Writers Advice re Editors

bronaghc

HI, I am a writer currently in the publisher submission stages with my agent.
We are getting rejections and my agent want to hire an editor to revise my manuscript
Are there any writers out there who have gone through this process and can advise?
I am worried it will mean changes I'm not happy to make or that my work isnt good enough after all.
any thoughts welcome

pickarooney

bronaghc wrote: »

HI, I am a writer currently in the publisher submission stages with my agent.
We are getting rejections and my agent want to hire an editor to revise my manuscript
Are there any writers out there who have gone through this process and can advise?
I am worried it will mean changes I'm not happy to make or that my work isnt good enough after all.
any thoughts welcome

If your work is not good enough or if making important changes would make it more selalble, would you not like to know that and avoid wasting any more time?

EileenG

If it needs editing, then get it done. I'm surprised your agent is submitting it if it needs editing.

A structural edit is painful. When I got a structural edit on my first book, I got back seventeen A4 pages detailing all the things that were wrong with it and which I had to fix. But she was right about everyone of them, damn her. I fixed it and it was a lot better afterwards.

jessei

any editors on boards?

Antilles

bronaghc wrote: »

my agent want to hire an editor to revise my manuscript

Why is your agent submitting your work if it still needs editing?

Seems a bit backwards to me!

blue.jester

Kind of strange that your agent agreed to do the submitting if the manuscript needed editing. I've hired an editor twice now (same one as she was excellent IMO) for my two novels off my own back before even submitting it to agents. Doesn't hurt to have things polished before sending it out.

Gryphonboy

blue.jester wrote: »

Kind of strange that your agent agreed to do the submitting if the manuscript needed editing. I've hired an editor twice now (same one as she was excellent IMO) for my two novels off my own back before even submitting it to agents. Doesn't hurt to have things polished before sending it out.

Hey Blue.Jester,

I recently posted a query asking for advice on hiring an editor. If you don't mind me asking, how did you choose/find her, and what was the cost?

blue.jester

Hey Gryphonboy,

Did some google searching originally about two years ago, mainly looking for Dublin based ones but open to any and all. Some came back with price ranges that had a minimum amount, others charged "a cent a word", which obviously can get pretty steep depending on the size of the novel. In the end I found one based in Dublin that gave me a more realistic cost based on the size of the novel and my budget. I was impressed with the work done and used her for the second one, even recommended her to a friend who used her as well and was very happy with the results of his two books. Some reviews from searching for her showed other happy customers as well, so I figured why not.

I can PM you the contact details if you'd like (pretty sure it's against the rules to just "advertise" it in a post).

Gryphonboy

blue.jester wrote: »

I can PM you the contact details if you'd like (pretty sure it's against the rules to just "advertise" it in a post).

Yes please :-)

blue.jester

Gryphonboy wrote: »

Yes please :-)

No problem, sent that to you there.

alfa beta

hi blue.jester - can you pm me with those contact details too.

also - just out of curiosity - what kind of genre do you write in and has the editor you used a specific area/genre also?

thanks

blue.jester

alfa beta wrote: »

hi blue.jester - can you pm me with those contact details too.

also - just out of curiosity - what kind of genre do you write in and has the editor you used a specific area/genre also?

thanks

Hey Alfa,

Pm sent.

I write comedic-fantasy stories but she seems to do a bit of everything. When I first contacted her she had just wrapped up on a crime novel so I don't think she is locked to a given genre.

alfa beta

great stuff - thanks so much

Gryphonboy

blue.jester wrote: »

I write comedic-fantasy stories but she seems to do a bit of everything. When I first contacted her she had just wrapped up on a crime novel so I don't think she is locked to a given genre.

I just hired her based on your recommendation.
My genre is Science Fiction so she appears to be quite versatile.

ThePinkCage

Glad you found an editor.

I don't think agents should be expecting authors to fork out for editors. Using an agent isn't supposed to cost you anything, apart from the commission they take when they find you a publisher. It's not a good sign if they do. A good agent can give you structural advice which, yes, is painful, but necessary if you want a book that truly justifies your vision.

And editing can be an expensive undertaking because of the length of the book, but it's an investment in your book and gets it publishing-fit. Most editors will work within your budget, or offer you more cost effective alternatives.

Good luck.