Book Strategy Week: Did You Hire the ‘Write’ Editor?

Newsflash: Did you know if your writing career, you’re likely to come across approximately a dozen different types of editors? With confusing names (they aren’t all called editors!) and some overlapping territory (do you need a Copy Editor… or a Proofreader?), how will you know who to hire?

I’ve put this article together to highlight the editors you’re most likely to come across and what you can expect from them.

Plus, a bonus: I’ve worked in every single one of these positions, so I can share with you a little bit about what goes on behind the scenes — as well as what editors appreciate from writers, so you can take the best possible care of your editors while you’re working together.

If this is your first time here, hi! I’m McKenzie Lynn Tozan (you can call me McKenzie or Kenzie). 100% of the time, I am a mama of 3, wife, cat-mom, and book and movie/TV show enthusiast. By night, I am a poet, novelist, and professional book review. And by day, I am a freelance writer, high-ticket copywriter, and book strategist.

But what is Book Strategy? To put it simply, I offer A — Z services to authors, all the way from outlining/developing a bare-bones concept into a complete first draft… all the way up through publishing their book and marketing it (while growing their author presence online and increasing their book’s shelf life). And when I say I do it all, I do it all: developmental editing, line-editing, cover design, interior design, publication assistance, query letters and book proposals, marketing plans, audience engagement, etc., etc., etc…

And so, without further ado…

Your 4 Most Likely Editors:

1. Developmental Editor: These Editors, as you may have guessed from their name, are there to help you develop your ideas into a complete concept or book. Some writers choose to work with a Developmental Editor when they’re very early in the project, when they’re feeling stuck mid-project, or even when they’ve completed the first draft. They hire the Developmental Editor specifically to look for holes in the story, as well as dramatic inconsistencies.

Developmental Editors will read through the project in its current state and note questions they…