I've Had to Give Some Bad News About Editing Lately...and Trust Me, it's Good Advice

Aside from being an agent who must send out passes on query letters on the regular, I’m also a professional editor, and lately, I’ve had to dish out some not-so-great news. I hate bursting people’s bubbles; it hurts my heart because I know how important their stories are to them. It’s their book baby! They have dreams and plans and goals! They have a timeline! But my not-so-great news is given with a genuine desire to point them in the right direction so they can avoid wasting time and money on things that won’t help them and will only hurt their book’s success.

(And let me clarify that in this post, I’m talking about fiction editing, mostly for self-published authors, but there’s some info for querying authors, too.)

I’ll get to the advice part in a few moments, but first, the bad news part:

I’ve been getting some requests for editing from folks who intend to self-publish, and they’d like to start with a copyedit. They’re excited, they’ve done lots of revisions based on feedback (friends, family, Mom, beta readers, etc.). It’s their debut novel, and they’ve already got a launch date picked out…

…In two or three months’ time.

They haven’t secured said copyedits (hence reaching out to me), and they haven’t secured a proofreader, but they have a cover artist and have taken some steps to get ready to physically publish the book. (Do you have an ISBN yet? Have you created your accounts on the publishing platforms? Etc.)

It’s exciting! I completely get it.

But it’s unrealistic.

(Side note: I’ve also had some folks tell me they’ve already started querying either before the manuscript is fully drafted or before they’ve completed edits. Please don’t query an unfinished manuscript!)

What I think is happening is that many people are underestimating the amount of time it takes to go through the stages of edits. They expect to find an editor as soon as they’re done drafting their manuscript and that they’ll be able to start right away, it’ll be done quickly, and they can publish in a relatively short amount of time. I see so many editing requests with a due date of one month, and nothing is even booked yet, let alone started. The thing is, most professional editors are booking months in advance—my average wait time is about 6-8 months for full edits. And the edits themselves take time, and if it’s a full two-round edit, you’ll need time for revisions and for your editor to go through the revised areas. It’s not possible to do that in one month—and if someone tells you it is, then I would be cautious of the quality of their work (and I would caution you not to rush through edits and revisions).

There are four stages (well, three, and then proofreading), and depending on how much work the story structure and character development need, and then on the quality of the line-level writing, this can take many months.

Publishing a book is expensive. It’s expensive no matter who foots the bill: you or a traditional or independent publisher. When a publisher foots the bill and gives you an advance, it’s because they believe they book will sell at least as many copies as necessary to earn out the advance. They’re taking a risk that the book will be successful, and if they’re a reputable publisher, you can bet your bottom dollar that they’ll put everything they have into all the editing stages.

But when you self-publish a book, it’s all on you; you’re taking the risk on yourself and your ability not only to write a magnificent story, but also in your ability to market and sell it.

And all the editing, cover design, formatting, marketing, publicity, etc. is on you, directly out of your own pocket. If you miss or leave out any of these crucial steps, you’re risking the quality and potential success of your book. If it doesn’t sell, you’ll never see that ROI you’re hoping for.

So, if you’re then taking the entire risk that the book will be successful, don’t you owe it to yourself and your book baby to put everything you can into it? Writing, editing, an excellent cover, marketing, publicity, etc. (And let me state, all of this should be human work, not AI.)

(Side note: if you’re querying agents, don’t spend money on a cover. The publisher who buys the book (if they buy it) will take care of the cover, and you’ll have some input.)

Self-publishing is not for the faint of heart, and I wouldn’t say it’s the “easier path,” either. There’s a lot that goes into it, and it all must be done in the correct order for the best possible outcome. Here’s what I tell many of my editorial clients (or potential clients), although this is a much more detailed explanation: The stages of editing are kind of like building a house.

Before you can move in, before you can even go inside and pick out paint colours and cabinetry and whether you want polished nickel or matte black faucets and handles, the foundation and structure must be solid. Are the load-bearing walls secure? Are the windows and doors secure and in the right places? Are the shingles nailed down? It doesn’t matter how pretty your walls and light fixtures are at this point—if there’s a crack in the foundation, the house will collapse. It’s same for your manuscript, and this stage is your developmental edit; the big-picture elements. Are the characters fully developed and do they have strong arcs? Is there a strong story arc? Does everything flow well? Are your scenes working to move the story forward? Is there enough tension? Is the pacing appropriate for your genre? If these things need improvement, then any copyedits that have been done will be wasteful, and it’ll end up costing more time—and money—because you’ll have to do them all over gain to ensure any newly changed or added parts are consistent with the rest of it.

The stylistic (line) edits can be compared to interior design and flow. All the nice things you get to pick out to make your house just the way you want it: quartz countertops or butcher block? Black walnut hardwood or maple lino? Pot lights? Recessed ceilings? Crown molding? Wainscotting? This is where you adjust the mood, tone, and overall aesthetic and ensure the transition from the kitchen to the living room feels natural and elegant (or rustic, or whatever your style is), even down to where you place the photos on the wall or the artwork over the mantelpiece. In your manuscript, this is still a creative part; it’s the creative structure of the sentences. Are you choosing the strongest and most appropriate verbs and adjectives? Is there clarity in how you’re writing a line? Is the tone being properly articulated through language and word choices? Are there any long and winding roa—I mean lines? This should be done after your structure is solid.

Copyedits are, in fact, the third stage in edits*, and it can be compared to a mechanical and utility inspection in a new house. Does the plumbing work? Are there smoke alarms and CO2 alarms installed and working? Is there a fire extinguisher? Do the electrical outlets meet the code? These are rule-bound things that, if not corrected, are not safe and must be fixed. In editing, this is when we check the mechanics of each line: grammar, syntax, consistency, spelling, punctuation, etc.

*sometimes they can be combined with line edits, depending on the quality of the-line level writing

Proofreading is like your final walkthrough. It’s the very last check you make before the keys are handed over. You are absolutely not ripping out drywall or deciding you want an extra window put in or changing paint colours at this point. You’re catching the tiny, accidental blemishes—the stray paint drip, a loose screw in a cupboard, a missing shelf in the closet, dust on the mantelpiece. In your manuscript, this stage is your last defense against typos, formatting glitches, layout errors, etc.

Would you move into a brand new house if any of these steps were not completed and signed off on?

I wouldn’t.

Because if I did, it would inevitably lead to headaches and more expenses down the line. If I moved into a house and I didn’t bother to pay for an inspection and a huge crack in the foundation was missed, then guess what? I’m going to have to hire a contractor and pay a lot of money to have it fixed—on top of having to move out the furniture and all my stuff, and then re-painting the walls (stylistic edits) and making sure the electrical outlets are working again (copy edits).

It’s the same with a book. In other words, if you finish your draft and go straight to copyedits and/or skip over the final proofread, there are bound to be missed errors—especially as a new writer and debut novelist. And trust me on this: readers will find these issues and tear them apart.

If you’re going to put a book out into the world, you want it to be the best possible book you can create—so, make sure you budget for the necessary edits. No author should be the only one doing their own edits because, as the creators of these worlds and characters, we are way too close to the story. Everything makes sense in our own brains, but it doesn’t always translate onto the page in the same way we see it in our minds—and it may not make sense to others. Things might be missing, there may be inconsistencies, there may be too much of one element and not enough of another… And when you’re that close to the story, you’ll miss the errors that a trained professional and fresh eyes will be able to see and help you correct.

And I know this is going to sound harsh, but your friends and family should never be your only beta readers. Sure, let them read it, let them be your champions, but unless they’re professionally trained editors or even successfully published authors who have mastered the craft of writing a story, they won’t be able to tell you what’s missing and how to fix it.

Now, if you’re planning to query agents, that’s a whole different story. Yes, your story still must be in the absolute best possible shape you can make it, but there is no need to spend so much money and time going through every single edit stage if you’re not going to self-publish. Investing in good edits is never a terrible idea, but it is not necessary to get an agent. If you have the resources and want to learn how to improve your writing and take your story to the next level, go for it! It’s no different (on a self-improvement and learning level) than taking a course or a program or going to a writing retreat or conference to learn.

The thing to keep in mind is that yes, there will be edits made if/after you get an agent and if/after you get a publishing deal…but the story has to be as close to perfect as you can get it before it will get an agent’s attention and before it ever lands in a publisher’s inbox. (There are reasons for that, which I can get into in another post.) With a lot of dedication and some help from experienced beta readers and critique partners, you may be able to get your book polished and ready for querying.

…and I promise it’s good, even though it kinda sucks (because patience is hard):

1. Write your first draft for you. This is the story that’s in your head, in your heart, that occupies all your daytime thoughts and won’t let you sleep at night. Get it out of your system and onto the screen. But it doesn’t stop there. That’s not the story that’s going to go out into the world. Your second draft needs to be for your reader. You’ll need to make some adjustments and cuts and additions and tweaks because readers have certain expectations. (This is especially true for memoirists!) If you want readers to spend money on your book and finish reading it and be entertained, you need to give them a functioning narrative that earns their trust and honours their time.

2. If you’re serious about wanting to successfully publish your book, start looking for an editor before you’ve completed your draft or revisions based on feedback from beta readers (yes, you should start there and revise before it ever gets to your editor). This way, when you’ve finished, you already have an editor secured and can begin without waiting and wasting time.

3. Know what your publishing goals are, and follow the editing path according to what you intend to do. If you’re self-publishing, have a budget that allows for the full gamut: all the editing stages with a human editor, a human cover artist, formatting, marketing, publicity, etc. Don’t skip any steps if you’re self-publishing; otherwise, you’ll be doing your book and your author brand a disservice.

4. Be open to feedback. Professional editors are there to guide and strengthen your story and your prose. You don’t need to agree with everything they suggest, but you should welcome what they have to say and understand the reason behind it. This is what you’re paying them to do.

5. Make sure you know what each editing stage covers and doesn’t cover, and don’t expect more than what’s covered or try and “cut a deal” with an editor. (If you had to call a plumber to come unclog your toilet, would you ask them if you could pay a lesser amount? Not likely.)

6. Set a realistic timeframe for publishing based on how much editing needs to be done. Don’t set a launch date and then look for an editor; you’ll be unlikely to get an experienced editor who’s available at the last minute or even within a couple of months unless they have a cancellation (but don’t bank on that; I’ve edited hundreds of manuscripts, and I can count on one hand how many clients have cancelled, and I still have fingers left). Give yourself plenty of time to make sure all your ducks are in a row so that you’re not stressed and rushing and missing things.

7. Don’t rush any part of the process. I know (personally) that writing can be exciting and thrilling, and during those times, you tend to move along a little quicker. Thoughts are pouring out of your head and onto the page; it’s such a great feeling. But that’s the “messy first draft” stage. Beyond that, rushing means things might be getting missed—and this goes for editing, too. Edits take time, and they should take time—just like your writing. It’s impressive when a writer can say, “I wrote a whole book in a month!” (Hello, NaNoWriMo writers!) And I’ve been there—I wrote the first draft of my first novel in six weeks, and I thought I’d accomplished something special! And I did! That is a huge accomplishment! But I know from much learning since then and from an editorial perspective that drafting a novel in one month does not produce the finished product. It’s a rough draft, and there will be many revisions to come afterward. And it should—the editing and revisions is where the magic really happens!

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Gee whiz, this writing game sure does take a lot of patience, doesn’t it?

(And it doesn’t get any easier when you get an agent or a book deal—there is still more waiting to be had!)

At the end of the day, just make sure you’re putting everything you’ve got into your manuscript. You should want it to be the best it can be, and that takes patience and, unfortunately, funds. But if you do it right, who knows? Maybe you’ll be the next bestselling author. 😉

If you need some help sorting out what kind of edits your story needs or if you’d like an assessment to help point you in the right direction, you can find out more about my editorial services at Foxx Editorial. (Querying authors: Please note that I’m unable to represent a manuscript I am paid to edit, but I can certainly help you shape it so that it’s query-ready, if that’s your goal!)

Thanks so much for reading!

Happy drafting!