If you are a writer, you know already that writing and self-publishing an ebook is easier these days than finding a book editor. People are creating more ebooks to build their personal brand by helping other people in different ventures like growing their freelancing business or monetizing their skills.

If you have finished writing your book, the next step is editing. Editing consumes a lot of energy and time for the writer but it is necessary to remove unnecessary content and errors. What do you prefer for doing it: Self-editing, hiring a freelance editor, or paying for a book editing service?

If you do self-edit and think about how to find a book editor, do not think that searching for the right editor is chaotic or costs a lot. Finding an affordable and competent book editor will give you a better book providing high value to the readers and having fewer roadblocks during publishing.

Do not get puzzled over finding the right book editor. Instead, follow these 6 steps:

1. Analyze the editing process first

Do you consider editing as simple proofreading? You are wrong if you think so.

You don’t have to pay the same price to every editor for all types of editing. The cost depends on many factors.

Decide what you need first: an editor to simply proofread your book and catch minor errors and typos or an editor to help you in repurposing the whole content.

Understanding your requirements for the need of the editor will help you in finding the right book editor.

Are you aware of different types of book editing services? If not, here are those:

• Line editing: It is the refining of sentences to make them clear, smooth, and stylish for better display.
• Developmental Editing: It involves editing the complete structure of the book. This is a long process and must occur first.
• Proofreading: It is the final checking process to look for typos, repeated words, formatting consistency, and spacing. 
• Copy Editing: It involved checking punctuation, grammar, and word usage while checking for the internal consistency of facts.

Note: Make sure you get it clear with the editors regarding what services they include in their editing services as the terms mentioned above may be used interchangeably. You can consider taking a free consultation call from editors if you are unsure of what editing services you need. 

2. Offer a test drive to the potential editors

While finding a book editor, there are many ways to check the skill set of the editor. 

Most of writers do it by sending a page of their book to the editors and requesting them to edit it. It is one of the most common and accurate ways of analyzing if the editor has the skill to enhance word choices, maintain your tone and catch errors.

But there are other ways too. You can create an editing quiz and send it to different editors. Now collect answers from them and check them with your answer key. Then compare the results and check which editor has scored highest. This will tell you who has a better command of grammar rules.

The point here is not just to find a book editor but to hire someone who is effective and capable of doing the correct job.

3. Consider finding a book editor in your niche

Your expertise in a specific niche is proof of better quality content. If you are just starting out or have little experience, remember that focusing on a particular niche will make you a more successful writer.

Expertise in a niche gives you the authority to answer questions related to that niche and provide them with useful resources after research. The same is the case for book editors.

A good editor understands the market trends in which they are working and the best editors are those who specialize in a few niches to become experts in them.

When you are finding a book editor to revise the content of your book, go for someone who has experience in your niche, especially for developmental editing. 

4. Editors must not ignore even a minute of error

The best editors are expected to pay critical attention to every detail. 

But how will you figure out if the editor catches every minute detail including styling, grammatical errors, or any other typos?

While posting a job application for the editors, make some mistakes in the description intentionally and check which editor is so detail-oriented to figure it out.

This way you can find an editor by placing a random error in the middle of the description. And the editor who goes through the details precisely will find it out. Then congratulations you have found your ideal book editor.

5. Find a book editor in your references or ask for referrals

Asking for references or referrals from people you may know will provide you with editor options who have proven their editing skills and satisfied your known people.

If not from others, you can even ask your potential editors for references from the clients they have satisfied.

What are the questions you should ask while asking for references?

• Would you like to hire this editor again if needed?
• Was there anything that made you dissatisfied with the work?
• What was the type of project you worked on together?
• Did the editor submit the work within the deadline?
• Was the final cost the same as the initial quoted cost?

Almost all book editors have contact information for references, so you can easily ask for it.

6. Do not underestimate newbies or fresher editors

We often consider experienced book editors as the perfect match for our editing work. But you will also realize that these experienced editors with good reviews have high charges for their services.

If you cannot afford to pay a top-ranked editor, consider hiring a newbie editor for your first book. Remember that newbies have the dedication to work since they want to grow, so don’t underestimate it.

If not anywhere else, you even find a book editor in social media groups, online platforms, and many more.

Take a final call now and finalize a book editor

Stop being confused now and move ahead to make a final decision.

Check these pointers before making a final decision:

• What are the charges they are asking for?
• Ask them to send their samples, past work, or references.
• Intentionally make a mistake in your post and ask them to find it.
• Check if they have knowledge about different types of editing.
• Send them a quiz or editing test.

If you come across someone who stands on all these pointers give them a chance without thinking if they are a newbie or experienced. This way you can easily find a skilled and competent editor within your budget. 

Finding the right editor is not an expense but a good investment in your writing business as it will enhance the quality of your book a lot.

Now go and find the best book editor for your services. Mention in the comment section, what pointers will you use mainly to find your perfect match.

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