8 Reasons You Need a Professional Editor
I recently potty trained my toddler. This was a start-and-stop process that took longer and required more of my mental and emotional bandwidth than toilet training did with my older two children. I technically knew everything I needed to do to potty train; I’d successfully taught my other children. But with this child, my usual methods, tricks, and bribes were not working. So I found a potty training consultant—yes, that’s a thing. I met with this consultant, poured out my parenting woes, and she gave me a plan. I executed the plan, checking in with her every few days. And you know what? My kid poops in the potty now. He’s empowered and proud of himself, and I haven’t changed a diaper or Pull-Up in over a month. I am not only confident in my kid’s ability to learn, I’m also confident in my ability to learn. If you had told me at the beginning of the year that I would be here now, I might not have believed you. And I might not be here now with a potty trained three-year-old if I hadn’t asked for help.
That’s great, Charlotte. I’m glad that you successfully did what every other parent or caregiver successfully does. But what does this have to do with me? I’m here for the writing.
Editing, potty training, business coaching, nutrition consulting, personal training, personal styling—they’re not all that different from each other. Editing is a service that teaches you what you don’t know, or frames what you do know into a perspective that actually helps you. Editing is a service that not only improves your writing, it gives you a partner and a support for when you’re ready to quit and delete and never come back to that manuscript ever again. Hiring an editor is that writing lifeline that can be the difference between giving up and publishing your book.
Editors give you perspective.
Writing is so solitary, and it’s so easy to get lost in your own head. Working with an editor is like driving with GPS: Someone else always knows where you are and how to pull you back on track when you take a detour. An editor improves not only your grammar, usage, and punctuation, they work with your mindset as well. Your editor can speak reason when you’re spiraling and be a steady voice during the hardest parts of writing and editing.
2. Editors improve your writing—authentically.
A professional editor knows how to look at a piece and improve it—without rewriting it in their own voice. A well-edited piece will flow in both content and voice. Your editor can show you where to improve and give you the tools you need to practice. Everything in your edited will be 100 percent yours—the best version of your words.
3. Editors know the process (and how to adapt it).
Professional editors know the tips and hacks for writing and crafting a manuscript. How do they know this? Well, they’re the professionals. They know methods and frameworks that will make your writing life easier. And if a strategy isn’t working for you? Your editor will know how to adapt that for you so that you can dial into a process that does work.
4. Professional eyes matter.
You can pass your manuscript around to your writing group a hundred times, and it still won’t replace treatment from a professional editor. A professional editor knows what to look for and how to identify what isn’t working—everything from pacing, structure, consistency, and focus to usage, grammar, and punctuation. Professional editors are professionals for a reason: they know how to spot weak points that others can’t.
5. Editors are objective.
While your editor cares deeply about you and your writing, they also don’t have the same emotional investment that you do (which is great!). Professional editors can help you manage your feelings during the revision process, letting you know the reasons behind a needed structural change and giving you the space you need to feel all the feelings. An editor’s objectivity serves as an anchor and keeps the writing and revision process steady.
6. Editors help you dial in on your voice and your message.
A professional editor learns your voice and becomes intimately acquainted with your message. That knowledge paired with their professional eyes allows them to help you truly find your voice and amplify it in the most authentic way possible. Editors can see through the clutter to see your message and know exactly how to convey that message in your voice. The more you work with an editor, the more confident you’ll be in your voice.
7. You and your work are safe with an editor.
Writing is intimate, and handing your work over to an editor requires tremendous vulnerability. With a professional editor, both you and your manuscript are safe. Editors know how to be discreet and how to communicate with honesty and kindness. An editor never wants to hurt your feelings and knows how to navigate edits and revisions with tact. You always know that your editor is on your side and that whatever ups and downs you have as a writer, you’ll be in safe hands.
8. You can probably afford more help than you think.
Professional editors offer services at all price points, and chances are that you can afford something. From manuscript consults and evaluations to online courses to private coaching, you can find editorial support at some level of affordability. (At Bookish Edits, we have 90-minute VIP sessions and manuscript evaluations alongside The Memoir Method group program and one-on-one partnerships.) If you’re unsure about what offer is a good fit for you, book a discovery call and your editor will help you identify what service will be the best fit for you.
Editors are a resource, a tool, to help you get where you want to go (just like the potty training consultant was for this exhausted mother who just wanted her toddler potty trained). Hiring a professional editor will not only improve your writing, it will also increase your own confidence as a writer and ensure that you’re never alone in the process.
