Every Writer Needs
an Editor
By Lynn Wiese Sneyd 'The Book Biz Whiz',
Literary Expert & PR Consultant

“I’d like to thank my editor.”
There it is in the “Acknowledgements” of almost any book on the shelf: the writer thanking his or her editor.

In 'The Kite Runner', author Khaled Hosseini thanks his “keen-eyed and judicious editor.” Sara Gruen, author of 'Water for Elephants', thanks her editor for providing “the kind of criticism, attention to detail, and support that took this story to a different level. In 'The Collectors', David Baldacci, recognizes his editor with a “thanks for a great editing job” and a prophetic “here’s to many books together.” Salman Rushdie, in his tenth novel, 'The Enchantress of Florence', winner of the Booker Prize, extends gratitude to his three editors.

All of these authors have earned coveted spots on the New York Times Best Seller List. None of them have done it without professional editing. In fact, it’s safe to assume that every book on this list, be it fiction or non-fiction, has undergone the scrutiny of an editor and its author received editing advice.

Editors ROCK. They shape books, sharpen them, raise them to new levels. They help bring out the best in the author’s writing.

In his article, “What a Book Editor Does,” James Frenkel, Senior Editor, Tor Books, explains that after he buys books, the manuscript may go through another six or seven drafts. “Which doesn’t mean they were bad to begin with, but more likely that there were elements in the book that either weren’t clear, or could have been done more powerfully or more effectively than what was on the page in the first or second draft.”

In traditional publishing houses, editors are part of the package. An author signs a contract, and in most cases will work with an editor like Frenkel. Authors who opt for the print-on-demand or self-publishing route, need to hire an editor. Many POD companies offer editing services for a fee. Self-published authors must turn to freelance editors.