Finding a Great Romance Editor

How to recognize a great romance editor, and get the most out of their services.

Romance editors: it might be hard to find one who embodies all of the attributes below (I’m not sure I do!) but these tips will help you navigate your way to the romance editor of your dreams. Alternatively, if you already have an editor then stack them against the benchmarks below and see if they’re up to scratch.

Finding a Romance Editor #1

An Iron Fist, In a Velvet Glove

I love the description above, which is how my own editor was described to me. A good romance editor won’t be full of endless praise, nor will they beat you into the ground with unconstructive criticism. They should be firm, fair and provide feedback that highlights both your strengths and areas for further development.

Finding a Romance Editor #2

It’s a Wedding Cake, Not a Happy Meal

If you contact an editor for a quote and they immediately respond with a set fee, this should ring a major alarm bell. Editors need to see what kind of work the writing requires before they can even think of proposing a rate and timeline. After all, there’s no point in investing in a copy edit if there are major problems with the story and structure. If an editor isn’t interested in seeing your work then chances are they’ll do a quick, stock-standard job, instead of trying to make your book the best it can be.

Finding a Romance Editor #3

Try Before You Buy

If there’s one piece of advice you walk away with today, let it be this: Before investing in your romance editor, you need to sample the wares. I offer a special Introductory Edit, others offer different fees for different pages and word counts. Either way, you want to see an editor’s talents applied to your work before you commit to a project.

Finding a Romance Editor #4

It’s All About the Energy, Dude.

Yes we have the best job in the world, but the odd bad day is inevitable. Having said that, if your editor acts as if communicating with you is an imposition and they have better things to do, you either need to reassess your expectations of the level of support they can offer, or find someone who’s happier to do the job you’ve agreed. Editing is a creative, collaborative process, and building trust and camaraderie with a writer is vital. Self-important editors have sometimes lost the passion for their work and will drag you down. Editing should be fun.

Finding a Romance Editor #5

Where to Find Them

By far the best method of finding a romance editor is word of mouth, and crowd-sourcing information through social media has never been easier. Go on Facebook and ask your network or writers group if they have an amazing editor they might recommend. You can also look in the acknowledgments section of books you love. Just beware that bestselling editors (or those from big publishing houses) will command higher rates, if they offer freelance services at all.

Finding a Romance Editor #6

Good Editors Fix. Great Editors Teach.

Recommendations are great, but it’s also important to explain why that change is required. The first time I saw ‘SDT’ scrawled in the margin of one of my manuscripts, I had no idea what my editor was referring to. In fact, she wanted me to “Show Don’t Tell”, but it would have been helpful to explain a) what the term meant, b) how it could be applied to my work and c) why it was important for the reader in the first place.

Finding a Romance Editor #7

Available. Or Unemployed?

Discovering that an editor’s immediately available might seem like a stroke of luck, but it can also be a red flag. The desirability of a service is based supply and demand. If an editor doesn’t have at least a few weeks worth of work already scheduled, there’s probably a reason for it.

Finding a Romance Editor #8

*Crikets

Of course, the flip side of the point above is encountering editors who are far too busy and important to get back to you at all. If they take three days to respond to your email, imagine what it will be like exchanging the 20 or so emails required to work through a single novel revision? Editing is time and focus intensive, so a good romance editor will set themselves strict limits on their workload, leaving ample time for emailing and client care.

Finding a Romance Editor #9

Shoddy Shopfront

Freelancer editors can often be divided into two camps: the hobbyists versus the professionals. The way an editor presents themselves to the world tells you a lot about how seriously they view their work. If their website is outdated and the copy describing their services is slap-dash, it’s a strong sign they see their services as a side-hustle or hobby, rather than a vocation.

Finding a Romance Editor #10

Strike a Chord, Make a Song

When you receive your first round of advice from an editor, you should find that their suggestions resonate with something deep inside you. The various changes should ‘click’ and make sense, allowing you to immediately see how the work will be improved. If the advice is confusing or contradictory, you might have found an editor who is either inexperienced, a poor communicator, or just doesn’t understand what you’re trying to achieve.

Finding a Romance Editor #11

What Are Their Top 3 Books?

If you’re writing commercial romance and your editor’s favourite reading genre is non-fiction, they aren’t going to ‘feel’ your book in the same way a target reader will. All fiction follows the same basic storytelling principles, but an editor working on a genre they love will be more impassioned by your novel and have more experience communicating in your niche.

Finding a Romance Editor #12

Past Works

 Ask for a list of books they’ve edited in the past, and take into account what role the editor played in the novel’s development. They might have worked on the book as a copy-editor, or only from an assessment perspective. This will affect whether you judge the book on tone and style, or wider elements like structure and character development.

Finding a Romance Editor #13

Red Lines Are Awesome!

I once lost one of my favorite clients to a fear of the Dreaded Red. When I delivered her structural edit, the number of comments and red lines proved to be disheartening. “I thought my edit was great, but clearly it was terrible!” The truth is, every MS I edit is full of red lines. Not because the work is terrible, but because I’m employed to make it the best it can be. If your editor gives you a lot of red lines, it means they’re working really hard to make the draft sing. Never take it personally, and beware of editors that fall at the opposite end of the spectrum, and don’t change enough. Remember, you can always ignore feedback you don’t want to implement, so too much is better than too little.

If you only want to apply a light copy edit and grammar check, save yourself a heap of money and use a tool like ProWritingAid, which has sophisticated algorithms to allow you to self-edit.

Finding a Romance Editor #14

Even Critics Have Critics

Web testimonials are always hand-picked, so they’re not a truly fail-safe way to find a quality editor. Having said that they are better than nothing, and you can also go onto freelancing sites where an editor’s reviews will be listed in full: the good, the bad and the ugly.

Finding a Romance Editor #15

Avoid the Paper Mill

Several of my clients have complained about the editing work they’ve received from agencies. Clicking on a team page and seeing ten names might feel reassuring; after all a company that size must adhere to professional standards, right? But don’t you want more than that? Agencies are paying salaries and overheads and need to keep the orders coming through. They thrive on pre-packaged services (see above: It’s a Wedding Cake, Not a Happy Meal) and sometimes treat manuscripts like paper pulp that needs to go through a processor to be spat out the other end.

Finding a Romance Editor #16

Are You On the Same Page?

How much money do you want to invest in to this project? Is it a memoir you’re writing for your family, or the next in a series of commercial, bestselling novels? Editing means different things to different writers; from a small indulgence in a beloved hobby, to an important business investment. Your editor should tailor their services to your goals.

Finding a Romance Editor #17

Never, Ever, Choose the Cheapest Option

As with all creative, service-based industries, you get what you pay for. If someone is charging below the standard rate then chances are they need to keep their prices low to get work through the door. And it goes both ways. You want to find a romance editor who’s in hot demand, but if they’re working on the next Fifty Shades of Grey you can kiss goodbye to your marketing budget. Aim for the sweet spot in-between.

Finding a Romance Editor #18

Make Friends With Technology

In this day and age there’s every chance your editor could be working in the same city, or located on a different continent. The days of posting heavy manuscripts, marked up with red pen, are long over. In addition to any direct edits applied to the draft, your editor should offer multiple ways of communicating insights. For me, this involves audio recordings, where I can hash out more complex ideas or recommendations. For shorter works, this can also include live screen recordings that allow a writer to see the editor work through their draft and explain their suggestions in real-time.

Finding a Romance Editor #19

On-Time, On Budget

If your editor is promising one thing and delivering another, it’s best to find someone consistent. This applies to pricing too. All editors are guilty of underquoting at times; we’re an optimistic bunch. But if the quoted job turns out to be larger than expected, it’s our responsibility to finish on cost, not the author’s.

Finding a Romance Editor #20

Editor & Cheerleader

An editor’s email blasts, Twitter and Facebook are avenues for you to promote your book launch to their network of writers and readers. Having said that, I don’t promote every project I edit because a) I don’t wish to spam my followers, and b) I won’t endorse a project if I feel it’s gone to market unfinished. But give me a great book and a passionate author, and I’ll shout their praises from the rooftops.

Finding a Romance Editor #21

Accommodate, Don’t Dictate

Good editors work to tight schedules if their services are in demand. But ultimately, you are the client and we are the service provider. So if your editor is asking for a round of revisions or copy in an unreasonable time frame because it suits their schedule, you need to find someone who takes your time into consideration, too.

Finding a Romance Editor #22

Teach A Man to Fish (and cook it for him, too)

A competent editor will highlight an issue in a story, and a good editor will explain the root cause of the problem. However a great editor will recommend how you can resolve the issue with an example or direct edit. This not only makes the writing stronger, but gives the writer a clear illustration of the technique being applied, versus grappling with the theory alone.

Finding a Romance Editor #23

If You Have Nothing Nice to Say…

This might seem surprising, but some editors are compelling to complain about their clients on social media. Canceled orders or demanding clients are part of any service industry, but if your editor “likes to vent” it’s a good sign to steer clear. When dealing with thousands of projects over one’s career, it’s inevitable that some sort of misunderstanding will arise at some point. But editors who complain about their clients are not in the right job.

Finding a Romance Editor #24

Walk the Talk

At the risk of stating the obvious, if your editor’s emails and web copy are full of grammatical mistakes it’s a sure sign they’re a) over-worked, b) inexperienced, c) uneducated or d) all of the above. Of course, we’re also human and far from perfect. Editors are not proofreaders (unless that’s the service they’re offering), but consistent errors are a red flag.

Finding a Romance Editor #25

The Wind Beneath Your Paper Wings

What’s the number one challenge for any writer? Surprisingly, it’s not a shortage of talent, time, or money, but the greatest virtue of all: consistency. Writing the first draft might be a sprint, but developing and editing that draft into its final form is more like a marathon. Every writer has moments where the path ahead seems overwhelming, but a great editor will touch base regularly to see how you’re tracking. They’ll be a friend when you need support, and a drill sergeant when it’s time for a kick up the bottom. They’ll hold you accountable to your deadlines, and pull you up when it gets too hard.

 

Have you had a good, weird or horrible editing experience?

Add your stories and suggestions below!