Working with Book Editor (OH, THE DRAMA!)
12th of June 2025 - Yes still THAT behind with my content
This week I started to work with my editor, Hannah on my debut fantasy novel that will get published this halloween. I already talked about all of my publisher’s timelines and I knew that starting June - we will be working hard on making my book the best it can be.
But dear gods I did not anticipate this:
Yeah a lot of it is blurred but the point will stand… We typically ask that authors return edits within a week, or two at most.
My book was 120.000 words when I sent it… So… I blinked at the email, realised that I need to read my whole book again… at speed… and send it back.
The work? Accept or reject changes. Add clarifications where needed, explain things where needed, add some info or characteristics.
FEAR INTENSIFIES
Let me tell you I have spent the next 4 days on the couch doing just that. Only that, actually. I don’t think I have ever read a book so fast in my life, actually.
So… on the 17th of June - I returned the whole manuscript back to her.
And got a pat to my head for that.
There were still a couple of things to correct, and we had a bit of back and forth about certain issues within military structure (because can you imagine that there’s no real-life example of a force in a fantasy book? Like… I made it up!)
Anyway…
Back and forth
Working with an editor is a lot of back and forth, as well as some little fights (My biggest shock was that one of my fav character’s character trait was taken away because it wasn’t “necessary”. I disagreed. Snarky comments are necessary, it’s a character trait. It’s obviously back because I say so.
So… as you may imagine, this has been going back and forth for a while.
BUT! We have been done with all the edits pretty effectively and got down to 107.000 words. Which means 386 pages of the book. It’s thick
Now… I will say that working with a professional editor has been refreshing. Hannah knew which parts made little sense, or how to better explain what I had in mind. Sometimes I become bye-lingual. You know… when you forget a word in any language…?
Hannah also managed to make some sentences more concise, to the point, and simply easier to read. It’s something that only a professional human can catch on. While yes, I used grammarly to find my typos before sending the manuscript to Hannah, it is a much different experience to work with an editor. If you want me to make a post about why working with an editor is important and what are the pros and cons of working with one are - let me know in the comments - we’ll make it happen.
And! I can tell you that the book is currently on pre-sale on amazon, barnes&noble, Bookshop.org, Waterstones, and more! You can also add it to your “want to read” on goodreads, which is extremely helpful for the new authors!
So if you are interested in an epic, dark fantasy with multiple POVs and folklore themes mixed with a dark world and mental issues - it may be down your alley!
I will see you in the next post. until then - stay awesome fam! BYE!
