Hiring a freelance editor when I finished writing Book#3, and before I started querying agents, is the best thing I ever did for my new thriller, Fool Her Once.
Wait, you say. Isn’t it only self-publishing authors who need to hire a freelance editor? If you’re aiming for a traditionally published novel, then surely finding an editor comes after you land an agent?
Well, that’s the way it worked about twenty-five years ago when my first two thrillers were published. When, I finished my first manuscript, Scandal, my husband, Joe, stepped in. He asked a friend who had just opened a literary agency to look at my manuscript. The friend agreed, liked what he read and sold it to Tor/Forge.
Subsequently, I worked on all the revisions and edits with the help of a smart, young in-house editor who loved the manuscript. Scandal was published as an original paperback in 1996 and sold more than 70,000 copies.
Hiring A Freelance Editor First
Unlike 25 years ago, today’s readers can buy novels published not only by traditional publishers, but also by smaller independent publishers and imprints — as well as by authors who self-publish.
According to statistics, last year more than one million books were self-published. It’s a good bet that many of their authors queried agents first before resorting to self-publication. That adds up to a humongous load of competition.
So, I was aware that my manuscript had to be in tip-top shape before I queried agents who would then submit to editors and publishers.
Back in Summer 2018 when publication seemed a long way away, I’d been working on my thriller for about four years. I’d attended seminars, conferences, boot camps, and constantly read blogs and websites that offered a tsunami of advice and tips on how to get published today.
By that time, I knew my WIP was exactly that : a Work -in- Progress, but I felt I was going round in circles with my re-writes and revisions. It was a long time since I’d last written publishable fiction. I was more than ready to have an expert eye look over my WIP for an evaluation and critique.
Excellent Collaboration
In August 2018, on the recommendation of an author/editor friend in West Palm Beach, I engaged Helga Schier, a former Random House editor who has been in the publishing business for almost 30 years.
I checked out her website and got good vibes at http://www.withpenandpaper.com/ I made contact, signed an agreement and sent in my draft.
Her first evaluation started like this : “You’ve developed very interesting characters, none of them flat or cliched, all of them relatable, while not necessarily likable […] Your unassuming prose takes us through a mostly fast-paced plot with many truly surprising, but mostly well-prepared plot twists. Yes, this is a page-turner with depth.”
And, then followed SEVEN !!! pages of suggestions of how I could improve my WIP. The suggestions covered the gamut from minor (consistency of chapter titles and timestamps) to the biggest one where Helga did not like the way my female protagonist made some major discoveries without any effort on her part.
As Helga wrote: “I don’t think it’s a good idea that Jenna finds out [major plot twist] passively, through someone else’s research … Allowing her to find all this out through her own research will make her a much stronger character.”
I did not disagree for a moment. I knew Jenna, my female protagonist, could do much better if she put her mind to it. I’d known it, really, when I sent my WIP to Helga. But I’d allowed my heroine to become lazy once I knew Helga was going to be my very own Max Perkins. And, I’d made some shortcuts — which Helga called me out on.
I knew then our collaboration was going to be an excellent one.
Serendipitous
As it turned out, Helga not only helped me knock my thriller into shape so that I landed the first agent I queried. But, when that agent and I parted company, Helga, was there for me again; this time in the role of Editorial Director at CamCat Books.
As I revealed in my last blog, two months after splitting with my agent, CamCat offered me a book deal for Fool Her Once. The thriller, –in which an investigative reporter’s pursuit of a serial killer’s son who she suspects is targeting her loved ones leads to tragic consequences for her marriage — is slated for publication in Spring 2022
A serendipitous turn of events? You bet. Sometimes you get that lucky, and you do need a certain amount of luck in the publishing business. But, what’s more important is to find an editor who is on the same page and who can work with you as the author to produce the best manuscript possible before sending it out into the highly competitive world that publishing is today.
How? Where? And, How Much?
Is it expensive? Depends on what shape your finances are in. But $85 an hour is not peanuts in any event. On the other hand, it’s an investment in an author’s business and therefore, tax deductible.
How do you find a freelance editor who warrants that kind of payment?
Blogging & publishing guru, Jane Friedman has posted an excellent article on Finding, Hiring and Working with an Editor. And, I can add that I, too, find personal recommendations work best.
You could Google “best freelance editors” for 48 hours straight and still not find the one best suited to your genre or your style — even if Max Perkins was alive; even if he was available; even if you could afford him!
Writers groups and/or critique groups where you know your fellow writers and their work are often an excellent starting point for finding a suitable editor.
I was fortunate that Helga and I hit it off right from the beginning. But, just in case, I’d successfully put out feelers in the Palm Beach Writers Group (now defunct) to which I belonged back then.
Contacting an author who writes in the same genre is my second favorite option. True, you could look in her/his acknowledgments for the name of her/ his editor. But that’s usually the in-house editor employed by the publisher. On the other hand he/she may have hired a freelance editor before querying agents and before getting a contract with a publisher. If so, she/he may share the name and contact details.
Yes, it’s a fraught process — but when you find the right editor, it’s like striking gold.
Sorry to hear about your writer’s group Joanna 🙁 Another casualty of Covid?
Actually nothing to do with Covid, Eldon, which makes it even more distressing, really. It was squabbles in the upper echelons of the organization. A real shame cos to the very end we had 40-50 attendees at each lunch, and really great speakers.
I remember reading about those great speakers. A real shame such differences at the top caused it all to end 🙁