I wrote and published the first edition of Beaver Coats and Guns without the help of a professional editor. The main reason was cost.
Initially, the feedback I got was positive. General readers told me they liked the story. Then a friend gave it to an assistant to a radio host who interviews authors. He agreed it was a good story. However, he said in many places the writing was amateurish. Another friend gently told me he found it hard to read in many places. He asked why I hadn’t had it edited. He’s an architect and builder, and said, “I never do my own drawings. I hire professionals. You want your book to be the best it can be don’t you?” That’s when I decided I needed to hire an editor.
Initially, the feedback I got was positive. General readers told me they liked the story. Then a friend gave it to an assistant to a radio host who interviews authors. He agreed it was a good story. However, he said in many places the writing was amateurish. Another friend gently told me he found it hard to read in many places. He asked why I hadn’t had it edited. He’s an architect and builder, and said, “I never do my own drawings. I hire professionals. You want your book to be the best it can be don’t you?” That’s when I decided I needed to hire an editor.
The first place I looked was Joanna Penn’s website, The Creative Penn. Joanna is a prolific writer who offers resources and advice to aspiring writers. On her website you’ll find links to editors. To begin with I chose New York Book Editors. They turned out to be over my budget. I also tried The Editorial Freelancers Association. However, I couldn’t search for editors specializing in historical fiction.
I then turned to Editors Canada. I searched their database for editors who work on historical fiction and also do the kind of editing I wanted, which was Stylistic editing. I didn’t feel I needed copy editing to check my grammar, punctuation and spelling.
I found ten who fit my requirements. I emailed them all. I told them I wanted a sample edit first. The editor I selected did a sample edit. I liked it and we signed a contract.
She has now completed the edit of the book and is doing a final read through. She expects to deliver the edited manuscript by the end of next week. In a future post I will let you know how it turns out. I’ll also provide a before and after sample and reveal her name.
She has now completed the edit of the book and is doing a final read through. She expects to deliver the edited manuscript by the end of next week. In a future post I will let you know how it turns out. I’ll also provide a before and after sample and reveal her name.
