What to Look for When Hiring an Editor

As an author, you want to make sure your stories are in the best hands during the editing process. There are some things you can look out for to help differentiate between the wrong editors and the right editors.

Depending on the editor, a sample can be as few as 500 words or as many as 2,500 words. Sometimes they are free, sometimes they require a small fee in return, either of which are acceptable practices.

Samples give you an idea of what to expect from a full edit, for the editor to demonstrate their methods, and, most of all, determine whether or not the partnership would be compatible.

That partnership should be about collaboration. We as editors should suggest; we should never tell the author what to do. We should never smother your voice with our own, maintaining that which makes your story uniquely yours, otherwise it is a disservice to creativity.

Edits and comments should be explicit too, avoiding vague suggestions along the lines of “Revise?” or “This is confusing” without pointing out what is being referred to or providing evidence to support the claim.

These may be signs of inexperience, especially among new editors, or advanced editors who are new to a subset of editing. We all had to start somewhere. You might agree on an alternative arrangement, such as exchanging services for a testimonial or feedback on their skills, providing direction on areas of their skills that need refining.

On the other hand, these might be signs of unintentional oversight, which you could treat the same way as inexperience, giving the benefit of the doubt for the editor to correct themselves.

At worse, it is intentional neglect. In which case, those editors would be best to avoid.

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Contracts are an absolute must. Period. No ifs, no buts, for both the sake of the you and the editor.

You will, and should, find several clauses outlined on the contract, including: service, price, schedule, payment (such as deposits, payment plans), dates, termination and/or refunds, rights, confidentiality, and stance on artificial intelligence.

These clauses should be clear and straightforward. Request clarification if something seems ambiguous, ensuring you review the new contract with the adjustments made.

An editor who refuses to budge on making adjustments, or even entertains the idea, should be avoided. An editor who has no contract at all? Avoid, avoid, avoid!

Communication acts as the foundation for a good partnership, especially when it comes to what has been discussed above. You cannot, and should not, proceed without a mutual understanding of expectations.

Some editors offer initial video calls (also known as discovery calls) to discuss the details of your project, while others prefer email or other means such as Discord. What matters is that you and the editor are comfortable with the chosen method of correspondence.

You want to look out for response times, as these can be a solid indicator for good or bad communication. Late or dismissive responses, especially if occurring more than once, are sure signs to find another editor.

There are a handful of additional signs to consider, such as an editor having no testimonials or portfolio, or promising perfection and other things out of their control.

However, sample edits, contracts, and communication are, in my eyes, the three most important things you should be on the lookout for when scouting editors. Ticking all three would definitely put you on the right track to finding that right editor.