SHOULD I EDIT MY BOOK BEFORE QUERYING?

I typically work with indie authors here at Wonderporium Ink, but I also have experience working within traditional publishing, and so I am always happy to work with authors who intend to pursue that publishing route instead of indie. Over my career, I have spoken to lots of authors who are seeking to enter traditional publishing, and many of them have the same questions that are all along these lines:

Should I edit my book before querying?

How long for/ how much should I edit my book before querying?

Should I pay a professional editor before querying?

I am here to tell you that the answers to the above vary, and I’m going to break them down for you in this blog post. So here we go:

Should I edit my book before querying?

The answer to this one is a resounding YES. You should never ever send a first draft in your query package. You shouldn’t even send a second draft. In fact, the book (or sample chapters) that you send over to potential agents should have gone through many rounds of revisions.

While it is true that you will gain editorial support if you sign with an agent (and eventually a publishing house), you have to GET to that step first, and an agent is never going to pick your book up from the slush pile if the quality is bad.

You should engage in many rounds of edits to make sure that your manuscript is the absolute best that you can possibly make it. That way, you’re putting your best foot forward, and presenting the best possible work that you have to offer.

How long for/ how much should I edit my book before querying?

This depends on your book, and what it needs. After the first draft, I would recommend at least one round of developmental/structural edits, as well as at least one round of copy and line edits (where you really work on the book at a sentence level) as well as multiple rounds of proofreading. It sounds like a lot, but I can promise you that it’s necessary - and your book will be better for it at the end.

There really is no given ‘stop time’ for editing your manuscript. You want to work on it for as long as necessary before you’re happy with the quality of work you’re presenting - but you also need to know when to stop. We could tweak and change our work forever, but eventually we all have to know when to put the pen down and leave it alone.

Should I pay a professional editor before querying?

The overall answer to this is no (if pursuing trad-pub. Indie authors should always seek editorial help from professionals). You can do all of the above yourself. There are SO MANY tips and tutorials on self-editing online, and I will even be providing more on the subject here on the blog soon, too!

However, if you have the funds, and you’d like a professional to look at your work before you send it off, then I would recommend paying for either a manuscript critique, and/or a proofread. These will provide overall story structure help, and ensure your work is polished.

Please note that paying an editor does not guarantee that your query will be successful, and you should never blame an editor for not gaining representation on a book they helped with. If you DO get picked up, trad-pub editors and agents may also go ahead and change everything that you paid an editor to do. Again, this is not their fault. Creative work is subjective, so please do bear that in mind.

Ultimately, when seeking traditional representation, you should always ensure that your query package is in the best possible condition that you can make it. Whether that means self-editing, or working with a professional. The query trenches are incredibly competitive, and you want to give your book the best chance to stand out.

If you’re interested in working with an editor before querying, my prices are incredibly affordable and competitive, and I would love to help you on your journey. CLICK HERE to find our more about the services and prices I offer here at Wonderporium Ink!