Although I am a skilled editor and have helped many indie authors improve their books, I always hire an editor for my self-published novels. A good editor will notice plot holes, repetition, and bad writing habits that the author misses. They will make your story and style shine.

Not all editors are equal. Some have trained for years, while others rely on their own understanding of how books work. Some will understand and enhance your personal style, while others might impose their own. It is worth doing some research. If they cite references or testimonials check the books they worked on and/or speak to the authors to ensure the editor will be a good fit for your book. If the editor cannot provide references, it is perfectly acceptable to ask them to provide a sample of their work or ask them to look at a few of your pages for free before you commit.

A good editor is worth their weight in gold. A poor editor can increase the number of issues.

Hiring an editor may not be cheap, but it will save you the embarrassment and heartache of publishing a sub-par book.

If you are submitting to publishers, they will probably employ in-house editors. You should submit the best version of your story that you can, but I wouldn’t recommend paying a freelance copy/line editor. However, you may still want to speak to a developmental editor – someone who will help you fix any big problems.

If you are new to self-publishing, you might not sell enough copies to recover the costs of a professional editor. With a good understanding of spelling and grammar conventions, you can choose to go it alone. Put the manuscript to one side for at least a month before editing. This will give you a better perspective and help you see what is on the page rather than what you intended to write.

If you decide to hire an editor, I recommend tackling as much of the editing work as you can before you hand over the manuscript. Presenting a manuscript with fewer issues gives you more creative control while honing your writing skills. You may even discover that you have a talent for editing.

The editing process

While there are many things to check during editing, you can check for more than one thing during each pass.

• Checking for consistency 
• Eliminating unwanted repetition 
• Plugging plot holes 
• Strengthening character arcs 
• Perfecting story structure 
• Correcting pace 
• Foregrounding theme 
• Varying rhythm and sentence structure 
• Choosing the best way to get your meaning across to readers

Consistency

While checking for consistency, a style sheet is your best friend. You can produce your own from scratch or base it on the guidelines found in The New Oxford Style Manual (Hart’s Rules) or The Chicago Style Manual. A style sheet helps you to ensure your spelling, capitalisation, headings and punctuation remain the same throughout the story.

A few of the things you will need to check include:

• British English or US English spelling and grammar 
• Single or double quotation marks for dialogue (or an alternative indicator) 
• Consistency in the spelling of characters’ names and place names 
• Consistent use of past or present tense 

Repetition

How many times does a character smile? How many times do they turn around and look? You can check by using the FIND tool in most writing software. Repetition can be used consciously to reinforce theme or ensure readers don’t miss a vital plot point. However, repetition can become boring very quickly, and this includes repeating the same sentence structure.

Plugging plot holes

It is tricky to spot plot holes in your own work. If you’ve decided not to hire an editor, a beta reading team is invaluable. Plot holes confuse readers and can spoil an otherwise delightful book. If your main character suddenly produces the perfect tool for the job, we should know why they have it. If your character makes a decision that seems out of character, the reason should be clear to the reader.

Character arcs

Your main characters should grow or change by the end of the story. It might be useful to trace their development in a separate file. Without change, the story will be less satisfying for readers, agents and publishers.

Structure

Does the story have a beginning, a middle and an end?

Is it told chronologically, or does it skip between time periods? Is it always clear to the reader when the action takes place? If not, is this deliberate? Do you provide a satisfactory reward in return for the temporary confusion?

Does each chapter add something to plot or character development? Cut any chapters that don’t earn their place in your story.

A good structure. according to David Lodge, is “like the framework of girders that hold up a modern high-rise building: you cannot see it, but it determines the edifice’s shape and character.”

Pace

Is the story exciting? Are some points overburdened with exposition – info-dumps that slow everything down? Do some parts feel rushed?

Sentence and chapter lengths can slow the pace or make it faster. Showing or telling the action also affects pace. When something emotionally important happens, show the action. Showing slows the pace, holding the reader for longer and making important scenes more impactful.

Theme

The theme is the underlying human truth at the centre of your story. It informs both the plot and the characters.

Is the theme of your story clear? What can you change to make it clearer?

Frank O’Connor says that theme is the most essential part of a story. “You have to have a theme, a story to tell … A theme is something that is worth something to everybody … The moment you grab somebody by the lapels and you’ve got something to tell, that’s a real story … ultimately, what you think about human beings.” Quoted in A Creative Writing Handbook, Derek Neale, The Open University, 2009.

Getting your meaning across

Are the words you use effective? Is your story littered with weak modifiers, cliches, and vague verbs? Interrogate each sentence. Does it add something to your story? Can you tighten the language to ensure clarity? Do you need additional words or punctuation to avoid ambiguity?

Conclusion

Editing is a labour of love. Many writers spend more time rewriting and editing than they spend writing the first draft. If you imagine your first draft as a piece of clay, it is the rewriting and editing that shapes it into something beautiful.

Next Week

We will discuss proofreading, grammar, common errors, the role of beta readers and professional proofreaders.

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Carmilla Voiez is a horror and fantasy author. Her novels have been published by indie publishing companies including Vamptasy Publishing, CHBB and Stone Circle Publishing and her short stories have been included in anthologies by Crystal Lake Publishing, Clash Books, Weird Punk Books, Stitched Smile, Siren Magazine, and Dragones Mecanicos. She has a first-class degree in creative writing and English language, a diploma in proofreading and editing, and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Editors and Proofreaders.