How to Choose a Professional Editor
- Beth Lee-De Amici
- Oct 21
- 7 min read
Most writers understand that it's a good idea to get their work edited before they send it out for publication. Editors can catch errors of spelling and grammar and can help smooth out the writing to ensure that it flows well. Editors often will do basic fact-checking and give the author constructive feedback about how best to improve their work.
Many writers have never worked with an editor before, even if they already have some idea what it is that editors do. There are three main things to consider when choosing a professional editor: the editor's qualifications, the editor's specialties, and whether or not you want your editor to use AI tools when they work on your manuscript.
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The Editor's Qualifications
Pretty much anyone with a decent grasp of language mechanics and writing technique can set out their shingle and work as a freelance editor. But being a professional editor involves more than having a handle on spelling and grammar and an ability to put a document through the checkers available in word processing programs or on the Internet. There are several other criteria to take into account if you're looking for someone to edit your manuscript.
Education
One criterion is whether the editor has a university degree. It doesn't need to be in English or other relevant language, and it doesn't need to be a literature degree. All university degrees require writing and reading comprehension skills, although  if you have written a piece of nonfiction in a specialized field, you might need an editor whose own education gives them the specialized knowledge that they can bring to bear on your project. (This aspect will be discussed in greater detail below.)
Professional Training
Another thing to look for is whether the editor has formal training in editing. Professional certificate programs, which in the United States are often run under the aegis of a university such as the University of Chicago, UC San Diego, or UC Berkeley, require students to complete a series of classes that teach current standards and best practices for professional editing. While having completed one of these programs isn't absolutely necessary for an editor to know what they are doing, they can provide you as a client with some reassurance that your editor knows what they are doing and isn't going to fly by the seat of their pants on the manuscript that you've worked so hard to write.
Experience
Experience is also an important thing to look for. How many manuscripts has your editor dealt with? Are these manuscripts about similar topics or in similar genres to your own? Has your editor worked for any traditional publishers or presses? Have they written and published things themselves? These are all good questions to ask before deciding which editor to hire.
Membership in Professional Societies
It can also be a good idea to see whether your potential editor is a member of a professional organization such as the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA), Editors Canada, or whatever the equivalent is in your country of residence. Membership in such an association shows that the editor has an interest in being a member of a professional community and that they may be taking continuing education courses in order to learn new techniques and to stay abreast of changes in the field.
The Editor's Specialties
As mentioned above, knowing something about your editor's education can be important, especially if you've written a book or article that utilizes specialized knowledge. But even if you're writing the next great cozy mystery, romance novel, or children's book, you still want to know something about what kinds of writing your editor works with because not all pieces of writing are the same.
There are different approaches and techniques that need to be used depending on whether the manuscript is fiction or nonfiction; whether it's prose, poetry, a screenplay, a grant proposal, business materials, or another kind of writing; and on whether the work is aimed at adults, young adults, or children. If an editor tells you that they will edit absolutely anything in any subject, genre, or style, or for any audience, it might be good to take a close look at their education and experience to see whether they're really that versatile or whether they're overestimating their ability to handle what you have written. The reason why this matters is because different types of writing have different standards and conventions, and sometimes specialized knowledge is required to edit a particular text.
Fiction Genres
If you're hiring an editor for a piece of fiction you have written, make sure the editor reads that genre themselves in addition to checking whether they've edited in that genre before. For example, I do take mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, and a couple of other genres because I do read those kinds of books and so have a good idea of what makes them tick. I don't work on horror or romance because I don't read those genres; I'm not well versed in their conventions, and so wouldn't be able to give my client the best service. Hiring an editor who reads and has worked with the genre you write in makes it more likely that you will receive good service.
Nonfiction Subjects
If you're writing nonfiction for a general audience, many experienced editors will be able to provide you good service on your writing regardless of their own educational background, although you may feel more comfortable hiring someone with relevant specialized background knowledge. However, if the manuscript is for a specialized audience, or if it is a specialized type of nonfiction such as a grant proposal, legal document, or business report, it may be vital to get an editor who has the relevant educational background and experience because after a certain point there's no substitute for formal training in and experience with a particular topic. For example, because of my education and work history, I can edit pretty much anything in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, but I wouldn't take anything in law, medicine, or the hard sciences because I don't have the relevant education or experience to be able to edit those documents or subjects either accurately or well.
Other Types of Writing
Something similar goes for things like poetry, screenplays, grant proposals, or other types of writing. An editor who doesn't read or edit much poetry will be unlikely to give the best service on the poems in your chapbook, and screenwriting has its own set of specialized conventions in terms of both format and structure that are different from prose storytelling. Grant proposals have their own specific structures and conventions, as do legal documents.
Make sure your editor has experience with or education in the type of writing you will be giving them to edit. If you've written a chapbook of poems, find out whether your editor reads or has studied poetry, or whether they write and publish their own poems. If you've written a screenplay, find out whether they have taken courses in screenwriting or whether they have written screenplays. If you need someone to edit a grant proposal, a white paper, a legal document, or another specialized type of text, hire an editor who is familiar with the structure, content, and conventions of those kinds of documents.
AI Editing Tools
The AI revolution has changed the ways in which many people approach creating and editing text. There are now many AI editing tools available to help with proofreading and editing tasks. Some editors like to use these tools, while others prefer to avoid them. It can be important to know whether your editor will be using AI in their work on your manuscript, especially if you have a strong preference either way with regard to the use of AI on your writing. I have written elsewhere about my own misgivings about AI, but I think it's important to touch on some of the issues here as well.
In my experience, there is no substitute for a human editor. Although AI tools can be trained to scan for and correct mechanics such as grammar, capitalization, and spelling, and although these tools may be able to advise writers about content and overall structure, an AI tool ultimately lacks human judgement and thus the ability to know whether a piece of writing is actually effective or not. The other issue is the accuracy of such tools. I have experience using both Grammarly and the Editor function in MS Word as a kind of fail-safe to notify me of anything I may have missed, but I have found that both of these tools introduce almost as many errors as they correct, so I tend to avoid them unless a client specifically asks me to use them.
If you prefer that your editor use AI tools, that's a valid decision you can make as a writer; the important thing is to be aware of the issues that these tools can have so that you can make an informed decision about their use. Conversely, if you don't want your editor to use AI tools, make sure you tell them up front. Either way, it can be good to have a clause in your contract that outlines your preferences with regard to your editor's use of AI tools in their work on your manuscript.
How to Choose a Professional Editor
Choosing a professional editor is something that should be done with care. You have worked hard on your writing, and your manuscript deserves the best service you can afford. By hiring an editor who has the appropriate education, experience, and skills, you can be assured that your writing will be improved by through the editing process. Knowing something about AI tools can also help you make a decision, especially if you have strong feelings about the use of AI on your writing.
Once you have taken these factors into account, the other thing to consider is whether you feel comfortable with the editor you have chosen. Some editors offer a free video or phone consultation, some will do a small sample edit at no charge, and all editors will be happy to answer any questions you may have via email. Working with an editor is a collaborative process that should feel collegial and comfortable, so making sure that you can work with the person you have chosen is just as important as ticking off all the boxes about education and experience.
If you're looking for an editor, I'm available to discuss your project with you any time. You can submit a query using my contact form, and my FAQ gives information about the kinds of projects I work on. Let me know how I can help; I would love to work with you!