The day comes when the draft is done. Plot lines closed, and your characters have been given their karmic destiny. And it goes into the drawer for six weeks. (Stephen King, ‘On Writing’, Page 252. Six weeks. He says it a couple of times.) Sitting there, stewing, your novel waits for the next evolutionary leap.

If writing the first draft is like a dreamy first date, editing it is the reality crash of the second one. Take it out of the drawer and you can see the chinks in plot; some the size of craters. You hear where the dialogues fall flat, but also the overall rhythm of the story. Some lines make you cringe; some intrigue you to explore the idea more. You rewrite, move paragraphs, and do that dastardly act called murdering darlings. (The thousand-word paean to a rainy afternoon in 1998? Press Delete and die a little).

While it seems the antithesis of free-flowing creativity, editing is the span between the story and the reader. It brings clarity to the plot, moulds characters so they are not 2D spoofs of agendas and attitudes. Like seeds separated from the husk, editing sifts out the shiny grain of true sentiment.

Read about the various types of editing here.

Time is the other invisible hand of writing. (King calls the six weeks ‘Recuperation Time’.) Time effaces memory, and when you go back to your novel, you’ll rediscover the murdering grandmotherly neighbour who sat each afternoon with the Mid-Day Scramble. And that’s the trick of time: making you forget that which was so precious and close to you. Let’s you revisit it with new eyes.

When I read my book after weeks, some words sounded alien; written by another hand. There were passages that were jarring. Others pleasing. During editing, I wondered if I had inadvertently cut the good with the bad. Thrown out the literary baby with the bath water.

Around then, I heard about literary services and professional editors who worked with unfinished, unrepresented novels. Meanwhile, my novel and I were bickering soulmates engaged in a daily battle to correct, cut, rewrite, keep, I knew I needed a fix for our problems. Problems that I hadn’t identified yet. Was the professional editor the counsellor we needed? And what does this type of editor do?

In traditional publishing, in-house editors at literary agencies and publishing companies are matched to the books (and authors) signed on by the agencies and houses. The editors edit, and the book goes through its life cycle of publishing and distribution. These come without costs to the writer and are recovered through book sales.

Read to know what happens after a book deal – the stages of publishing.

Literary services, on the other hand, are obtained for a fee by anyone writing a book. So if you are self-publishing or going for the traditional route but need help editing the book before making a submission, professional editors offer editing services. Editorial consultancies offer manuscript assessments, structural edits, ghost writing, marketing and help with creating submission proposals. The rates tend to be a pretty penny and form a major part of the decision in getting an editor.  To be clear, it does not mean automatic representation or publishing deals. Getting your manuscript edited alone is not a proof of writerly merit. It simply means you have opted to edit your piece professionally before submission.

After editing, you still need to choose your path of publishing, i.e. getting representation or self-publishing. A professional editor may or may not offer to act as a literary agent. If they offer representation, it is covered in a separate contract.

A comprehensive list of editors and a ballpark on rates is in the HWR blog post listed below.
Book Editors of India

So why did I go for a professional editor?

This was my debut work, and I ran out of fresh ideas for edits. There was the best version of my story hiding in the pages, and I didn’t want to risk losing it in a hasty submission. I don’t have a background in writing or literature, and wanted a professional to validate my piece.

Priya Talwar at Editor’s Atelier came with a recommendation and we had our preliminary meetings; discussed a few chapters to get to know my expectations and her approach to the novel. Once we settled on the types of edits and the fee, I sent over my manuscript and we worked out a timeline for the edits.

I discovered once the feedback rolled in that editing is a collaborative process. It takes immense work between the editor and writer to bring out the best. And if you’re selecting an editor, the matchmaking between editor and book (done by the professionals at agencies and publishers) rests now on you. So, you need to take the time to discover if they are the right fit for the book.

Also read: Notes from Authors and Editors at First Draft Club sessions

Priya has a different take on this. “It’s rare to see a mismatch between writers and editors. We understand as editors how scary it can be for new writers to share their stories- something so personal-with the world. We try as editors to bring the best out of their story. Help them realise the subconscious desire to share their story with the world.” 

While I had a positive engagement, I can see where things can go wrong. It is a tricky, sensitive relationship and doing the groundwork before jumping in is important. So, as a writer, you can do your homework.

• Understand your story. Mark plot elements and characters that cannot be compromised. This tells your editor what to retain. 
• Research your editor’s previous genres, novels and experience in publishing. Check their professional training, relevant certification etc in editing. 
• Get a sense if they are as excited about the book as you. Nothing irrational or gung-ho, but there should be an intellectual and emotional compatibility between the editor, the novel and you. 
• Be clear about the feedback you are looking for. A good editor should be frank and honest about what encompasses each kind of edit and service. While it sounds counterintuitive, Priya recommends not going with someone who loves your work. A critical, unbiased eye with honest feedback will be better for the work. 
• Make your expectations from the process clear. (I think of it as a Rubik’s cube with one side fixed, perfect. That’s my editor; the other sides, muddled and lost, made up of my novel and me. All the editor needs to do is stay sane; show us the way.) 
• Don’t go in with a draft which is raw, undeveloped. Your fee covers the version submitted and if you change the story significantly after giving the editor a draft to work on, you will have spent time and resources on edits that are unusable. Ask what happens if you change the script after giving them a draft to edit. 
• Check their history of placement, marketing etc before committing to having them place your book-where have they placed previous works, the reception to the book. If the placement feels transactional, commercial, independent of the merit of the book, decide if your book deserves better. The editor should be aligned with your views on how to publish- traditional or self. 
• The rates and terms of payment should be clear. Don’t be shy to ask questions. Acquaint yourself with the editing process, number of rounds of edit and the editor’s approach to it. 
• Trust your instincts. Look for sincerity and genuine love for books and writing. Don’t compromise on the authenticity of the process, or commitment to the genre you are writing in.

Also read: An Editing Checklist to See if you are ready

What do you get with an editor?

Whether you work with an editor on your own buck or one from the publishing space, edits are pretty much like a safety audit. An editor identifies strong foundations (conflict, compelling protagonists) and how to build on them. Or leaky cracks (far-fetched plots, stilted dialogues) where incredulity might seep in. You see the figurative car parked in the kitchen (superfluous dialogues, extra characters). The little treasure box at the back of the kitchen drawer (hidden phrases, ideas unexplored). Rather than provide direct solutions, an editor will help find the answers in your own style and voice. Editors offer line edits and also broader overviews that examine the style, tone, and characterisation. Good editors will help you see what you are hiding or showing too much; where to hammer it in, where to let it go. How to throw out the bath water and keep the baby.

As far as the literary editor is concerned, Priya explains. “It’s the same as taking the service of any professional who is trained for the job. Oftentimes, writers are at varied skill levels in craft or language. Some struggle with persistence. It isn’t an editor’s job to judge but to understand that struggles with language proficiency and story-telling need not stop a writer from telling their tale. This is where an editor can help, without clamping the style and voice of the writer.”

The downside (to any feedback) is that it can be overwhelming. Or contradictory to your point-of-view. Feedback based on commercial considerations may be jarring to you as a writer. Editors understand what agencies and publishers look for and give advice based on that experience. It’s your prerogative to take or reject the inputs and find that fine balance.

Also read: Self Edit Your Fiction – A Guide

To AI or Not to AI?

AI tools tend to run authoritarian grammar and style checks. A sidebar of metrics imposes warnings on adverbs, passive voice, etc. I did a trial with a few hundred words and found the metrics and Flesch reading scores distracting. Also, this idea of prose adhering to a tight set of rules goes against the very grain of creativity. It does help weed out the long sentences, words misspelt, glue words and the ten adverbs in fifteen lines, but these are things writers can catch in their iterations with the draft.

AI does offer advanced style guides and beta reading. For young writers struggling with plot points and developing prose, it could serve as a guide. There are the pitfalls of AI, such as it learning from our work. And does it have the personal voice of human urgency and understanding? I haven’t tried it, maybe because I have a bias for a living, breathing editor to have that emotional engagement with the story.

Also read: Questions to Ask Your Potential Editor

So, is it necessary to get an editor?

A background in writing, journalism, and academia trains one as a writer and this experience, depending on the skill of the writer, can translate well into creative writing. Also, having a circle of fellow writers who can provide feedback is another way of refining the book. Learning how to edit using the resources online is another solution. Writers also train themselves through extensive reading, so you might be able to draw from that experience and edit your book. Writing is, anyway, subjective and individualistic. So, there is nothing to stop any writer-journalist, professor or firefighter in their day jobs- putting out a smash hit or literary delight of a book, with or without intervention. 

In my case, I wanted a professional opinion without altering the core of the book. I was looking for an editor who was going to be honest and not tiptoe around the flaws of the book. While I knew it wasn’t going to be perfect, I dreaded the novel turning out amateurish. Having an honest partnership with the editor was important.

But as I said, editorial services are expensive. It boils down to whether you think the value of the collaboration squares up against the money spent. Ask yourself how it would benefit from an editor’s advice. Do you need that perfect side of the cube? Or you have it within your circle and yourself to guide the story.

For in the end, this is your cube; your relationship with your novel living in the house of your head. It doesn’t need to be perfect, aligned. It just needs to come together in the magical way you imagined it.