiple texts for numerous authors, their combined experience can assist you with your book requirements. Hiring a book editor for your project will help you improve your book’s quality and prepare it for publication.

Where Can I Locate an Editor?

Location #1: Freelancers

If you’re looking for a freelance editor, you’ll most likely use Fiverr, Upwork, or ServiceScape. They will have thousands of options. You might also search for a specific editor’s website by name.

• Pros: Usually, the most economical, big sites vet their book editors by reviews, so follow the stars, and if, on a personal site, you can get a feel for the type of person based on the quality of their website.
• Cons: time-consuming filtering, the person is likely a stranger, and uncertainty about the quality of work before signing up.

Location 2: Book Editor Agencies or Editing Businesses

If you’re looking for an editing agency or company specializing in providing editors, consider Reedsy, Scribendi, or First Editing. These people have been in business for years and have completed countless editing assignments as a group. This strategy appears to be the best alternative for most authors who outsource their book editing.

• Pros: Decades of experience, excellent quality services, and an established process to follow for optimal results.
• Cons: Paying a business rather than an individual can result in higher charges.

Location 3: Editorial Societies

These sites are similar to Upwork; however, instead of having hundreds of freelancers from various domains, they specialize in editing. Furthermore, members of these societies are often required to pay fees to join and receive referrals. Examples include ACES: The Society for Editing, the Society of Editors and Proofreaders (Sfep), and the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA).

• Pros: Focuses on high-quality editing by paid members of the organization.
• Cons: Compliance with societal standards may result in greater costs.

Location 4: Peer Review Groups

You may join an online critique group where others volunteer to read your manuscript, such as Scribophile or Critique Match. In general, we advocate using these peer review groups for alpha and beta readers, less for editing services. Almost everyone’s manuscript needs professional editing to comb through it.

• Pros: Cost-effective; receive feedback from readers in your genre.
• Cons: often, you get what you pay for; most of these groups require you to swap and become an editor for someone else, which you may not have time for.

Location 5: Referrals

Maybe you have a good friendship with a published author who can steer you on the right path. Direct referrals may be one of the finest ways to discover an editor. The main thing to look out for is genre specialization. Of course, you’ll still have to vet the candidate based on price, timeframes, etc.

• Pros: limited search possibilities (from thousands of options to one), the editor is not a stranger to you, or at least you already have some natural rapport.
• Cons: If unsuccessful, you are back to square one and may need to change the timeframe due to backlog.

Location 6: Artificial Intelligence (AI)

If you want to ignore the hassles of humans and go straight to AI, you can do that, too. If you pursue this route, we recommend that you are an expert in writing high-quality prompts. After all, if you entrust AI with your final manuscript (which will bear your name), you want to ensure it does an incredible job.

How Much Should I Pay an Editor?

Editors often charge between $500 and $5000 per manuscript, based on the number of words, the timeline, and the level/type of editing required. Determine your budget, determine the type of freelance book editing you’ll need, and the total cost of publishing the book.

If your professional editor charges per word, conducting a round of self-editing may be beneficial to determine how many unnecessary paragraphs and words can be removed.

The costs of editing vary substantially. Most editors charge by the word or type of editing. As a result of the additional time and the brainpower required, a developmental edit typically costs more than proofreading.

You may be able to haggle the price but don’t be too harsh, or the editor may reject your offer. Or, worse, accept it with a chip on their shoulder and perform a subpar job.

Ultimately, it is up to you to decide how much you want to pay.

FAQ’s – Frequently Asked Questions