How To Find A Fiction Editor: Best Tips For Your Success

If you want to know how to find a fiction editor or the steps you need to take to hire a book editor, you’re likely either planning ahead (I’m looking at you, planners!), or finished your draft and eager to get your book into the world. 

Regardless of where you are in the process, there is never a bad time to think about fiction editors, research how to find the best one for you, and plan the next steps for your author journey. 

This article covers all things fiction editors so you can feel equipped to go out and obtain the best edit possible for your book. Ready to learn how?

Fiction editors: what you learn 

• How to find a fiction editor?
• What does a fiction editor do?
• How much do fiction editors make?
• What degree do you need to be a fiction editor?
• What is the difference between a proofreader and an editor?

How to find a fiction editor?

You can conduct a simple internet search to find a good fiction editor, but you may also want to ask for referrals from writing friends or authors you admire.

There are many online platforms where editors congregate, such as Threads or even Reedsy. However, what’s better than a referral from an author you admire?

When trying to find a fiction editor, reach out to those you know in publishing, check the acknowledgments sections of books you love (authors often shout out their editors here), and find publishing companies that do good work and ones you may like to partner with.

Don’t forget to look at reviews from authors who worked with specific editors or reach out for a more personalized vetting process. When choosing which editor to work with, it’s important to find the right fit. Part of fit is understanding exactly what an editor does.

What does a fiction editor do?

The specifics of a fiction editor’s job depend on the type of edit you hire them for, but an editor’s job is always to make your book better. 

They may do this by cutting aspects that do not add to your story, asking you to delve deeper into specific scenes and sections, or rearrange portions of your book entirely. 

If you want to self-publish on Amazon or anywhere else books are sold, it’s important to take your manuscript through the necessary edits. 

No matter how hard you worked on your drafts and the various iterations of your novel, editors bring fresh eyes to the page. What exactly does a fiction editor do?

Help you develop your story

Choosing the best book editor for you comes down to you articulating your book’s needs. However, while the type of edit you choose depends on a variety of factors, if you’re early in the writing process, I recommend a developmental edit.

Fiction editors who offer developmental edits focus on…you guessed it, helping you develop your story. Because they have fresh eyes, they can see your characters and plot points from a reader’s perspective. 

They may encourage you to:

• Extrapolate on your plot structure more fully
• Focus on a specific character’s development in greater detail
• Cut a peripheral character 
• Draw out a subplot 

In this type of edit, a fiction editor’s job is to help you develop your plot and characters. 

Aid you in objectively thinking through your content 

Fiction editors also help you think through your copy in a way that, to quote my writing mentor, puts “the reader first.” 

Often referenced as a content edit, in this role, fiction editors help ensure you write in a way that will most resonate with your target audience. 

This can include tonal changes, rearrangements for flow, and crafting tropes in a way that benefits your readers rather than fills your pages with clichés.

Bring out your unique author voice 

Line edits (one of my favorite edits to provide authors) bring out an author’s voice and focus on the manuscript at a line by line level. 

At this point, editors have already helped develop the manuscript and combed through the content. Now it’s time to make each sentence, phrase of description, and line of dialogue, sing. 

When I provide line edits, I focus a substantial amount of time on show don’t tell writing. This is particularly important for fiction editors to do, as fiction readers want to experience a story, not simply be told a story.

While you don’t need to accept every change they make, do consider why they made the changes and if it may actually be best for your story. There are tremendous benefits to accepting constructive criticism from your editor.

Adds a layer of professionalism 

There are many ways to get your book noticed on Amazon, and forgoing a copy edit is one way to get your book noticed for all the wrong reasons. 

Ensure you also work with an editor who will take your novel through a copy edit, one of the last edits before you upload to Amazon.

Copy editors look for continuity from first page to last, areas of inconsistency, and more. Imagine writing a chapter where your character falls into a frozen lake and survives, then starting the next chapter with her on the run from would-be assassins. 

What’s the issue? Well, she’s soaked and freezing. No matter how much adrenaline she has, surviving in sub-freezing temps, soaked, is not going to go well for her. 

Copy edits pinpoint these issues and help the author fix them so every scene and character arc flows realistically. No matter what book genre you write, there needs to be a level of believability to each plot point (even if you include magic and dragons!).

Save you from future embarrassment 

Fiction editors also offer proofreads to authors. While this may feel like an insignificant edit, after all, it’s mostly just catching typos, it will help you in the long run.

Is there anything worse than picking up your gorgeous book, opening to a random page, and seeing that you spelled your protagonist’s name wrong? 

A professionally edited book should be free of typos, well-structured, flow from first page to last, maintain a consistent voice, and showcase fully fleshed-out characters and plot points. 

That’s why we offer a variety of editing services for our authors! In our elite publishing package, we offer:

• Developmental and content editing
• Copyediting and line editing
• Proofreading
• Professional layout and formatting

Of course, this is in addition to our coaching, publishing, and marketing services, as well as our top-notch writing community. 

How much do fiction editors make?

How much fiction editors make depends on how they charge for their services as well as how many projects they take on.

For example, some editors offer their services at a per-hour rate. They may give you an estimate of how many hours they believe your book will take to edit, then invoice you any additionally accumulated hours. 

When I work with authors, I go off a per-word rate. This ensures the author knows exactly what their investment will be prior to ever signing a contract. This model also ensures they aren’t hit with unexpected expenses later on. 

Some fiction editors provide services on the side, while other editors choose to edit as their full-time job. These choices will significantly impact the differences in their annual income. 

What degree do you need to be a fiction editor?

If you want to become a fiction editor, the good news is that you do not need a degree, you just need to be qualified! Creativity is a skill that’s learned with practice, and this is true for fiction editors just as it is true for writers.

However, to get your feet wet in articulating what makes a good story great, as well as learn to spot areas for improvement, you may want to start as a beta reader. Once you have a few books in, consider editing samples for free for writing colleagues, then move into paid fiction editing. 

If you do want to become a fiction editor, make sure you are well-versed in specific style guides, such as The Chicago Manual of Style. You also want to ensure you understand storytelling. 

Before I ever edited fiction, I trained under a bestselling author who sold over 73 million copies of his books. 

While my degree is in Strategic Communications, my editing qualifications came from studying under multiple bestselling authors and learning to self-edit my work before ever offering my services to an author. 

As is true for many jobs today, you do not need a degree to start in a field that interests you. You do need to put the time and effort in to earn the specific qualifications you need to do the work and do it well.

What is the difference between a proofreader and an editor?

While an editor covers all aspects of the editing process, a proofreader covers one area specifically—proofreading. 

If you’re wondering how to write a novel that sells well and which fiction editors can help you do so, look for an editor who specializes in the specific type of edit you need. 

For example, our editors each have specific focuses, but combined, their expertise covers all aspects of the editing process:

• Developmental editing
• Content editing
• Copyediting editing
• Line editing
• Proofreading
• Professional layout and formatting

If you are eager to work specifically with an editor who mainly proofreads, reach out to us today and we’ll be happy to work with you to best fulfill your needs. 

The fiction editor you choose to work with matters. We’re here to ensure you get the best fit so your book can effectively reach your audience.

Fiction editors: take your next step

Now that you know all about editors, take your next step by using our free Book Editing Checklist below!