J asks:
“I was wondering how important you think it is to hire an editor to go over a manuscript before attempting to give it an agent?”
Dear J,
Not important at all. I have never done so, and though I have heard stories of unpublished writers hiring “professional editors” before submitting their work, I do not personally know any published author who has at any time done so. I believe that the practice is more common among non-fiction authors who may be experts in their field (like psychology, cooking, economics, interior design, etc.) but are not actually writers, and thus need assistance getting their expertise on the page. This is also the purpose of ghostwriters. Fiction writers, on the other hand, are supposed to be experts in WRITING.
On the other hand, I have heard many stories from agents who say that the phrase “this manuscript has been professionally edited” on a query letter is a red flag and the mark of an amateur. If authors are coming to a submission with something that has already been “edited” (And one of the reasons this is such a red flag for agents is because there are so many scam or useless “editing” outfits out there), then the immediate question is, “Well, what is this writer REALLY like?” A novelist has nothing to recommend herself other than her writing.
One more thing. I do know a few authors who, times being what they are, have found themselves under contract with an overburdened editor who might have cut corners in the revision stage, and the authors hired out with a freelancer to make sure their book — under contract and bound to appear on shelves– was in the best shape it could be in. I would like to stress that I have never found myself in this situation, and both of my editors are real taskmasters. The hiring of the freelance editors in these rare situations were cases of last resort. The book was going to go onto shelves and it needed a more thorough vetting than what it had received in house. The investment into the freelancer (which is not insignificant — we’re talking thousands of dollars) was paid for with advance monies, the same way the writer might pay for promotion of the book.
For submissions, however, no. A “professional editor” is not a magic ticket, and may even hinder your chances. There’s a famous story about the author of the acclaimed science fiction novel, THE SPARROW, who received an offer from her agent, and told the agent that she wished they would wait until they read the work, which was currently out for editing from [scam professional editor]. The agency was vastly relieved they’d gotten their hands on the manuscript before the “editor” hacked it to pieces, which is exactly what they discovered that the editor did.
Get thee a good critique partner or group and call it a day.
