My Aunt Was A Sunday School Teacher
I hope by now I’ve drilled the the need for a good, thorough editor so deep into your skull you are dreaming about it. But how do you find one?
That is an iffy subject and regretfully I am of little help as to where to go. I’m fortunate enough to be related to one. But as I’ve said elsewhere, I have a family of writers. We’re not exactly normal.
What I can offer is the minimum criteria for choosing one.
If you are also lucky you may have a family member qualified to review your work and give you an honest opinion and guidance. But while most mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles and the family dog are willing to give it a go, you need more than kind words and encouragement. You need someone who knows a lot about books. And you need someone who is willing to give you valuable criticism.
Being a professional editor is a good start. Failing that, many years of experience as a writer is a close second. Someone who reads your type of work for a living could be a third. Someone who is obsessed with books/plays/movies would be my last but viable choice.
Just because your sister teaches English in high school does not necessarily mean she will really be able to edit your manuscript even if she is willing to be constructive. (But don’t discount her as a copy editor!) Your brother who teaches collegiate English might be a good resource. He must have gotten the darn PHD for a reason. A love of the language would be my guess. Studying English requires the ability or hopefully the willingness to read more books than many people read in a lifetime.
A sense of the market would also be useful. However I would like to make a caveat. Markets change, and sometimes it’s one author who starts the trend. The best choice would be someone who knows the direction books and styles are going in, but is willing to keep an open mind. If you think you’ve got something different but viable it may be worth going out on a ledge. And if you do, you need someone flexible enough to give you the leeway but hold onto the rope incase you’re too close to the cliff, if you catch my drift.
In sum. Just because someone loves you and believes in you, does not automatically qualify him to be your editor. Sure let him read it. Maybe he will have an opinion you could integrate. But do not rely on willingness alone to dictate who you chose to edit your work. If you want to be a professional author you need to produce professional work and to do that you need to work with professionals. It’s basic but it’s true.
