FAQs about Editing

• What level of knowledge do you need in order to become an editor?

• • • I started out with very little knowledge, to be honest. I came onto the editing scene armed with a library copy of Chicago Manual, an out-of-print copy of How to Say it When You Don’t Know What to Say, and an intermediate Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Needless to say, I didn’t have much to go off of.
      But that doesn’t exactly answer the question. I would say, learn the different types of editing, and find out what styles and types appeal to you. Everyone and their second cousin is a copyeditor right now, but I found a love for developmental editing (I’ll describe what these words mean later) and saw that the Christian market was somewhat lacking in this department. Once you’ve found your type, learn everything you can about how to do it. Take a class or two on technical or professional editing, whether from ACES (which has some amazing courses, y’all) or your local college (I’m taking two, one this fall and one next spring). Google “how to (your type) edit a book” or “what is a (your type) edit?”; the Internet is chock-full of articles and resources on what each type of editing cneters on, and how it’s done effectively. There’s only so much you can know before experience becomes your teacher, but researching how to step into the world of editing and what the different types of editing look like is a huge help for aspiring editors.

• What are the different types of editing?

• • • Here are three types of editing:
      Editorial assessment – I will read your full manuscript and give you feedback from an editor’s and writer’s perspective. I’ll send you a feedback sheet that details the strengths and weaknesses of your book and/or writing style, as well as some tips on how to improve your book and/or writing style. This is NOT the same as a content edit, and should not be treated as such.
      Developmental editing – This is the most important edit, and involves editing the content of your story. A content edit will examine the structure of your story as a whole – character development, plot, themes, etc. This type of edit is also called a content or substantive edit.
      Line edit – This is not to be confused with copy editing (these terms are used very interchangeably). My line editing focuses on your sentence and paragraph mechanics. When I line edit, I focus mainly on sentence structure, word choice, word/phrase overuse, and any minor inconsistencies in character developmental, plot, or setting.
      Copy edit – Also known as a proofread, this is where I look for very minor edits, such as misspells or punctuation mistakes. This is typically the last edit you’ll need for your project before querying or publishing.

• How long does it take to edit a project?

• • • That entirely depends on the project and the person behind the project. A 70K novel during the school season for me usually takes about three to four weeks to edit, but this is because I’m a developmental editor and for the most part, I’m not marking up manuscripts. If you’re a copyeditor or proofreader and/or have more responsibilities than I do, this may take longer for you. I know a copyeditor who sends her stuff back within six weeks, while my first developmental edit job I sent back in a week (to be fair, I was working on a novelette). It really comes down to the type of editing, how big the book is, and your editing skill.

• How many rounds are there in the editing process?

• • • Again, this depends on the editing type. As a developmental editor, I usually go through two or three rounds of editing (not counting my initial read-through). I look at character arcs, then plot and structure, and finally themes, setting, and miscellaneous stuff. It also depends on the size of the book; my first “official” job was a novelette, and it only took me two rounds because of how small the book was. But for the 100Kish book I finished working on last spring, it took me about four read-throughs. 

• What is your favorite part of the editing process?

• • • I was originally going to say going through the character edit, since I’ve loved working with characters and their arcs my whole life. But I actually like editing plot structure the most; one, it comes the easiest to me, and I’ve done a lot of studying on story structure and plot. 

• What is your least favorite part of the process?

• • • It’s the read-through, but it has nothing to do with the quality of an author’s work. I walk the line of “I must be efficient, no matter what” more times than I care to admit, and making myself just sit and read a manuscript that I’m about to dig into and edit can get a little boring for me.

• How do you keep yourself focused on your work?

• • • Music, an iced/hot beverage (depending on the season and my preference during the day), and the Forest app are the biggest ways I stay focused. I often listen to my quiet study playlist or my dark academia playlist, since they feature quiet and classical music that keeps my brain engaged. My choice of beverage, whether that’s a cappuccino, Dalgona coffee (a recent type of coffee I have found and grown to cherish), or hot chocolate, is a reward to my brain for working (and I usually drink something like that while working on editing almost entirely for the vibes). Lastly, the Forest app (which you can get on Apple and Android) acts as a flexible Pomodoro timer – I can set a timer for how long I want to work, and as long as I keep my timer going, it will plant something (like a tree, shrub, an sort of aquatic plant I don’t know the name of, etc.). It’s a great way to stay motivated and force yourself for focus on really anything; I use it mainly for editing, writing, and studying.

• What is your editing routine?

• • • When I knew I was going to do my guest post on this topic, I reached out to some KDWCers (you can find out more info about them here) and asked them what they would want to read about in an article on editing. One asked me this question, asking if I did my editing work in the morning, afternoon, or with a plate of cookies and tea at my side. Well, I’m sorry to disappoint, Vonnie, but there are unfortunately no cookies involved.
      Here’s what I typically do: when I plan out my day, which is early in the morning, I block out certain time slots for studying, writing, cooking and meal prep, and editing. Sometimes these time blocks are negotiable times, so occasionally I’ll have to postpone or delay my editing in order to get my daily word count or make a batch of bread. More often than not, though, I do my best to make editing a nonnegiotable time block, and during that time, I work only on editing an MS.

• How do you make your work more productive?

• • • I don’t really have many productivity tips for editing, to be honest. Sometimes I’ll edit while eating breakfast on the weekends, or I’ll do a read-through while doing my daily treadmill walk (If you guys are not walking regularly already… dude. You totally should. Not only does it help you physically, it also supercharges your brain and actually gives you more mental energy. I promise, it works. ;D). Multi-tasking is not my forte (I’ve never met anyone who can pull it off well, actually), and there’s really no way to task-stack (which is pretty much multitasking with a citer name) editing.

• Do you have any tips on how to promote yourself as a freelance editor?

• • • I wish I could say I did. XD Putting yourself out there, however value that sounds, is the best advice I have for you. Find online writing and editing groups within your circle of writing friends and on Platforms like Facebook; chances are, they’ll allow you to promote your services and you can find some clients that way. I personally have tried the FB route, but I haven’t found a client off of it yet. I have, however, found four clients (one of them paying) from the Write in Faith and King’s Daughters Writing Camp. You can also reach out to people directly if you know they need an editor; this works well if you’ve already had that person as a client, since they know you and have worked with you before.  

• What is it like to be a freelance editor?

• • It can be a hassle sometimes, that’s for sure. If you’re not careful, you can lead a sedentary lifestyle because of your job of reading and marking up people’s stories. Researching how other people work and edit can cause many bouts of imposter’s syndrome, as you read about people who talk their many editing certificates (which is not a bad thing to obtain, if you have the time and resources) and the entire bookshelf they have dedicated to their work (I have a half of a shelf; the rest of my references are either on my Kindle or the Internet). Scope creep (when a client tries to get you to do more work, but without extra pay or time; this is usually unintentional on their part, but it happens) is a real thing, and you have to work around this with less-than-happy clients sometimes. People outside of writing and publishing circles will never competely understand what you do, and you’ll get some weird looks when you tell people that editing people’s stories is in fact your day job.
    But the rest of the time… oh, it’s so much fun. There’s a fulfilling feeling I get every time I finish work on a manuscript – because I’m not just editing a book. I’m helping an author complete the next step in publishing their story. 

I hope this FAQ has been really helpful for any of you who want to be editors, whether freelance or commercial, one day. My one tip to all of you aspiring editors out there (although this applies to all editors in every season of life) is to never give up on your passion. If you find fulfillment in marking up where all the commas should go in a short story, or finding ways to flesh out a love interest’s character arc in a full-length novel (and most importantly, if you’re good at doing all of this), then pursue that dream!

Also, I have editing slots available for any and all authors who want to take the next step in getting their book ready for publication! Whether you’re a first-time author seeking the traditional publishing route and needs a developmental edit before launching their book, or a seasoned indie author who wants an extra set of eyes on their manuscript, I can help you polish your story and make your work shine. To learn more about me and to book me, go to my website at Redhead Revisions.

Cate VanNostrand is a college student and freelance editor living in the South with her three siblings, her amazing parents, and her imaginary pet phoenix, Lasair. Cate’s life’s goal is to honor God with her writing, wherever He leads her. She can often be found scribbling down words in a notebook, or frantically typing them into coherent form on her laptop. When she’s not writing, she’s probably singing to rock music, pretending she can play the piano, and binge-reading YA novels like there’s no tomorrow. Find out all about her and her latest work at the Southern Story Scribbler.

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