Tag: Editing

Should I Hire A Developmental Editor?

There is a lot of discussion among the Writing Community as to whether or not hiring a developmental editor would be beneficial for your book before going through edits yourself. Some say that it can be very beneficial especially if you’re not sure where to begin. Others say that you should be doing all of the developmental editing yourself. I found myself on the fence in the debate until I had the opportunity to work with a developmental editor through the Book Creator Program I am working with on my history book. And what I have discovered is it may come down to the type of writer that you are. So let’s weigh the pros and cons of working with a developmental editor.

Pro #1: Feedback

The most important and beneficial role that a developmental editor plays is giving you solid feedback about where you are going with your book and how to get there better. My developmental editor is fantastic at telling me what I’m doing right and giving me specific ways to improve a certain section or a certain chapter. It’s the specificity that I so desperately need. When I was working on Chasing Fae, I always worried about whether my chapters had a logical progression or whether my characters were strong enough or whether I was even in the league of the great writers I grew up reading. Understanding where your writing works and where it can be improved can be extremely boosting for your morale and help continue to motivate you to get your book finished.

Pro #2: Helping You Stay Committed

While not all developmental editors work like this, through the Book Creator Program my editor gives me specific deadlines when to have new material to her finished by. With my busy school schedule, I wasn’t able to work during the semester as much as I wanted to. By setting firm deadlines over the holidays, I started feeling a lot better about where I was and where I was headed. However, even if your developmental editor is only going to look at one lump sum of what you’ve got at the time of submission, it can still be a great motivator. Think about it this way: you submit your material to see where it’s at. Even if it comes back slashed up with red pen and with a lot of leading questions about where you may want to go, you can use that to further your writing. You will have real feedback that you can use to transform your book into a better version of the story. You will have a better idea of where the book is at and how much farther you have to go.

Con #1: If You Are A Writer Who Enjoys Working Independently, You May Have A Hard Time.

This has nothing to do with whether you’re receptive to criticism or not. Instead, I’m talking about how much control you enjoy having over your own book. In my time with the Book Creator program, I’ve realized that I enjoy working on my book independently for the most part. I love receiving the feedback and having deadlines, but there’s a little part of me that likes to be able to write whenever I choose and submit things in one large batch. Now of course, I need to learn how to work with smaller pieces in specific deadlines, and I am. But if you are a writer who enjoys working independently, you may be better off taking some time away from your book and then coming back with fresh eyes to do your own developmental work.

Con #2: Price

If a developmental editor is not in your budget, don’t do it. Hiring a professional editor of any kind can be quite expensive. Do not try to stretch yourself to pay for an editor if you don’t have the funds. Not having a developmental editor will not harm you in the long run. Will it make things easier for you? Perhaps. But there’s no guarantee that your book will be any better off with or without one.

So What Is The Best Option?

I think it all depends on the type of writer that you are. If you’re a writer who needs to have direct professional feedback to know if you’re on the right track in order to continue on, then absolutely find yourself a developmental editor and go from there. If you’re a more independent author who prefers to do their own revision work, go ahead and do your own editing. If you lie somewhere in the middle, weigh the pros and cons and make the decision that is best for you.

Happy writing!

Entering The Querying Process

Hey everybody! Let me tell you, I have been struggling for the past week. I had what I thought was a virus, but around day 4, it took a drastic turn. Now I have acute bronchitis with exacerbated asthma issues! Yay!!! I’m on a ton of meds right now, and my lungs ache. Hopefully, I can put out a good coherent post. Today, I want to talk about entering the querying process and things to know when approaching said process. These tips are based off of my current experience and hopefully will be a useful framework.

Step One: Do Your Research

When I was preparing to query, I knew I wanted to get my hands on whatever resources were available for finding agents in the my subgenre, YA fantasy. I bought myself the Guide to Literary Agents 2019: The Most Trusted Guide to Getting Published from the Writers’ Market. This book is essentially a large index of reputable literary agents and agencies across the country. I went through every single page of this book and looked up the web addresses for any agency that mentioned representing young adult fiction. From there, I drew up a spreadsheet with all of the agents that I found with columns for the agency, any notes about what the agency had represented, specific agents, contact information, and most importantly, submission guidelines. Which brings me to my next point:

Step Two: Pay Attention To Submission Guidelines!

Some ridiculous percentage like 80% of submissions can be rejected due to a sheer lack of adhesion to the submission guidelines, including proofreading for proper grammar! Don’t get caught up in this! The best way to do this is by using the spreadsheet I mentioned above; there should be a submission guidelines tab or page for each agency, and you can transfer that information into your table. From my research, many of the submission packages for the literary agents I sent to consists of a query letter and the first ten pages of your manuscript. But note: THIS IS BY NO MEANS THE AVERAGE. There is no usual submission package. There is pretty much no consistency, which is why you need to be vigilant. An agent can want anything from just a query letter, to a query letter and five pages, or a query letter, the first ten pages, a synopsis, your platform numbers, your website link, and a list of books similar to yours.

If that freaks you out, it’s okay! Take each piece one at a time, and trust me, it becomes a lot easier with practice.

Step Three: Choose Which Agents And How Many Agents To Submit To

I have read that the average number of queries one should submit at a time is between six and eight. You are by no means bound to that, but I find that it’s a good number to have a decent amount out there in the world, but not too many in case your query letter or manuscript isn’t getting good feedback or any requests. Whatever agents you choose are up to you. Every author is going to have their own criteria for how to select an agent, so I’m not going to touch on that particular part of the process.

Step Four: Polish Your Submission

Some notes for submitting to literary agents:

Your manuscript has to be completely finished before you start to query. Completely. Fully revised. Fully edited. No grammar mistakes. DO NOT QUERY WITHOUT THE MANUSCRIPT BEING DONE.

Have a professional look at your query letter. It is worth the small monetary investment to hire an editor to look over your query letter. I had two different professionals look at mine in order to make it the best it could possibly be. Your query letter gets you in the door before your first few pages are even read. Make your first impression as a writer your very best. Personalize each query to the specific agent you’re querying to. Their name should be correctly spelled in your greeting, and you should note the reason you’re submitting to them specifically.

Make sure all your manuscript pages are formatted the way you want them before submission. Sometimes pasting the text into the body of an email can make the formatting wonky, including changing any italics or bolding. Read it through thoroughly.

Synopses are tricky. They take a lot of time to write and require one to learn how to summarize an entire book succinctly and with enough detail to convey your story effectively. promise to write an article on writing them later.

Double check all your submissions before you send them! Make sure you have the right email address and the right materials. Make sure your query letter has the correct agent’s name. Double check your grammar, spelling, and syntax. Reading everything over a couple times will never hurt. Remember, best foot forward!

Step Five: Be Patient

Be patient. Literary agents can take a long time to get back to you. I would suggest going to each agency’s website and seeing if they have a submission timeline of when you should be hearing back from a given agent. I put this information in my spreadsheet and in my calendar so I have a general idea of who I should be hearing from when. It makes me less frantic and antsy. Then just sit back and wait. Work on another project. Write something new. Work on building your platform as a writer. Keeping busy is a good way to keep from thinking too much about your outstanding queries.

I hope everyone enjoyed today’s guide to the querying process. Comment below about your querying journey!