Quirky Writer Seeking Editor

It is one thing to take a piece of work that you have been pouring your heart into and give it to your friends and family to read (aka beta testers). It is an entirely different thing to give it to someone who critiques these types of work for a living. When you write something, you are putting part of yourself out there that you can no longer protect and keep hidden. Us writers wear parts of ourselves right out for everyone to see. And then we threaten to put it into a wood chipper.

Not that I am implying that giving your work to friends and family is not terrifying. I have definitely had moments, and still do, where you hand your precious literary child to someone and then "they haven't found the time to read it," but "Oh, I really want to." I definitely know how that feels. You are left attempting to chase thoughts like, "how bad is it?" or "It must be terrible if my friend won't even read it" out of your head. And even if they do read it and tell you they love it, you sit back and question if they are just saying that so they don't hurt your precious very delicate writer feelings.

But editors… they don't care if they hurt your feelings. It is their job to make your book the best it can be, and if they need to run you over several times with a lawnmower, they will do it. They don't have to be nice, and in truth, you probably don't want them to be kind. I mean, secretly, you are hoping they are, and that is what you want, but what you need is for them to brutally honest. Helpful yes, nice no. Let's not forget they are invested in this too. Your work becomes their work, and they want to see it succeed as well. No one wants their name associated with … heaven forbid a failure.

So, with all that in my mind, I threatened one of my babies with the wood chipper. I decided to seek an editor using the site Reedsy. Reedsy is a site that helps connect authors with professionals to help them on their publishing journey. It includes editors, designers, publicists, markets, etc. You can send a request to five professionals, describing your work and the services you would like. It then allows them to provide quotes on how much the services you requested will cost.

In my case, I put a request forward for a developmental editor, which required I attach a copy of some of my work. I know. Terrifying. I selected my first chapter and then waited. What happened next? I received an email stating one of the editors had responded. I was so excited, my first reply, and I was … Declined.

I instantly felt like there was a hole in my chest. I had been declined? Was my first chapter that terrible? What should I do? All these things were racing through my head. I'm happy to report I calmed down a bit when I read her reasoning. She was already booked solid and wouldn't be able to provide me a developmental edit anytime soon. However, she wanted me to consider her for proofreading further down the line.

Since then, I have received five quotes from editors, all with their very unique styles and offerings. I am happy to report that many seem excited at the prospect of editing my book, so let's hope they don't just see $$$. As much as I was happy to receive so many quotes back on my book. And the thrill of the sudden momentum and realization that yes, this is actually happening. I also have to face reality. Now I have to pick one. X________X.

I will keep you posted. Please note I have included links to sites that I found incredibly useful navigating this process for those of you who are just starting out like me. To all my fellow writes, keep trying, we all have a story to tell!

Why we all need a developmental editor

Should You Hire a Developmental Editor or a Copy Editor?

When Writers SHOULDN'T Work with a Freelance Developmental Editor | iWriterly