It's been a while since I shared with you the post regarding the First Draft Printout. I thought writing the book was the difficult part. But I have realized that the role of an editor is of utmost importance, and much more difficult than probably... hmm, writing a book?
As a first-time author, I first requested my family and friends to help me edit the book. I got some good, some not-so-good reviews but everyone encouraged me. But I felt I needed to work with a professional to get good output. So, I decided to hire a professional editor. I will share with you the exact process of how I went about hiring the editor for my book.
I made an account on Upwork.com and studied the job postings done by other Authors. Then I drafted my own job posting. You can also hire from fiver.com. I Personally prefer Upwork for convenience, transparency, and security. Being a first-time Author I had no clue what would be the right price. Should I pay by the hour or should I go for a fixed rate job? I decided budget and posted a fixed rate job.
Within a day or so I got responses from about 25-30 responses. I shortlisted the candidates who had already done similar jobs and also fit my budget. I carefully checked the reviews received by the prospective editors and their success rate. I was able to shortlist quite a few and contacted them. As part of my selection, I shared a piece of my draft manuscript with them and asked them to edit and share their suggestions. Then I interviewed the editors and gave the contract to the editor who could understand and my requirements the best.
I am anxiously waiting for the first edits from the editor. I can relate to the student waiting for the result of his final examination. We are working hard to ensure you get good final output
Nice thoughts