Should You Hire an Editor?

I generally spend just as long editing as I do drafting, so naturally I've wondered from time to time whether it would be worth it to hire a freelance editor. On my last manuscript, I splurged on a first-chapter edit from a talented editor friend of mine, and it was hugely helpful in identifying the weak points.

Here are some points to consider before you hire an editor for your manuscript.

1. Do your prep work before you take the plunge.
To get the most out of your editing experience, you need to make sure your manuscript is in the absolute best shape you can get it before you send a word of it out to an editor. This means resisting the temptation to send it when you're heartily sick of it and just want to write something else (trust me, we've all been there!).

Books & Such Literary Management has a great blog post that covers some other vital preliminary steps.

2. Check compatibility.
As you probably know if you've worked with critique partners in the past, it's important to make sure you mesh well with someone who's giving you notes on your work. Try to talk to past clients of the editor to make sure they were happy with their experience. In addition, most editors will give you a few pages of edits for free—that way you can make sure their edits will work for you before you commit to anything further.

3. Get the most bang for your buck.
Editors' rates vary, but in general you can expect to pay at least a few hundred dollars (and often a lot more than that) for a full, in-depth manuscript critique. If this is a little rich for your blood, you can choose to focus on key parts of your manuscript. For example, if you're not getting a good response from sending the first few chapters to agents, hire an editor to look at them. They'll be able to tell you any immediate turnoffs that might be causing the problem. Many editors will also work on query letters, synopses, and even contest pitches.

4. Going indie? Don't skimp on the editing.
There are many advantages to self-publishing, like complete creative control and the ability to put books out on whatever schedule works best for you. But it's important to remember that you won't have access to professional editors, copyeditors, and proofreaders like you would if you went the traditional publishing route. This makes hiring a top-notch freelance editor a really, really good idea. I have two friends who have built up a huge following by self-publishing books, and both of them consider extensive work with a freelance editor as an essential part of the process.

Have you worked with a freelance editor before? What was your experience?

WriteOnCon is Back!

If you've been part of the online kidlit writing community for a while, you may remember WriteOnCon, an amazing, completely online writer's conference that ran from 2010-2013. Putting on the conference was a TON of work, including boatloads of planning, setting up and monitoring forums for sharing work, and hosting live agent chats and keynote presentations. The organizers (understandably) decided to take a break after the 2013 conference, and it wasn't certain whether it would be held again.

I learned so much from the conference back in 2013, and I even got a couple of ninja agent requests after sharing my query and pages in the forums. So I was delighted to see that there's a shiny new WriteOnCon for 2017! It begins tomorrow, February 2, and runs through the end of the day on Saturday, February 4.

One of the big changes this year is that there's a nominal $1 fee to attend the conference. This gets you access to the blogs and vlogs. If you want to attend the live events with industry professionals, the cost is $5. This money helps defray the cost of web hosting and the time of the organizers and industry professionals.

And guys, it is TOTALLY WORTH IT. You'll pay a minimum of several hundred dollars to attend even a very small conference in person—and this one you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home! If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll know that all of us here at Thinking to Inking are huge fans of writing conferences (in fact, that's how we all met!). WriteOnCon is an awesome way to mingle with like-minded people and benefit from the wisdom and experience of industry professionals, even if you don't have the time and/or money to go to an in-person conference.

Interested in checking it out? The main WriteOnCon page is here. There you'll find links to register, FAQs, schedules, and more.

(Psst: you can post your query and pages in the WOC forums for other writers to read and critique for free, even if you don't want to attend other parts of the conference. I have it on good authority that there will be secretive ninja agents and editors prowling around, so you may even get a request to see more pages if they like what they see!)

Writer's Resource: #MSWL, Agent and Editor Wish List

If you're writing a novel or nonfiction book and hoping to get it traditionally published, there's a good chance you'll be submitting it to agents and/or publishers. It's important to be selective when putting together your list; sending a query for a YA sci-fi novel to an agent who only represents adult literary fiction, for example, only wastes their time and yours.

Today, we have the advantage of agency and publisher websites that often give an idea of what they're seeking. There are also sites that compile this type of information such as Literary Rambles. But wouldn't it be great to get even more current and specific information about what agents and editors wish they were seeing in their slush piles?

Enter the Agent and Editor Wish List.

An active Twitter user had the bright idea of a manuscript wish list for agents and editors. Using the hashtag #MSWL, agents and editors can tweet a short description of the manuscripts they wish they were seeing. Searching this hashtag on Twitter will bring up months of these tweets (and a few other people trying to capitalize on the popularity of the hashtag--as with anything on Twitter, make sure to check the source of the tweet).

Not a Twitter user? Or maybe sorting through all those tweets seems too overwhelming? Don't worry. Some extremely helpful person started the Agent and Editor Wish List Tumblr to collect these tweets in a user-friendly, searchable format. You can click on the keywords in any post to bring up all of those entries. For example, you can search for YA, urban fantasy, or romance.

Make sure to check out the Tumblr's excellent FAQ page before sending a query to any of the agents or editors you find.

Happy querying!

Writer's Conference Survival Guide Part 2: Conference Etiquette

This week's conference survival topic is etiquette.

As I discussed in the first post of this series on overcoming nerves, going to a conference can be terrifying because of the ever-persistant thought that what you do or say might make or break the rest of your career. While this is probably not true, you do want to make a good impression. Don't be memorable in the worst way possible--as the person who thought the rules didn't apply to him or her.

Which brings us to the first tip.

1. Follow the rules. If the conference organizers ask you to arrive fifteen minutes early for your workshops, or to dress in business casual attire, or to leave your stock of self-published books at home, follow their instructions. It's common courtesy, and I guarantee you will incur the wrath of people who carefully followed the rules to the letter if you think you're the only one exempt.

2. Remember that agents and editors are people too. My friend did a great blog post on this subject, complete with many excellent GIFs. Keep the golden rule in mind: would you want pushy people trying to sell you something while you were in the bathroom, or interrupting a conversation with a friend to thrust a manuscript into your hands?

While many agents don't mind hearing your pitch outside of officially scheduled pitch sessions, use common sense to decide when it's an appropriate time. While hanging out at meals is generally acceptable, or maybe after a workshop session. It's always a good idea to ask first, though. Leading with, "Do you mind if I tell you about my book?" never hurts.

3. Be prepared. Think of the conference like a job interview. You'll make a better impression if you come prepared. Do some research on the agents, editors, and presenters who will be at the conference to determine if they'd be a good fit for your work. There's not much worse than giving your whole spiel to an industry professional only to hear something like, "Sounds great, but I don't represent adult books."

4. Use common courtesy. Here I'm talking about the basics. Turn off your cell phone when you're in a workshop or pitch session. Arrive on time for your appointments. Don't chew a snack noisily while someone is presenting. Don't interrupt if other people are talking, or monopolize the conversation if you're in a group setting. Don't corner agents or editors in a confined space like an elevator. No stalking!

Most of those may seem pretty obvious... but truthfully, I've seen ALL of those faux pas at the handful of conferences I've attended, so maybe it doesn't hurt to point them out.

Next week, I'll be talking about another important aspect of conferences: networking!

Twitter-ific: Twitter for Writers

Once upon a time, I kind of looked down on people who were obsessed with Twitter. Guess they don't have anything better to do than tell a bunch of people what they're eating for breakfast, was generally how my thought process went.

Then I joined Twitter to participate in an agent contest, about three months ago.

Ahem. 1900 tweets later, I would like to sincerely apologize for those uncharitable thoughts. I get it now.

The thing no one told me: how many writers were on Twitter. How many talented, hilarious, kind, and - above all - supportive writers. I now am an active member of a large group of awesome people. We cheer the good news and boo the bad news together.

I had a very rejection-filled day a few weeks ago and was feeling pretty low.

This was me.

I tweeted about it - nothing too hopeless, just something like, "Why do all the rejections have to come at once?" Within minutes, I had a dozen replies from other writers, some who are right there in the query trenches with me and could completely relate, some who have agents and book deals and just wanted to tell me to hang in there, it gets better. It was the best pick-me-up I could have imagined.

Beyond the support system, Twitter is also an excellent source of valuable information for writers at any stage of the process. I follow many agents and editors who are founts of tips and inside scoops on what they're looking for (and what they're rejecting). Even if a Twitter newbie didn't feel comfortable putting out tweets of their own, there's a whole lot to be learned just by following a bunch of reputable agents and editors and doing some "listening."

My advice to new writers who want to be Twitter-ers (I'm still not totally hep to the lingo, obviously!) is to first follow as many industry-professionals as you can. They usually list their Twitter handles on their blogs or websites.

Then keep an eye out for Twitter contests. Even if you don't participate, it's a great way to find other writers who are at the same stage of the process as you. One of my best Twitter friends (now a real-life friend who I met up with at a recent conference!) made the first contact by telling me she loved my contest entry. I've now done the same thing to others several times.

So if you're an aspiring writer and have been wondering if Twitter can help you: the answer is yes. Try it out and see if you like it!

And for the record: I'm @trionabmurphy if you want to say hi.