Why Hire a Manuscript Editor? Nine Important Reasons to Consider

If you are reading this, it means that you have likely written the first draft of your manuscript. If so, do not forget to pat yourself on the back and take a break before you head to the next important step: hiring a professional editor for your book.

For a moment, you may think that everything an editor can do, you can do too. However, every great writer cannot be a brilliant editor and vice versa. When it comes to something as important as bringing out the best in your manuscript, you should not take any chances.

If you are still not sure about hiring a professional editor for your manuscript, here are some of the most important reasons to consider.

1. Make it Concise

As an author, seeing any issues with your own work can be a challenge. After all, you gave your time and energy to every word and sentence of your manuscript. Being objective with your own work can be a challenge on its own. 

Being unable to be objective with your work, you may not be able to cut down on the unnecessary parts of your manuscript. These parts can compromise the readability of your book and undermine its overall potential. 

Instead of compromising on such an important aspect of your work, you can hire a manuscript editor for help. These professionals have an objective and unbiased point of view. You can rely on them to get rid of filler words, unnecessary dialogue, and subplots that may not be needed. This way, they can make your manuscript more crisp and engaging.

2. Stand Out Among Your Competitors

Having a professional editor by your side gives your manuscript a competitive edge. It is always important to bear in mind that the competition is tough, especially if you are considering self-publishing your work.

In order to ensure the success of your work, you must make your manuscript engaging and error-free. Both of these important factors can be catered to with the help of a professional editor. The touch of a professional editor is clearly reflected in books that have received the right attention from the right experts.

3. Strengthen Your Dialogues

When you are writing your dialogue, you are supposed to tell the readers more than what is obvious. Strong dialogues are focused on showing the readers, not merely telling them. Weak dialogues can undermine the overall potential of your work.

Looking at the importance of strong dialogues in ensuring the success of a work, you cannot leave it to the whims of fate. It is better to let a professional editor help you strengthen your dialogues and engage literary agents and readers alike.

4. Grow Your Network

Professional editors have years of hands-on experience under their belt. Hiring an editor is not just a way of improving the quality of your manuscript. An editor’s network can also benefit you in several other ways. 

For example, if you hire a developmental editor, they cannot improve the content and structure of your work. They can also help you get in touch with other professional editors, such as line editors and copy editors, to improve your work in other significant ways.

5. Maintain a Consistent Tone

A manuscript is not written overnight; it is a process that takes months and even years to complete. You cannot expect to maintain a consistent tone throughout this period. While writing or proofreading a manuscript, you may not notice the inconsistency in tone right away. 

While you may not be able to see the issues with your manuscript in terms of consistency, you can rely on an editor to get the job done.

With the right experience and expertise, your manuscript editor can point out inconsistencies in your work and help you fix these issues in the most effective ways possible.

6. Improve Your Writing Skill

Working with a professional manuscript can be a more valuable experience than you think. When you work with a brilliant editor, you are not only boosting the potential of your current work but also improving as a writer for your future endeavors.

Most brilliant editors do not only make changes for the sake of it. They also provide you with a much-needed explanation for every change they make. 

This way, their feedback helps you work on your weaknesses and ensure that you do not repeat the same mistakes in the future.

7. Have the Final Say

If you think that a manuscript editor is going to take over your work, you may be overthinking. An editor is a professional who aims to help you improve your manuscript, not to hijack it. You will always have the final say when it comes to your manuscript.

As the author of your book, you are entirely free to accept or reject any suggestion that your editor makes. However, it is important to ask about the reasoning before you reject any suggestions by keeping the best wishes for your work in mind.

8. Impress Your Literary Agent

If you are considering publishing your book traditionally, you can agree that competition is tough and the stakes are high. You must do everything in your power to win over the hearts of your literary agents and potential publishers.

While your publishers are likely to have their own editors who work on acquired manuscripts, you must present them with the best possible version of your work to stand out. A well-edited manuscript leaves a long-lasting impression on anyone coming across it for the first time.

9. Enjoy Peace of Mind

You do not want the thought of errors in your manuscript being pointed out by your readers to keep you up at night. If you want a sense of surety and peace of mind, you must ensure that your manuscript reaches the audience in the best possible form.Relying on a professional editor is one of the best ways to give yourself some peace of mind. They can work beside you to rid your work of even the smallest errors.