Sample Edits

In the post How to Find an Editor, I mentioned sample edits. When you’re looking for an editor, I strongly advise getting these when available.

When it comes to developmental editing, some editors will offer a sample edit and others won’t. Not offering one for this type of edit should not be an automatic tick against that editor. Because the edit is only a sample, it is only done on a small section of your manuscript. Developmental edits cover big picture items (check out the post Developmental Editing for more details about this type of edit). So, a sample developmental edit could catch things like head-hopping, point-of-view changes, and tense changes. However, it could not demonstrate the editor’s ability to catch things like plot issues, character development, timeline issues, and inconsistencies in things like cultural, religious, or magic systems, etc.

A developmental editor may request your full manuscript so they can flip through and provide examples of some items they’d flag and why. They would not be reading your entire manuscript, and this review would still not catch everything because it’s still just a sample. It’s intended to show you a bit of the editor’s work and how they’d communicate or suggest edits. This is the type of developmental editing sample I offer.

When a developmental edit sample is not offered, editors often offer things such as larger samples of previous editing projects (with permission from those authors) and testimonials (also with permissions). During the discovery call, they can discuss things they focus on or how they create feedback. You also get to share what areas you think you need help on.

Line and copy editing is where sample edits are standard (check out this post for details about these two edits). Most editors will offer these for free, although some request a small fee for their time. Some editors will take whatever section of the story you provide, some will request the whole manuscript and take a section of their choosing, and others will request a sample from the middle of the manuscript. The middle? Yes. While the beginning of the story is very important, it’s also the section you’ve probably spent the most time on. Due to this, it’s likely not a great example of the state of the overall manuscript. Taking a chunk of text from the middle of the story is a great place for a sample edit.

How many words an editor will edit for a sample varies. I offer 1,000-word sample edits for line/copy editing.

What is the point of these sample edits? They allow you to see what sort of items the editor catches, how they address these, and if they’re on the same page as you in terms of the story. You get to see if you can work well together before any commitment.

Sample edits also allow the editor the same view. They get to see how you write, if they feel the manuscript is ready for that type of service (Sometimes, an editor may gently try to inform an author a developmental edit may be needed prior to their doing a copyedit, for instance. There is no point in doing a line or copy edit if the overall story needs major work.), if they feel they’d be a good fit for the project, and what state the manuscript is in (this influences how long the project may take to edit and the cost of the project).

Once the sample edit is done and delivered, the author should review it and consider their conversations with the editor. If you’ve interacted with several editors (always recommended to try and find a good fit), you can compare what you’ve been given to see who you’d most like to work with. Providing the editors the same piece of text is the best way to compare their work.

There are, of course, other factors to consider when deciding on which editor to hire, but who really gets your story and communicates in a way you need is very important, and a sample edit helps you get this information.