by Patty Zion, TWJ Writer’s Workshop Presenter

Working with a Freelance Editor

One of the best ways to improve your writing skills is to hire a freelance editor and pay close attention to the recommendations they make. If you’re looking for your first freelance editor, it helps to know in advance what type of editing you’re seeking. Here are some commonly used categories:

Copyediting, sometimes called line editing, focuses on the technical aspects of the manuscript, including SPAG (spelling, punctuation, and grammar). This is the least expensive type of editing. When the term “line editing” is used, it is usually more involved and includes the meaning of each sentence, word choices, and tightening.

Mechanical editing concentrates on molding the manuscript to the rules of a particular style (e.g. Chicago Manual of Style, AP Style, or MLA Style). This is sometimes part of copyediting.

Substantive Editing looks at the construction of sentences, paragraphs, chapters. The editor will polish your plot, characterization, dialogue, and every aspect of the manuscript.

Developmental Editing is the most involved and therefore costly type of editing. The editor will look at the overall structure, organization, flow, pacing, and salability of the manuscript.

Poetry Coaching emphasizes poetic style and poetic devices. A poetry coach will dig deeply into the meanings and ways of saying what is on your mind.

NOTE that there is a great deal of overlap between the types of editing.

Style Guides

Different kinds of writing use different rule books, or style guides. Each style guide gives standards for how the writing should be constructed, punctuated, and capitalized, as well as specific forms to be used for citing references.  Here are the most common style guides:

AP (Associated Press)for journalistic writing – newspapers and some magazines.

CMS (Chicago Manual of Style) for book publishing and some academic publishing.

MLA (Modern Language Association)for high school and undergraduate writing.

Tips for Working with a Freelance Editor

Do a second and third rewrite before you show the manuscript to the editor. At the very least, use spell check on the entire manuscript, and then have some friends check for errors. Make it the best you can do on your own so you won’t be paying for a professional’s time to do what you could have done yourself.

Don’t try to format the manuscript before it is edited. This is a waste of time and will have to be redone after editing.

Use only the software the editor prefers (e.g. MS Word, Google Docs, Track Changes).

Be prepared to make changes. Keep an open mind. Expect some of your “darlings” to be scratched. Understand that your feelings may be hurt at least once or twice.

Remember that language changes over time; some things you learned previously will be outdated.

Assume that the editor will find problems you had not even thought about:  redundancies, nonparallel constructions, clutter words, dangling modifiers, outdated hyphenation.

Protect Your Vision. Speak up if you disagree with the editor’s suggestions. You know what you want to say; stand up for it.

Even if you decide not to make the suggested changes, you will learn from the experience.

Do not be steamrolled. Expect a back-and-forth interaction rather than a one-time, arbitrary rewrite by the editor.

Terms Used by Editors

beta testing. The process of having a piece of writing thoroughly reviewed by volunteer readers before it goes to final editing.

composition, presswork, binding. Composition refers to typesetting. Presswork comes next and refers to printing. Binding follows and refers to assembling the printed book.

front matter, back matter. Items that fall in the front of a book (e.g. title page, dedication, table of contents) or the back of a book (e.g. index, bibliography).

hit list. A list of words, compiled and used by an editor, that are potential trouble points for a particular writer.

illustrative material. Photos, artwork, charts, and other visual items.

open, hyphenated, closed. For example, home schooled, home-schooled, homeschooled.

orphans, widows. Single words, syllables, or a few words that appear at the beginning of a page (orphan) or at the end of a paragraph (widows). These need to be eliminated by careful rewording during the formatting stage.

preferred. The chosen way of doing something as determined by a style guide. There may be other options that are technically correct.

print run, press run. The number of copies to be printed at one time.

proof, bound proof, digital proof, galley. Various terms for the first version of a manuscript, meant to be reviewed by the author and editor before production.

signature. A folded group of sheets. Most books have more than one signature.

verso, recto. The left-hand page (verso) and the right-hand page (recto). The phrase “the verso page” may also refer to the copyright page in a book.