• Contact
  • Account
    • Become an Affiliate
    • Sign Up for Deals

    • Login
Book Cave: Authors and Publisher promotional services and features
Book Cave
Authors & Publishers
Connecting the RIGHT readers with the RIGHT books
  • About
    • Book Cave Reviews
    • Who We Are
      • Mission
      • In the Works
      • Book Cave Logos
      • Meet the Ratings
    • Privacy Center
      • Privacy & Terms
      • Your Privacy Rights
    • Affiliate Program Agreement
    • Trademarks
  • Current Deals
    • Deals from Retailers
    • Book Cave Direct Deals
      • Overview
      • Free Ebook Downloads
      • Free Group Deals
    • Giveaways
      • Win a Free Ereader!
      • Last Giveaway Winner
      • Past Winners
  • Readers
    • Sign Up
    • Rated Books Database
    • Rate a book I've read
    • Browse Author Pages
    • Reader FAQ
    • Reader Blog
    • Giveaways
      • Win a Free Ereader!
      • Last Giveaway Winner
      • Past Winners
  • Authors
    • How It Works
    • Our Services
      • Feature Your Book
      • Group Features
      • Subscriber Magnet Services
      • MBR Ratings
      • Create an Author Page
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Pricing
    • Submit a Book
    • Create Account
    • Become an Affiliate
    • Author Resources
      • Author Blog
      • Author FAQ
      • Promotion Tips
      • Cover Guide Calculator
  • Book Swag
  • Contact
  • Account
    • Become an Affiliate
    • Sign Up for Deals

    • Login
  • About
    • Book Cave Reviews
    • Who We Are
      • Mission
      • In the Works
      • Book Cave Logos
      • Meet the Ratings
    • Privacy Center
      • Privacy & Terms
      • Your Privacy Rights
    • Affiliate Program Agreement
    • Trademarks
  • Current Deals
    • Deals from Retailers
    • Book Cave Direct Deals
      • Overview
      • Free Ebook Downloads
      • Free Group Deals
    • Giveaways
      • Win a Free Ereader!
      • Last Giveaway Winner
      • Past Winners
  • Readers
    • Sign Up
    • Rated Books Database
    • Rate a book I've read
    • Browse Author Pages
    • Reader FAQ
    • Reader Blog
    • Giveaways
      • Win a Free Ereader!
      • Last Giveaway Winner
      • Past Winners
  • Authors
    • How It Works
    • Our Services
      • Feature Your Book
      • Group Features
      • Subscriber Magnet Services
      • MBR Ratings
      • Create an Author Page
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Pricing
    • Submit a Book
    • Create Account
    • Become an Affiliate
    • Author Resources
      • Author Blog
      • Author FAQ
      • Promotion Tips
      • Cover Guide Calculator
  • Book Swag
Writing for Authors
09/24/2016 10:18 pm PDT
Updated 2 years ago

Don't Skimp on Getting an eBook Editor for Your Novel

By Catia Shattuck

Browse by topic

All Posts Author Pages Author Website Cover Design Ebook Formatting Grammar & Punctuation Mailing Lists Promotion & Marketing Publishing Tips Social Media Technical Tips Tutorials Writing for Authors

Browse by keyword

author tips avoid writer's block beginning book writing beginning writing book promotion cover creation cover design cover tips discounting your book ebook formatting ebook promotion Ebook publishing ebooks editing finding story ideas free books free ebooks gain subscribers goals grammar grammar tips group promotions grow your mailing list Jutoh loss leader making more money marketing newsletter overcoming writer's block. promote promote your books promotion realistic characters sales self publishing selling books selling more books sell more books Social media subscriber magnet tools for writers website writer's block writing writing tips

Advertisement

JutohWe at Book Cave prefer Jutoh for ebook creation because it gives us more control than most other ebook software out there, while still maintaining a friendly interface.

ebook editor

So you've finished your novel, and you can easily publish it yourself as an ebook. If your novel's not going the traditional publishing route, it doesn't need an ebook editor, does it?

Wrong.

It may seem tempting to put your book out there immediately and start earning money, but before you do, you still need to hire an editor. An editor should be employed before the book is readied for either print or ebook.

What kind of ebook editor do I need?

There are several kinds of editors, and different terms are used depending on who you talk to, but the terms we'll use are Developmental Editor, Substantive Editor, and Copy (or Line) Editor.

Developmental Editor

A developmental editor focuses on the entire book. This editor will help you write your book and develop your story in a unique and attention-grabbing way. If you're just starting out as a writer, a developmental editor is extremely helpful because he or she will:

  • Keep your story on track
  • Help you develop a good storytelling arc
  • Make sure your characters are true to themselves
  • Ensure your novel's ending is interesting and believable yet not overly predictable

But developmental editors can be expensive, so if you don't have a lot of resources, I suggest turning to writing groups to help develop your story, and to beta readers (volunteer readers) to give you feedback on the story once you finish it. At this stage, your novel will go through several massive revisions. You have to be willing to make large changes based on the feedback you receive.

Substantive Editor

A substantive editor focuses more on the chapter and paragraph level. This editor will make sure the scene flows well and that there are no confusions or inconsistencies (e.g., someone who left earlier is suddenly in the scene again). He or she will:

  • Make sure the characters' actions are believable
  • Check that the line of thought flows well within paragraphs and from paragraph to paragraph so that readers won't get lost
  • Ask for clarification on confusing passages
  • Rewrite awkward sentences
  • Ensure that dialogue moves smoothly
  • Help your story "show" instead of "tell"

A substantive editor is absolutely necessary. Readers will often look past substantive issues and finish the book, but they won't pick up another book by that author, and they will leave negative comments, such as, "Some parts were confusing" (a problem with consistency), "The writing was choppy" (a problem with flow within and between paragraphs),"It wasn't well written" (a problem with awkward sentences and possibly other various issues), "I wasn't sure who was saying what" or "The dialogue wasn't that great," and "It didn't really hold my attention" or "The story was boring" (a problem with telling instead of showing). If your book has enough substantive issues, some readers won't finish it.

Copy Editor

A copy, or line, editor focuses on—you guessed it—a single line. A copy editor's job is to go through your manuscript line by line and catch typos, punctuation errors, capitalization errors, spelling errors, grammar errors, and sentence structure errors (parallel structure and misplaced or dangling modifiers), and unclear pronouns.

A copy editor is also necessary. If you're getting reviews that say your book has grammar errors or typos, then you certainly need a copy editor to go through it (even if you already had one look at it).

A family member or a friend who is "good at English" is not a substitute for a copy editor. Even another author usually is not a substitute for a copy editor (although they can be a substitute for a substantive editor if they are experienced). You need to hire a trained, professional copy editor if you want a professional book that readers will enjoy.

How many ebook editors do I need?

You need at least a substantive editor and a copy editor. The substantive and copy edit can be done by the same editor but should be done in separate readings through the manuscript. If you use the same editor for both edits, you will need yet another copy editor to catch anything the first one missed. One person simply cannot catch everything, no matter how experienced they are or how many times they read a book.

I also suggest you send your book to at least two quality beta readers to get feedback on how your readers will receive the book. Beta readers do not need to be paid—they are "paid" with the free advanced reader's copy, or ARC, that you send them to review.

Where can I find professional ebook editors?

The first thing we recommend doing is asking author friends who have well-edited books what professional editors they use. Make sure the editor is professional—he or she needs to have had actual editing training and experience; it's not enough to "love reading." You can also ask for a sample edit to judge the editor's work before actually hiring him or her.

Word of mouth is the best way to find good editors, but for other resources, three I am familiar with are Precision Editing Group, ePub Masters or Book Editing Associates.

That's all! Best of luck on finding a great editor to make your work shine.

Please consider Book Cave for your next book promotion. And if you found this information helpful, please share using the social media buttons to the left.

The Book Cave team
Connecting the RIGHT readers to the RIGHT books.

Catia Shattuck

I am a copyeditor and a typesetter of print books, and have been editing and typesetting (using InDesign) for eleven years.

With my experience and a degree from Brigham Young University in English language and an additional minor in editing, I am a pro at giving editing and design advice, and I enjoy instructing others on how to do the very things I love.


Share this authorpost

Leave a Reply

Cancel

Comments

  1. Maria
    Maria • 8 months ago

    I was just planning to hire ebook editor from ghostebookwriters.com for my new ebook and I'm glad i found your article. I will make sure my editor offer both substantive and copy editing services.

    Reply
Receive free ebooks on Amazon Kindle from Book Cave
Receive free ebooks on Apple Books from Book Cave
Receive free ebooks on Google Play from Book Cave
Receive free ebooks on Kobo from Book Cave
Receive free ebooks on Nook from Book Cave
Receive free ebooks on Smashwords from Book Cave
Book Cave
Book Cave Direct
My Book Ratings
MY BOOK RATINGS
Connecting the RIGHT readers with the RIGHT books
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us
  • Free ebooks
© Book Cave - All the rights reserved!