Six Things your Editor Wishes you Knew

Plus, bonus secrets about this freelance editor!

For an indie author, the thought of hiring a professional editor can be a little scary if you don’t know what to expect. Perhaps you think an editor will ruin the story or content you have worked so hard on for the past few months, or maybe even years (no judgment here). Perhaps you’ve been so scared by horror stories of people’s bad experiences with editors, that you have sworn never to use a professional editor! As a freelance editor, I’m going to share a few thoughts with you that might make you feel a little better about the whole process. Here are six things your editor wishes you knew to help put your mind at ease:

1) We are not going to judge you or your writing

We understand that writers come to us at all levels of skill, and that’s why we do not judge you if you make spelling mistakes or punctuation just isn’t your thing. That’s where we come in! We love supporting you on your writing journey and we admire the fact that you even wrote a book to begin with. Not just anyone can write a book. You focus on delivering the story and we’ll think about the nitty-gritty stuff so you don’t have to!

2) We are not going to change your story

A good editor preserves the author’s voice and does not change the story. We will only make suggestions based on what is in front of us. We are here to work with you, not against you by simply enhancing the reading experience for the reader. It is entirely up to you if you take or leave our suggestions. My motto is that I am only here to support you in helping to make your story or content sparkle!

3) We want to build lasting professional relationships

A good editor is not trying to scam you; we want you to be happy with the services we provide so that you keep coming back and hopefully recommend us to your friends! We will never steal your story because that’s not why we got into this line of work. We got into this line of work because we love books, language, and even punctuation! Sadly, there are bad eggs out there, so please make sure you vet your editor before committing to working with them. You can learn more about how to hire an editor you can trust by reading my article: A guide for indie authors: hiring an editor you can trust — Clever Crow

4) We fight off imposter syndrome just as much as you

That’s right, we do! You’re in good company when you have something in common with the people you put your trust in.

5) We want you to reach out and say “hi”!

It can be daunting approaching someone for the first time, but believe me, we love it when you reach out to us. Even if it’s just for a chat to get a feel for our services and us as a person. That first contact could turn into a beautiful professional relationship. Even if you end up not using us, as freelancers it’s nice to know that we’ve been seen.

6) We are overthinkers

Yes, we will overthink every comma and m-dash (or is it n-dash?), and we will stare at a word until we are convinced it’s not even a real word! This is why we are so good at what we do. Editors are highly trained in noticing the things other people might miss.

Bonus secrets about this freelance editor

1) Chocolate is my friend. It keeps me going. It picks me up when I feel like I can’t go on. I can’t get enough, especially dark chocolate. Anyone else?

2) If I’m editing fiction for you, I will find it hard to say goodbye to your characters at the end. I may cry.

3) I once crashed a hovercraft into a fence and nearly ran someone over with it. Everyone was fine, and we laughed about it. I guess it’s a story for another time. Message me, if you want to know more.

4) I was born in Germany, but have lived my whole adult life in England. I believe that, having been a bilingual child - especially speaking Germanic languages - has given me spelling superpowers. Seriously, I’m unnaturally good at spelling English words.

5) I have three cats and I’m allergic to every one of them. Yes, really.

6) I love my cats, even though they make me itch!

There you have it. I hope you enjoyed this fun little Friday post and that the information within helped put your mind at ease about hiring a professional editor for your next project. Get in touch today for a chat or a free sample edit.

Natalie x