Why Hire an Editor?
5 ways a professional editor can help your writing
Writing can sometimes feel like a solitary endeavour; but, you don’t have to go it alone. A good editor can be invaluable, supporting your goals and vision while helping your manuscript or writing project become the best it can be. Editors can assist at various stages of your writing from the beginning of your story development to the final draft or proof.
Hiring an editor
1. Provides an objective pair of eyes
As an author, you will have edited your own work a number of times (perhaps too many to count!) and it is not always easy to recognise the areas for improvement when you are so close. Employing an unbiased outsider with professional knowledge and experience will allow for objective feedback. An editor can help you understand where your story or writing needs work, as well as provide you with ways to improve it.
2. Helps solve known issues in your writing and story development
When writing and editing your own work, you will sometimes reach a sticking point where you know something isn’t working in your story but don’t know how to fix it. This is when a structural edit or story development consultation with an editor can help. As an objective and fresh pair of eyes, an editor can provide solutions that you may not have thought of.
3. Helps to polish and refine your work
Even the best of us make mistakes. A good editor will pick up on these and help polish and refine your work to a professional standard. Editing can improve structure, plot, pacing, narration, dialogue, grammar, spelling, and formatting. No matter what service you employ an editor for, they will help make your work the best it can be.
4. Saves you time
A professional editor has the knowledge and expertise to complete a high standard of work in a timely manner. This can save you hours, days, or even weeks. You'll be free to move on to your next project (or take a well-deserved break from your writing).
5. Improves your writing skills
A good editing experience can transform your writing practices. Through detailed line edits, reports, and consultations, an editor can help you become aware of your common writing errors and provide you with the knowledge and methods needed to fix these. Not only does an edit improve the work in question, but this feedback will help refine your writing skills for future projects.
While hiring a professional editor might be nerve-racking, remember that the editor is there for you. An editor's goal isn't to change your story or take over your voice, but to support it and elevate it. Their expertise, support, and feedback will help improve your book, manuscript, or writing project.
Need an editor? Contact Rafaela Novelli Editing Services to discuss your next writing project.
