Asking an editor to take on your work is not like turning in a paper to a college professor. In college, you might have been able to write something at the last minute and turn it in for a passing grade. It isn’t like that with a professional editor. A professional editor – be that a copy editor or a developmental editor – is going to put your work beneath a microscope. He or she won’t let you get away with inconsistencies or mistakes because the goal isn’t a passing grade. The goal is a manuscript that you’ll be able to publish – not for free or for your mom and her five friends but for money, preferably a lot of it.
Because of that, you may want to rethink contacting an editor once you’ve written “The End” or some such at the end of your manuscript. You’ll want to calm down a bit first. Yes, it is quite exciting that you’ve finished your first manuscript. No, it isn’t ready to be sent to an editor. It’s ready for the following five questions.
- Have I revised my manuscript to the best of my ability? You do not – repeat: do not – send your first or second draft to an editor. You send the draft that you can no longer edit. Your obsessive compulsive tendencies have started to wage war against you, and you’ve begun to doubt everything. Now’s the time to get the book out of your hands and into the hands of another. If you don’t, you’re going to sabotage it. Take one more step, and it will explode in your face.
- Have I sought out the opinions of well-read friends? Again, not your mom and her five friends. Your well-read friends must be people who read critically. They don’t have to have English or writing degrees. They just have to be the sort of people who will tell you when something isn’t working or when the story becomes too much telling and not enough showing.
- Have I considered the work that might be required of me once I receive my professionally edited manuscript? Your editor is not paid to hold your hand. Your editor is paid to help you turn your manuscript into something you can submit to an agent or self-publish. That means he or she probably will request revisions, and some of them may be major ones.
- Have I set up a realistic time frame for this work to occur? If your editor has a lot of free time on his or her hands, it’s possible you could see your book within a month. If your editor is working on multiple books or has multiple jobs, expect some delays. If you believe in the quality of your editor, you’ll hold out. If you don’t, you’ll find a different editor. By the way, if your manuscript is over 250 pages, don’t put the turnaround as “in the next few days.” No editor is going to work with you.
- Am I ready to put my work into the hands of another? The question isn’t if you’re capable of killing your darlings. The question is if you’re capable of letting someone else kill your darlings. If you are, congratulations. You’re ready to work with an editor. If you aren’t, you’re going to end up fighting with your editor. You’ll win because it’s your manuscript, but you’ll lose what could have been a publishable story not to mention an editor.
What do you do to ensure your manuscript is ready to be viewed by an editor?
Image: Broken Sword (CC BY NC 2.0)
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