"An EDITOR doesn't just READ, he READS WELL,and reading well is a CREATIVE, POWERFUL ACT."
—Susan Bell
Preparing to Publish
What is a sample edit?
If you’re just getting started on your publishing journey, the first crucial step is hiring an editor. Whether you’re planning to self-publish or query for traditional publishing, hiring an editor will elevate your work and start you off on the right foot. With so many out there, however, choosing the best editor for the job can be daunting. That’s why it’s so important you request a sample edit!
What is a Sample Edit?
A sample edit is exactly what it sounds like – an editor will edit a short sample of your story for you to review before you commit to hiring them. The sample edit is just as important for the editor to assess the project as it is for you to test their skills and ensure they’re a good fit, which is why most editors offer free sample edits of around 1,000 words. To give you a clear understanding of why they’re necessary, I’m going to walk you through why both authors and editors benefit from the sample edit, and why you should always request one before making any commitments!
Working with an Editor
Why Authors Should Always Get A Sample Edit Before Hiring An Editor
Your book is your baby. You’ve sunk countless hours, valuable energy, and even a few tears into finishing it.
You want an editor who gets it, who sees your vision, understands your voice, and can adapt to your style to not only fix mistakes but bring out the absolute best in you and your story. The only way to ensure that you’re getting all that when hiring an editor is to carefully vet a handful of them by requesting sample edits.
When you’re reviewing sample edits, you’re not just looking at the technical stuff. You’re looking for connection. Here’s why:
Communication
An editor isn’t just someone who makes corrections and returns your manuscript all sparkly and clean. They’re a collaborator on your piece. They provide feedback and suggestions for how you can elevate your story. The sample edit is the first opportunity for you to assess how they communicate that feedback. Is it clear and constructive? Is it compassionate? Easy to understand? Do they explain their reasoning? Or does it leave you feeling embarrassed, defensive, or even hurt? It’s natural to bristle a little in the face of criticism, but your editor should be able to communicate in a way that empowers you rather than shames you into making changes you don’t fully understand.
Editing is not just a service. It’s a relationship.
An editor who can articulate their thoughts clearly and respectfully in a way that resonates with you will make the editing process much smoother and more productive. If you don’t jive with their communication style, move on.
Style
Like writers, editors have their own unique styles. Not all of them will mesh with your voice and style as an author.
The sample edit allows you to assess whether their approach aligns with your vision for the book.
1,000 words isn’t much to go off of in terms of structural or developmental feedback, but when it comes to the line-by-line stylistic choices, it should be all you need to feel confident that they get what you’re going for.
While you should trust that your editor is an expert, it’s still your project at the end of the day. Their style needs to suit your needs. With the sample edit, you’ll get an idea of how they handle pacing, address language and tone, and whether their suggestions will help you reach your goals.
Expertise
Editing is an unregulated industry.
That means anyone can call themselves an editor, slap a website together, and start taking on clients regardless of their training or education. It’s up to you to do your due diligence and ensure you’re choosing a great one.
Genre expertise, knowledge about the publishing industry and current market trends, and professionalism are all important factors to consider when hiring an editor as well. The sample edit will allow you to test the editor in all of these areas, so you can make an informed decision about who will add the most value to your book.
Skipping the sample edit essentially means you’re hiring blind. All of the qualifications and testimonials in the world cannot prove that this specific editor is the perfect one for your specific book. It’s far too important (and expensive) of a process for you to play it fast and loose with the person you hire. Play it safe. Get the sample edit.
Working with an Editor
Why Editors Should Always Provide A Sample Edit Before Signing An Author
It may come as a surprise to hear that editors, even the newer ones, do not (and should not) take on every project they are offered. We have our niches in terms of scope and genre, and we specialize for a reason. The majority of our clientele comes from referrals – authors who liked our work and recommended us to their author friends. If we work outside of our area of expertise and do a mediocre job, well…one dissatisfied customer leads to an entire group of writers who will never even consider hiring us. It’s in our best interest to only take on projects that we feel confident we can add sufficient value to.
Assessment
Before taking on an editing project, we editors need to be certain that we’re a good fit for it. This isn’t the sort of industry where we can say yes to everything and do a great job for everyone – as we discussed earlier, editing is a relationship, not simply a service. Anyone can fix grammatical errors or spelling mistakes, but to truly elevate a story and help our authors reach their goals, we need to jive stylistically and in our communication styles.
We need to understand what your unique story needs.
Sample edits are a vital part of this assessment process. Not every author knows exactly what they need and where their pain points are, and it’s our ethical responsibility to guide them. If I skip a sample edit for an author who requested line editing, and then realize once the project begins that what they actually need is developmental editing, I’ve already done myself and them a huge disservice. Sample edits ensure that these mistakes or miscommunications do not happen, and that you’re getting the best possible service.
Scope
As I mentioned, not every author knows exactly what they need from the editing process. In fact, most don’t – it’s difficult to judge your own strengths and weaknesses, which is why editors have jobs in the first place. By doing a sample edit, we can get a feel for what you do well, where you might need some extra attention, and whether your objectives align with what’s actually written on paper. The long and short of it is that we’re vetting you as much as you’re vetting us, for all the reasons I stated above, but also to ensure that we’re receiving fair compensation for our work and giving ourselves enough time to do it.
Once the sample edit is complete, we’ll be able to provide an accurate quote and timeline. Then you can evaluate whether the quality of our work justifies the cost and length of the project, and we can be sure we’re not overextending ourselves or making promises we can’t keep.
Collaboration
Editing is a personal experience. It can be understandably tiring and demoralizing for authors to get their manuscripts back bleeding red ink. It’s our responsibility to provide compassionate and accessible feedback, but some people still take criticism better than others, and everyone communicates differently. This is another reason why sample edits are so important for both parties.
When we turn over a sample edit, we get a little taste of how the author responds to feedback and how much work they’re willing to do on their novel. Not everyone who seeks editing actually wants editing. The sample edit allows us to weed out clients we won’t ever be able to please and focus on the ones we resonate with, so we can both have a positive experience. That may sound harsh, but it’s truly in everyone’s best interest.
Skipping the sample edit does a disservice to both the author and the editor. I cannot stress enough that it is in everyone’s best interest to have one done. Not every editor offers free sample edits, and that’s their right – those that charge for them typically credit the amount you paid to the total editing cost if you do end up hiring them – but I would personally advise against hiring anyone who refuses to do them at all. It just doesn’t bode well.
Editing is a crucial step in the publishing journey, and requesting a sample edit is a crucial step in choosing the right editor. Not all editors are created equal.
Just like writers, we have our own styles and specialties. In order to ensure you’re getting the best possible value for what will inevitably be a sizable financial investment into the future of your book, you should always do your research, make a list of editors you think might be a good fit for your goals, and carefully review sample edits from each one before you hire.
Your story deserves it.
If you made it to the end of this article, thank you! I appreciate you taking the time and hope you found it helpful. For updates, subscribe to our email list and follow us on social media. If you have any questions regarding sample edits or the editing process, please do not hesitate to reach out and ask or leave a comment below. Thank you, and happy editing!