What To Share With Your Book Editor

Writing a book is difficult but when you have to go back and revise it, it can seem impossible. That’s where having a good book editor comes in.

They are there to see the issues that you may miss by trying to revise your own work.

Oftentimes, when you’re reading something you’ve written, you tend to miss details because you know exactly what you were trying to say. Plot holes can go overlooked because the story is well-formed in your mind.

However, just handing off your book to an editor won’t solve everything. It can be helpful to share important information you’ve collected about your book so you and your editor are on the same page.

Here are some indispensable things you should send along with your manuscript:

Character Guides

Giving complete guides on your characters with everything from their age to their favorite song can be extremely helpful to your editor. It gives them insight into each character and will help them determine if the actions taken by each character within your book fits with their personality. It also helps them weigh the character development.

This can also help the editor ensure that each character has a unique voice.

Bonus: It can be invaluable to add a pronunciation for each character name, not only for the editor but also for readers. It can make them feel more comfortable with the story and connected to the characters if they can actually pronounce their names.

Worldbuilding Information

Every story has unique settings and customs that differentiate them from each other – even if your book is based in the modern world.

Providing this information to your editor can improve how your book comes across and how engaged your readers are.

This is more than just telling them the name of your world. Go in depth. Explain the customs, the government structure, societal norms, academic systems, etc.

Give as much detail as you can so your editor can envision it just as you can. It will help them assure that everything follows the rules of your world.

Key Terms

Some of these may be addressed in your character guides or worldbuilding information but it’s worth noting in its own section.

Words or phrases that aren’t a part of our everyday lexicon should be shared with your editor.

If your book includes different factions of people, make a list with an explanation of each.

Similarly, if you have a specific magic system name for a magic system, put it in the list of key terms.

Do people formally address each with distinct titles based on age? Put it here!

Anything that shows up consistently throughout the book should be in this section so your editor has easy access to make sure everything aligns, both in concept and spelling.

General Research

This is where you put any additional research that helped shape your book, especially information that your editor might not be familiar with.

Did you delve into ancient civilizations that your character is familiar with? This would be excellent information to share so that your editor isn’t attempting to find the information that your character refers to in the book.

Neatly laying out any research will not only help your editor make sure everything is correct but will speed up the editing process.

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Your editor is there to make sure that your book is the best it can be. Help them by sharing the notes and information that you have so they can provide the best suggestions possible.

The more you share, the better the edits.

If you’ve finished your book and are looking to publish, reach out and see if we are accepting submissions!