Four Tips for Choosing the Right Professional Editing Services
The world of professional editing services can quickly become confusing and overwhelming. With so many editors and service levels to choose from, how can you be certain you’re trusting your manuscript (and time and money) to the right company? If you’re currently on the hunt for a professional editor, keep these four simple tips in mind before you commit.
Professional Editing Services: How to Get the Best Value
Tip #1: Approach Editing Services as You Would Any Other Service
When wading through all your options for professional editors, it’s important to remember that this service is just that—a service. Therefore, you should approach picking an editor in the same way you’d look for any other industry professional.
A good rule of thumb is to get three quotes from three different companies or individuals. This allows you to accurately gauge the industry standard for editor rates. If one quote stands out as an outlier (whether it’s too high or too low), that’s a potential red flag. After all, a quote that seems too good to be true probably is, and it could indicate an inexperienced or underqualified editor. A quote that’s astronomically higher than the others could indicate inflated prices.
The trick is to find the balance that offers you optimal value: the best level of service for the most cost-effective price. (And, don’t forget, there are ways to keep your editing costs down.)
“A good rule of thumb is to get three quotes from three different companies or individuals.”
Tip #2: Open a Dialogue with a Potential Professional Editing Company
You’ve put a tremendous amount of time and effort into your manuscript, and when the time comes, you want to make sure you’re working with an editor you can trust implicitly. Before agreeing to work with any given company or individual, make sure you’ve opened a dialogue and discussed exactly what you want to get out of this service.
The last thing you want is to go through this entire vetting process only to end up with an editor who doesn’t respect your stylistic intent or who refuses to accommodate any special requests you have with your manuscript.
Tip #3: Ascertain an Editor’s Experience Level
You always want to work with an experienced, reliable, professional editor. However, it’s not enough to just ask how many years that editor has been in the business. This is certainly helpful information, but you also want to know what types of manuscript this editor is comfortable with.
You could be working with the most experienced, careful editor in the business, but if he or she has zero experience with your manuscript type, this might indicate a bad fit. For example, say you need a product manual edited. If your editor has never tackled technical work before, you could potentially end up disappointed with the results.
Tip #4: Seek Out Editing Companies with Flexible Packages
Every manuscript is unique and requires personalized attention and care. If a potential editing company only offers one service level, this could pose several issues for you:
The service level might not match the state of your manuscript. Perhaps your work is already very polished and just needs a once-over; maybe it’s still in the early stages and needs some comprehensive development. Whatever the case, when you only have one editing package to choose from, you could end up paying for a more in-depth edit than you need, or you could get less guidance than you want. Choices and options are always preferable. They allow you to choose what’s right for you—in terms of budget and editing style.
One blanket editing service could indicate a lack of flexibility and personalization. Your edit should be tailored both to your preferences and to the current state of the manuscript. Multiple service offerings point to a company that will give your manuscript the kind of individualized attention it deserves.
For more tips about how to select the right editor for your manuscript, please feel free to contact a representative of MACE Writing today!
