All authors need an editor. Self-published authors should not publish a manuscript without hiring a competent editor to improve and polish it.

For the purposes of this article, an editor is someone who suggests changes in overall plot, setting, characters and theme. I am not talking about a copy-editor (although copy-editors are important).

Before I started writing fiction, I had written many non-fiction articles. I mistakenly thought fiction would be easier. The first draft of my debut novel, Emily’s Hope, was so bad that when I gave part of it to my kind (and honest) husband to read, his response was, “You’re not going to let anyone read this, are you?”

Admittedly, I was crushed. I hired an editor and over the next two years, she helped me to take a badly written first draft and transform it into a much better novel. She helped me not only to improve my writing style, but to also create a convincing narrative voice.

Here are a few key points to remember when working with an editor:

Be Humble: If you think your book is going to be a Nobel prize-winning book or that it’s the best book every written…well, it probably isn’t, not yet anyway. It may have the potential of being a great book but, generally speaking, most books need a lot of polishing and editing to get it to the stage of being “great.”

Like many authors, I spend more time polishing and editing than I do writing the first draft.

Consider and Reflect on Each Criticism/Suggestion: It may take hours or days of reflection to realize that most of the editor’s ideas will actually make the book better.

Authors tend to be blind to the defects in our own works. Some of us can be rigid with regard to what we want the story or characters to be. For example, in my second novel (In Name Only, a historical romance), the first draft was entirely from the main female character’s point of view (POV).

The editor said that she understood why I chose that particular POV, but either I needed to include the major male characters’ POVs or find another way for the reader to understand the male characters better.

I initially rejected the idea of including the male characters’ POVs. Then as time passed and I reflected, I admitted that she might be right. As it turned out, writing from a male POV was also great fun. This novel went on to win a Gold medal in the IPPY awards and is currently an Amazon Kindle Top 100 bestseller in Religious Fiction.

Resist the Urge to be Defensive: This is where I have the most trouble. But then again, that’s my personality. Even now, when I read my editor’s suggested changes, I have to resist the urge to be defensive.

You Don’t Have to Agree with Everything: Sometimes, the editor will suggest changes the author is reluctant to make. If, after reflection, you still feel strongly about keeping things the same, talk it over with the editor. I find I usually agree with about 85 percent of the suggested edits and I disregard the rest.

Keep in mind that your editor is not being paid to be nice or to make you feel good; he or she is being paid to make your book a quality book.

Trust Your Editor: If you don’t trust your editor, you should probably find a different editor.

Working with an editor can be a challenging experience. However, if you exercise humility, consider and reflect on each edit, be open to change, resist the urge to be defensive and trust your editor, you will hopefully produce a great quality book.

What are your experiences working with an editor? Can you think of anything to add?

Leave a comment below before Friday, October 14th to be entered to win one of two free Kindle copies of my new book, Stealing Jenny.

Ellen Gable Hrkach is the vice president of the Catholic Writers Guild. She is the award-winning author of In Name Only, a Catholic romance and now an Amazon Kindle bestseller (top 100 Religious Fiction). Her new book is Stealing Jenny which is a contemporary pro-life suspense novel. Her website is www.ellengable.com. She and her husband and five sons live in Pakenham, ON Canada.

Ellen Gable Hrkach is an award-winning, Amazon bestselling author. Her five books have been downloaded over 620,000 times on Kindle. Currently, she works as the Marketing Director for Live the Fast, a non-profit Roman Catholic apostolate based in Boston. She does freelance writing and editing for a variety of other websites, she blogs at "Plot Line & Sinker" http://ellengable.wordpress.com and is also self-publishing book consultant and a publisher. She and her husband are the parents of five sons ages 16 to 28 and live in Pakenham, Ontario. In her spare time, Ellen enjoys playing board games with her family, watching classic movies on TCM and reading on her Kindle.

11 Replies to “Working With An Editor”

  1. Reviewer11 and Kathy, you have both won a free Kindle copy of my new book. Could you send me a message at ellengablehrkach(at)gmail.com and include your email address?

  2. Yay, thank you ellengable! 😀

    Thanks for entering me into the contest. I saw the cover and thought how pretty. I would like to read it. I don't have a kindle but I'm sure my brother will let me borrow his, if I win. 🙂

  3. Good point about being prudent in choosing an editor, Kathy. Thanks for commenting! You are now entered in the contest to win a free Kindle book. Sainttheodora, thanks also for your comments. I agree that our work will be better because of editors. You are also entered in the contest.

  4. I've had some pretty outstanding editors over the years, and also a few terrible ones. But overall, I truly appreciate editors and their guidance. My work is so much better because of them.

  5. A key is to find a good editor. A person saying they are an editor does not make them a good editor (or perhaps not a good fit for you). I have in the last few months submitted some of my work (Ch 1 of a novel) to a writer's site and a few friends (including a published author). Gotten a fair amount of feedback. On a site like that,some folks are quality established writers, some newbies. Some comments are spot on, some are poor, much is contradictory.
    So what I have learned is that you can get lots of feedback from a variety of sources. Figure out who you want to trust (and why) before you go changing all kinds of things. I know, for me, I'm going back to my pre-revised version and really studying it (**I** like it better than the revised versions). I will consider the advice I have been given, and may choose to work further with 1-2 of the critiquers. We need to be quite prudent in choosing an editor.

    Good post, thanks.

  6. Thanks for commenting, Colleen! That's cool that your editor was a priest. You are entered in the contest to win a free Kindle copy of my new book!

  7. This is great advice. When I wrote my first book – non-fiction – a priest was my editor! He is not a professional editor but is a good writer and he did a great job! God bless!

  8. Thanks for your comment, ReviewerII! I'm glad you joined CWG and that you're enjoying it! I've entered you in the contest to win a free Kindle copy of my new book, Stealing Jenny!

  9. Wow, that sounds so true! The farthest I've gone so far is talk to an assistant editor who is so nice and truly helpful. I asked her all the questions I had and she politely answered every one of them. Plus, her rejection response was also polite. It took me a long time to review my rejection to ask her more questions about my submission. One of which she suggested to join "CWG" and I did… again, only this time, I'm truly enjoying it. 🙂

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