Writing a book can take up a lot of your time and is a significant commitment. You, therefore, want to give it the best chance of success, so you need to find a book editor who can ensure it’s in the best possible state for publication.
No matter how much you check the book yourself, you’re probably too close to it to pick out its faults and errors. Similarly, family and friends are unlikely to have the expertise and will be reluctant to be too critical. Professional book editors can provide an independent opinion and make constructive comments from an objective viewpoint. This is the only way to make sure your book is presented in the best possible light, ensuring it’s ready for submission or publication.
How to Find a Book Editor and Publisher?
Experienced book editors can help you get your book ready to send to a literary agent or publisher. They can save you a lot of time and frustration, can identify errors and problems in the manuscript and can vastly improve the chances of the book being published.
To find an editor who’s suitable, do the following:
- Determine what you need. Editing can involve a high level of assessment to look for basic flaws such as plot holes or inconsistencies, proofreading to check for any remaining spelling errors or typos, or a full developmental edit to review the structure and character development and the book’s overall style.
- Find a suitable editor. This should be one who’s familiar with your genre because, for example, historical novels require different editing than do children’s books.
- Obtain a sample. It’s important to get a sample of the first thousand words or so, since this will determine if the editor is suitable by giving you a chance to look at their work. Not all editors will provide editing samples, but all editors should be paid for all the editing they perform, including samples.
- Check the contract. Editors should provide a contract to set out what is provided, when the work is to be done and the cost. It’s important you have a signed contract, so you know where you stand.
Where to Find an Editor in Australia?
To give your book the best possible chance of success, you need to find an editor who is highly experienced and qualified. At Capstone Editing, we have many editors who are experienced in different genres. We can therefore assign the most appropriate professional to your project, whether you need an academic journal editor, English editing for scientific manuscripts, a research paper editor, thesis editing services or book editing for any genre. We can even provide an accredited proofreading certifications if you want to become an editor and do it yourself. Even then, it’s best practice to receive an independent review of your own book.
In essence, it’s always best to hire a professional book editor that has exceptional attention to detail.
