Do You Need an Editor?

Well, it depends on your level of knowledge in regards to grammar and spelling. By the way, this post is primarily aimed at writers looking to publish their prose fiction.

I'm rehashing the types of editors because once again, a writer told me they needed a developmental editor.

The only reason you'd EVER need a developmental editor would be if you never read fiction or watch TV or movies. Humans are inherently consumers of stories, whether it be nursery rhymes, the MCU, or your favorites uncle's wild tall tales. We instinctively understand story structure. Sometimes, a writer needs a course or a how-to book to point out what they already know. However, it amazes me how many writers don't trust themselves when it comes to storytelling.

What bothers me (in my experience) is how developmental editors want to change a writer's story to what the editor would tell, not improving the existing story. . I know developmental editors will deny that with their dying breath, so let's forget about developmental editors for the moment.

 

1) Copyeditors - These are the people who check for plot holes and consistency. 

Example: In the Bloodlines and Millersburg Magick Mysteries, my vampires' eyes turned a neon color and glow during extreme emotion or hunger. A copyeditor would make sure the story rules are maintained.

2) Line editors - These are the people who check the flow, style, and readability.

Example: I have a bad habit of repeating words in the same paragraph or page. A line editor would tag my repetitious use of "parking lot" or "spell".

3) Proof reader - These are the people that nitpick spelling and grammar.

Another one of my bad habits is typing "my" when I mean "my" and vice versa. leaving out prepositions and articles, or typing a comma when I mean a period. A really good proofreader would catch those mistakes that sleppied by the copyeditors and line editors.

4) Acquiring editors - These are the people who license books to be published by a trad publisher.

Example: A friend's novel was acquired and published by a now-defunct traditional publisher. When she got the rights back, a company scanned the book into a PDF. The friends then asked me to convert the PDF into a MS-WORD document.

There were still a ton of typos. Some were introduced by the publisher. Some were caused by the scanning software. I fixed them before I returned to the files to my friend. How do I know some of the typos were introduced my the publisher? I still had a copy of the nook file she submitted to the publisher for comparison.

What's worse is the remaining trad publishing  houses aren't paying for in-house editing. The cost is getting dumped on the writer, even though the trad publishers claim that's a service they still offer.

So do you need an editor? An editor should improve your work, not change it to fit their image of what your story should be. In the end, hiring one is totally up to your and your pocket book. However, you can save money by either learning to do it yourself or trading manuscripts with another writer.

Best wishes of your new career!