Should You Hire a Freelance Novel Editor? 

I need to do that, too! Did you already go through a round of beta readers, or are you jumping straight into pro edits?

It's my pleasure. Thank you very much for your support. It means a lot!

You are so welcome!

@@DustyBooks2020 The first editor was an author whose book on crafting fiction I highly recommend to anyone: Jordan Rosenfeld and her book was Make a Scene. The second editor was my setting editor who worked to make certain everything I wrote fit within the world it was placed in. He was and is the guru of all things Vampire: the Masquerade, Matthew Dawkins. My third editor is now a full time book reviewer, you tuber Merphy Napier. In Matthew's and Merphy's case, I happened to get them when they were less busy than they are now and lucked out incredibly in doing so.

Good to know! Thanks for sharing. It's rough out there for writers!

@@EllenBrock It is, but in my opinion if you really want a shot at not simply being publish but have a shot at a least a living wage, it is so worth it to immerse yourself in ongoing education in writing and the publishing industry.m-and get to it. I will save my DoorDash money for an editor,then attempt to find the most likely agents to accept my manuscripts. I am willing to undergo agent rejection for 18 months before considering self publishing. If that becomes my fate, I will use my DoorDash money (that I am saving as I get my health in better shape) for quality cover design, editor, and marketing.

I second this. I'm writing a trilogy and I would be very curious your take on structuring.

Can you tell the name of her books? I would love to read

@@pnjodaro She writes the Red Line series of hockey romance books. The first book is Junior "Eh".

Wow, thank you!

@@elementeight8 yea! I'm so excited, and since I'm getting my masters in creative writing and publishing, I can work on most of my book while in school.

I think it's possible to be good at all types of editing, but yes, it's probably not overly likely that they are equally good at all three. I probably wouldn't use the same editor for the final pass (whether that be line or copyediting) because fresh eyes will be better as the final line of defense against errors.

It depends on the editor. Usually they will charge by the word or by the hour so they won't care how long the document is as long as you are okay with the cost.

Sometimes hiding or dressing up a trope or plot device is an easier option. Try giving the element additional value. For example, a side character that is a plot device could also be comedic relief or could challenge the protagonist emotionally somehow, doubling up on function and better "hiding" the true plot device purpose of the character. Hope that helps!

@@EllenBrock Thank you so much for your reply! That's great advice in general, but at first I thought it wouldn't apply to my specific example. I already knew this character was going to be a bit of a plot device, so I already gave him more depth and conflict and made him challenge the protagonists more. But there are still a lot of problems with that chapter, both in general (it's too intense/violent which takes away from the climax in the previous chapter) and the character's role in it. But I thought about it for a while, and I think while I still want to remove this side character (or at least the role he plays in that chapter), I have to change a lot less than I thought. And your advice is great for the annoying tropes (specifically a Big Misunderstanding that the plot hinges on)! So I thought of a possible solution: one of the main characters' moms is also an antagonistic side character, but way more central to the main characters' lives. She is also plot device-y but in a much less annoying way, because she's an over-the-top character who is supposed to be a bit ridiculous. If I have her do the plot device thing this side guy originally did, I think it would work way better. 1. She plays much more of a role in the central conflict, and the Big Misunderstanding would have way more depth if it involves her. 2. She is so over-the-top that the dramatic actions (locking her daughter in a room) would feel in character rather than out of place. 3. Despite being a horrible person, she does love her daughter, so she would be way less violent than this guy who hates her, which would make the whole chapter less extreme so it wouldn't take away from the horrors in the previous chapter. So thank you! You helped me realize I don't have to get rid of the whole 'big misunderstanding' trope or the 'locked in a room' trope, and I like my new idea. This'll still be a challenge to edit, but a much more manageable challenge than any alternative I thought of before, and with better results :)

I'm not really sure. I haven't looked at it since it first came out. I might check it out and report back!

​@@EllenBrockyou got back so fast. Thanks. I needed an editor for my question... I was thinking primarily of the copy editor. You're the best. Thanks for staying on your RU-vid channel. 🙂

Roughly. Somewhere between 75k and 115k is usually fine. It depends a little bit on genre, but more importantly, agents/publishers can typically tell from the query and synopsis whether the word count seems too long (poorly edited) or too short (not properly structured) for the plot/premise. Hope that helps!

I'm on target for 94,000 words, so about in the middle of that range :)@@EllenBrock

I write as I watch videos. You covered this in the later part.