What Does a Book Editor Actually Do?

Hi, everybody, and welcome back! For those of you that are new, my name is Susan, and I am a freelance book editor specializing in science fiction, fantasy, and romance. 

Today we’re going to be talking about what a book editor does and some misconceptions of editing. 

So you’re an editor…but what does that mean?

This is probably the most popular question I get when I tell people what I do. It usually comes with the assumption that I spend all day fixing commas and spelling errors, or that all I do is read books.

While those might be a part of my job, they are somewhat misleading. But the beauty about being a book editor is that it’s a little bit different every day. 

Freelance Editing

As an independent book editor, there is even more variety as I also run my own business. Throughout my day, week, and month, I have all sorts of different responsibilities to manage my business as well as my editing work. 

Like with independent authors, I’m doing my own marketing and sales. Even as a full-time author, you don’t spend all of your time writing and it’s the same for me. But that is the joy of running a creative business!

The services I offer involve everything that I can do to help authors along their publishing journey when it comes to the editorial side. Whether that means helping authors write their query letters, make a publishing plan, or prepping their manuscript for publishing, each of these services allows me a more personal connection with my authors. It also allows me to help them make the best decisions for them and their story.

And these are just a few of the reasons I switched from traditional publishing to being an independent editor. If you have any other questions about traditional publishing or editing, let me know and I can dive deeper in another post!

Types of Editing

So…what does an editor actually do? There’s a wide variety of types of editing that book editors do, and some specialize in certain things and not others. So when you’re looking for an editor, make sure you know what kind of editing you want and what each editor focuses on.

Do you need a developmental edit? Which looks at story and character plot, the flow of your novel, and how the story can be more successful in the bigger picture.

Or do you want an editorial assessment? A lighter look at how the book works altogether.

Or maybe a line edit? This involves a deep dive into the book line by line, looking at world choice, transitions, and the writing.

You might need copyediting. While most people confuse line editing and copyediting as the same thing, they are actually very different. Copyediting is just about fixing errors in the writing—spelling, grammar, and usage mistakes. Line editing is about improving the writing on a line by line level. 

Then, there’s also proofreading, the very last step just to get another set of eyes and make sure any changes have been implemented correctly. 

I love my job

So, as you can see, there are a lot of different things an editor might be doing to help out an author on their publishing journey. It’s not just reading all day!

And, as with any job, there will be days when you won’t want to work. Even with a job like editing that involves a lot of passion and fun, there is also the business side, which can be complicated and boring at times.

I absolutely adore my job. My favorite part is developmental editing, diving into a story and bringing out their vision. I love making an author’s voice more clear for readers so that they can really connect with the story. That’s my speciality—the story and the brainstorming. 

So if you’re looking for an editor on whichever level, make sure you find someone who views editing as a partnership. Take advantage of a sample edit so you can get a feel for the editor’s style.

If you have any more questions on editing or finding an editor, leave them below. 

And until next time, keep writing!