If you’re self-publishing or looking to clean up your manuscript for agents and publishers, then you’re probably (almost definitely) going to want to work with a freelance editor. Here’s a rundown of how to do that, from the initial search to the final decision.
“Freelance” just means that an editor is self-employed. They’re not associated with any particular publishing house, though they may work with them on a project-by-project basis. To work with an in-house editor, you have to have actually signed a publishing deal with that house, and then they assign their own editors to your book.
where to find freelance editors
Whether your book is fiction or nonfiction, editor associations are a great place to start. These are organizations specifically designed for freelance book professionals—editors (and book designers and formatters and book coaches, etc.) pay membership dues and in exchange get access to the organization’s resources, educational material, and social circle. They often have directories that you can search to find a good match, and job boards where you can post your needs and let the right editor contact you. Most of these associations don’t vet members’ qualifications, but the required dues are a good barrier to scammers, and the group will protect their reputation by dealing with members who’ve had complaints filed against them or who’ve violated the organization’s code of conduct. Being a member shows that an editor is invested in their trade. It’s a sign that they care about growing their skill, and that they’re tapped into the publishing world. Check out places like the Editorial Freelancers Association (that’s where I live, hi), ACES: The Society for Editing, the Northwest Editors Guild, Reedsy, Editors Canada, and the Alliance of Independent Authors.
These organizations are different from general freelance job sites like Fiverr and Upwork. While there are legitimate editors on these sites, anyone can go onto these platforms and call themselves a book editor, so there’s a high concentration of amateurs and outright scammers. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t explore these sites, just that you should be alert if you do.
If you’re on social media, some editors have book-focused accounts on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, where they might share things like their professional bio, what they edit, testimonials, and writing and publishing tips. Try searching for hashtags related to your specific needs, like #ScifiEditor, #QueerEditor, or #IndieEditor. Again, anyone can present themselves as a professional on social media, including scammers, so be careful.
how to vet an editor
Speaking of being careful, let’s break down some of the things you’ll want to consider when checking out an editor’s fit, and some red flags to watch for.
Most obviously, you’ll want to know about their practical qualifications—their professional background, education, any certificates they might have from professional institutions, their years of experience. Being new or not having in-house experience isn’t a red flag, but newness in particular should be balanced out with evidence of professional training and knowledge. Any editor you check out, new or seasoned, should have some way of demonstrating that they know what they’re doing. Look for things like testimonials, a portfolio of titles they’ve worked on in the past, maybe something like a blog or social media page where they discuss matters of writing, editing, and publishing. Basically, you want to see more than just their promise that they’re an expert.
Not all editors edit the same genres or types of material, so you’ll have to narrow down your options to the people who are good at the kind of thing you’ve written. Do they edit all fiction genres? Specialize in something particular, like fantasy? Is there anything they don’t edit, like on-page sex or strong violence? Do they do the kind of edit you need (and if you’re not sure what kinds of editing there are or which you need, check out my articles on these topics)? It might also be relevant to you to find out if they have any particular interests, values, or social identities that align with your work.
If an editor’s qualifications and compatibility with your project check out, it’s time to look at the more business-y details. You want an idea of what you’ll get from them and how much it’d cost you.
“What you’ll get” should be more than just your edited manuscript. The documents you receive when your editor is done working are called “deliverables,” and at minimum they generally include the edited work with tracked changes and either an editorial letter or a style sheet. Tracking changes is like, professional editing 101. Tracking allows you, the writer, to see the edits that have been made so that you can decide to keep them or not. If an editor doesn’t do this, that’s a major red flag. The other deliverable you might get back, an editorial letter, is a (generally) three- to ten-page summary the editor writes to let you know what they did and to share their thoughts. If you only got a copyedit, then you may not receive an editorial letter, but you should absolutely be given a style sheet—a document where the copyeditor lists things like preferred spellings, details of character’s appearances, and how ellipses should be formatted. (If all this seems a little overwhelming, don’t worry about it too much—the main thing is that if you’re looking for a copyedit, make sure the editor provides a style sheet with it).
“What you’ll pay” is based on an editor’s rates. Many editors will list their rates online, either as a flat per-word or hourly rate, or as an approximate. Either is valid—some editors like the simplicity of a flat rate, while some prefer the flexibility to adjust their rate to fit the needs of each project individually (i.e., charging less for light work and more for heavy lifting). There are pros and cons to both, but at the end of the day, any editors you contact should provide you with at least an estimate of what you’d pay to work with them.
Together, what you’ll get and what you’ll pay are the foundation of a contract, and it’s a major plus if an editor has one. Not only does a contract clearly outline what an editor will and will not do, and what you will and will not be expected to pay for so that there’s no confusion (or surprises), it acts as a legal protection so you don’t have to be too worried that you’ll get ripped off. If the editor you work with doesn’t hold up their end of the deal, there’s a document saying that you don’t have to pay for it. So it’s always a good idea to find out if an editor has a contract.
Many editors have their own website, and will list tend to list most of this information there. If not, these are all things that you can ask about when you actually start talking to them.
contacting the editors you’re interested in
Basically, there’s two ways to get in touch with potential editors: Reach out directly, or post to a job board. Here are some things to know about each method.
When you reach out to individuals, you’ll usually do it via email or through a contact form on their website. My biggest tip here is to be specific in your message, especially if you’re emailing them directly. Just like authors, editors are targeted relentlessly by scammers, and vagueness is a tiresome red flag. Being specific about the kind of story you’ve written also helps the editor tell early on if it might be a good fit. Tell them briefly about your story—the basic premise, genre and subgenre, word count, and if it contains any sensitive content (like intense violence, gore, suicide, sex scenes, etc.). It’s also helpful to let them know if it’s been edited before, what sort of feedback you’re looking for, your target timeframe, and if budget is a concern. If you’re emailing rather than going through a form on their website, I’d also suggest mentioning how and/or where you found them—it’s just another good way to show them you’re legit and not a scammer.
Posting to a job board (like those offered by editor organizations) is similar in a lot of ways. You’ll still want to be brief but specific, covering all the same details about your manuscript and needs. In this case, you might also want to include anything you have in mind about the kind of editor you’re looking for—things like specialization, identity group, special content knowledge. Don’t get too wild though. The point here is to be intentional with the qualifications you’re looking for, not hyper specific.
My tip when you’re writing up your project listing is to keep it simple and collaborative. Instead of thinking like a corporate boss, think like a creative—who’s looking for another creative with specialized skills to help you out. What does this other person need to know about your story that will tell them it’s something they want to work with. Instead of saying “I need someone who’s done exactly xyz, don’t talk to me unless you have,” just say “x, y, and z are important elements of my story” and let the right editors respond with “I love that! Here’s what I can bring.”
If you decide to post to a job board, be prepared for a flood of responses. By which I mean up to a hundred or more. Per board. So you might consider posting to just one board at a time for your own sanity. Either you have something niche and there’s probably an organization out there that encompasses it, or you have something like genre fiction that loads of people on a single board will be well-suited to handle.
In the end, choosing between posting to a job board and reaching out to individuals is sort of like deciding whether you want to invest the bulk of your effort into finding editors or sorting through them. Either works!
comparing your options
Once you narrow down your choices to the editors who seem like a good fit, you’ll want to compare the specifics. Most line and copy editors will provide a sample by editing around 1,000 words of your manuscript for free. This is super useful—it’s a very hands-on way to see how they edit and communicate, if you like the work they do, and if you two mesh. It also gives the editor a clearer idea of how long editing your full manuscript will take, and helps them give you an accurate price estimate. Developmental editors tend to offer a consultation instead, to talk with you about your manuscript and some things they would look at.
No matter what kind of editing you’re looking for, this stage is sort of like a vibe check. Are you comfortable with how heavy or light a hand the editor uses? Do they preserve your voice and intent? Do they query? Do they address your concerns? If you’re not feeling it, they’re probably not the editor for you.
It usually takes a couple days, give or take, for an editor to get back with your sample and their estimates for cost and turnaround time. It might be tempting to go with the editor who’s cheapest or fastest, but I’ve heard of too many cases where a writer went with an editor they liked less to save a few hundred dollars and ended up regretting it. Editors can be flexible—if you’d really like to work with someone, but they’re a bit out of your budget, they’d probably much rather talk with you to figure out something that works than for you to silently pass them up.
booking
Last step! You’ve chosen your editor, agreed on a price and timeframe, and are ready to lock it in. In most cases, you should be prepared to sign a contract and pay an upfront booking deposit. You should actually read the contract (for real, this isn’t a “scroll to the bottom and tap agree” situation). Double check that everything matches what you and your editor discussed, especially if adjustments were made. Booking deposits, honestly, can be all over the board. I’ve heard other editors ask for 20%, 100% and everything in between. A few don’t ask for any at all. That being said, somewhere in the ballpark of 30% of the estimated total cost is fairly common. Whatever it amounts to, it’ll count towards the total cost of the edit. Asking for an upfront deposit just protects editors from clients who would promise them work…and then take off, leaving them with empty (aka unpaid) gaps in their calendar.
So to recap, go to the places where editors gather (like social media and editors associations), find the people with the right qualifications (by either reaching out directly or posting to a job board), get samples/consultations to whittle down your choices, take your best pick, then sign and seal!
Happy writing!
