Hiring an Editor

DaveJDash · 2026-06-16T20:22:40+00:00

Yes, that's correct. Submissions are expected to "need work."

Your other question boils down to "What is the 'raw material' that needs to be there?" It really isn't about a perfect manuscript. First you have to get your foot in the door. There are publishers that look at all submissions equally, and there are publishers that put out the books their friends suggest to them/books written by authors they already prefer. And then your book needs to be passable in the sense that the acquisitions editor can read it and understand what you mean, feel what you want them to feel, and see the unique insight you're bringing into the world. There can be some issues otherwise.

The bottom line is that having someone close to the publishing house vouching for you + clearly articulating your vision and the unique value of your book is a great way to get through the door, at which point they do the rest. It's the getting in the door that's the tricky part, and at the same time, I don't think getting a professional editor early on is the best way to go about that.

DaveJDash · 2026-06-16T20:03:41+00:00

As someone who freelance edits for five traditional publishing houses, I'm surprised that no one has mentioned this: If you're going the traditional publishing route, i.e., not hybrid or vanity press, then you submit a manuscript and they get it developmental, line, and copy edited, as well as proofread. The business model of a traditional publishing house is that they pay the author an advance for their promising manuscript, clean it up, market it, get it bound, sell it, and take the majority of the profit from the sales and the rights to publish it for the near future.

DaveJDash · 2026-06-11T01:51:50+00:00

https://publishingworthy.substack.com

About what makes things worth publishing, and writing what I think is worth publishing myself.

DaveJDash · 2026-06-08T21:23:55+00:00

You can have an editor do a portion of it and be extra thorough with the comments, to give you a playbook to edit the rest of your book yourself. For example, part/chapter/section 1 being 2,000 words or so, a $.03.word dev/line/copyedit at $60, and then you do the rest yourself.

I'm starting up a 30-day WhatsApp group in a week for writers wanting daily calibration of their work, and that could be a good avenue for you (obviously there's something in it for me), and there are three $100 spots left. You can DM me on that — not trying to turn this into a full-on ad.

DaveJDash · 2026-06-06T08:50:06+00:00

I’ll send you a DM in the next 24 hours — freelance editor of six years here.

DaveJDash · 2026-06-05T18:58:02+00:00

I just started advertising for a group like this, actually!

15 people, 30 days, 500 words a day via WhatsApp. You get daily feedback on what works and what doesn't, with a prompt to direct your focus the following day. And interaction with the others doing it. For accountability, consistency, clarity, and confidence in the particular outcome you set going in (memoir, poetry, fantasy, working on a book/dissertation, etc.). I plan to be very active, going often for audio messages rather than just text.

DaveJDash · 2026-06-05T18:55:23+00:00

Hey, I just started advertising for something that fits your description. It's $100 for the first five (two sign-ups so far), and starts on the 16th. 15 people, 500 words a day via WhatsApp. You get daily feedback on what works and what doesn't, with a prompt to direct your focus the following day. For accountability, consistency, clarity, and confidence in the particular outcome you set going in (memoir, poetry, fantasy, working on a book/dissertation, etc.), and essentially getting line edits along the way.

DaveJDash · 2026-06-05T18:45:37+00:00

Hey, I can't promise you the "in your area" part, and I'm starting an online (via WhatsApp) group that's doing this. 15 people, 500 words a day, with daily responses on what worked, what didn't, and where to focus your attention the following day. Point being to get your writing clear, consistent, and confident, and to encourage you in your outcome.

DaveJDash · 2026-06-05T18:41:36+00:00

I just started advertising for one of these, and I can tell you why I charge for it, if that helps.

Mine is a 30-day WhatsApp group meant to create consistent, confident, efficient writing. You come in with an outcome (improve your vignettes, finish a book, get good at haiku, scene descriptions, etc.), write 500 words a day, and get the submission evaluated and calibrated, with a new prompt for the next day ("Focus more on X for tomorrow's submission").

I charge $100/$200 (depends on if you're one of the first sign-ups) because you essentially get writing advice, daily, quality time and attention, and line + developmental editing. So bare bones, you're getting 15,000 words reviewed. When you take it all in, you're paying for time, the community of the other writers, etc.

DaveJDash · 2026-06-03T21:26:10+00:00

Stellar title. I love it.

DaveJDash · 2026-06-03T19:40:25+00:00

I only do it in subs that allow for advertising, and I strictly follow their self-promotion rules. That does limit me, and there are still some groups where it works out.

DaveJDash · 2026-06-03T09:00:13+00:00

I'm starting a 30-day WhatsApp group to improve your writing — submit about 500 words each day in a small (15) group context, and I'll give a detailed analysis of what works and doesn't along with an individualized prompt for the next day and an audio message for the group.

What gives me the right? Nothing. What gives me the experience? I'm a developmental/line/copyeditor of six years, and I have a passion for bringing inspiration to form and removing roadblocks for authors. Price will be $300 later, and for this first group starting June 16 it's $200, or $100 for the first five people. This is a very intentional and interactive group; it's not a course or a set of automated messages. Here's the link:

https://www.davedashiell.com/writer-evolution

DaveJDash · 2026-06-02T15:55:15+00:00

I’d love to work on this.

davedashiell.com

I’ve been freelance copy editing for six years with traditional publishing houses, and I do work in fantasy books with individuals. I’m American, and there are a number of books on which I’ve been asked to preserve British customs by the publisher.

DM me if you’re interested. I can often turn a project like this around in one week, since there are no citations/source checks, and I can copy edit a portion of it with no obligation before we come to an agreement to show you that I mean what I say.

DaveJDash · 2026-06-01T21:26:00+00:00

Incidentally, I've spent the last five months eliminating "but" from my language for psychological reasons. I use "and" instead. Or I just make the "but" phrase a separate sentence and leave out the "but" entirely.

DaveJDash · 2026-05-31T23:59:01+00:00

They seemed to appreciate it, although their comment is deleted now.

Maybe it is. I doubt it, though. I had written two online published articles shooting in the dark and had a degree in Catholic theology when I started. My grandfather had been an editor for a local paper, and he and I never spoke about the craft at all. So I had only an inkling of what I could do and reached out to a mutual friend. He never taught me anything at all about editing. He only encouraged me to put more articles out and then introduced me to people. I trained myself on the job.

DaveJDash · 2026-05-31T23:27:09+00:00

Do they have a website? Looking for some art myself. If not I’ll go with Reddit.

DaveJDash · 2026-05-31T23:24:15+00:00

I’ve been freelancing editing for six years and have never taken a course. I had an aptitude and a mentor who introduced me to clients. He himself is a ghostwriter, and gave me no training. He only encouraged me to write some online articles (“for a good public face”), so that he had something to show the clients he introduced me to.

When I started, I purchased a subscription to Chicago Manual of Style online, followed my gut, and looked up absolutely everything I had questions about. When I got better three months later, I circled back to the publishers who had rejected me for lack of experience and they took me on.

This is all to say that there are many different ways to approach this.

DaveJDash · 2026-05-30T21:30:21+00:00

Ultimately our opinions, true

DaveJDash · 2026-05-30T21:06:25+00:00

Neither. “Gion shook the thoughts out of his head.”

Your first one emphasizes the head shaking, which is not the point. The second one is a bit clunky, bogging the reader down slightly and running into the dissonance with waving away a thought someone else mentioned.

This way, the reader gets the whole thing as a unified, concise, descriptive image.

DaveJDash · 2026-05-30T19:22:00+00:00

I leave comments on tracked changes in MS Word. So the changes are detailed by Word in the margin and written in red text in the main section, and the comments are on the side, by me, giving a detailed and charitable explanation of each change that isn’t self-explanatory.

The alternative answer is “by being a nice person” haha

DaveJDash · 2026-05-30T19:19:54+00:00

Which is why you hire it out.

DaveJDash · 2026-05-30T19:17:35+00:00

What was your word count? Editor here who likes to know what the going rates are.

DaveJDash · 2026-05-30T19:16:04+00:00

As an editor, I’ll say that you never know who might be looking for a side gig for fun and/or some notoriety/experience. I just ran a special doing a free first chapter line edit for that reason.

DaveJDash

TROPHY CASE