Nathan Bransford | Writing, Book Editing, Publishing

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The truth about freelance editors (This week in books)

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This week! Books!

If you spent any time at all on Twitter By Mark Zuckerberg–aka Threads–this week, you probably came across some hyperbole about freelance editing and whether paying for editing prior to seeking publication is akin to lighting all of your money on fire or, contra, so vital to your publication chances you might as well stop breathing air if you don’t pony up.

Here’s my more sober (and thus not social media friendly) take:

  • There are lots of fantastic, professional freelance editors out there, many with a wealth of previous experience at prominent publishers and literary agencies. They can absolutely help elevate your writing, query letter, and/or synopsis, provided you’re willing to do the resulting work after you receive their feedback.
  • There are also a lot of editors out there who will sell you a bill of goods and/or don’t really know what they’re doing, so it’s imperative that you research an editors’ credentials and vet them prior to hiring them.
  • Everyone pursuing publication should seek feedback before submitting to agents (and certainly prior to self-publishing). This doesn’t necessarily have to be a paid editor. Good feedback comes in many forms, whether it’s friends, loved ones, critique partners, writing circles, you name it. It is absolutely untrue that anyone must pay for editing prior to successfully pursue traditional publication.
  • There are some advantages to paid editing (they’re less likely to spare your feelings, are more likely to be thorough, and bring a helpful breadth of experience), but the ROI is murky because of the uncertainty inherent in the publishing process. Do not spend any money you can’t afford to lose.
  • Top freelance editors are very expensive and are often booked out months in advance. As with anything, there’s a wide spectrum of options here.
  • In sum: Don’t spend any money you can’t afford to lose, do your research, take all this in, land where you’re comfortable, tune out the hyperbole.

Here’s a more thorough post on how to find and work with a freelance editor.

Speaking of social media, I thoroughly enjoyed Nathan Heller’s recent article on our collapsing attention spans and an underground group that seeks to pay radical attention to works of art.

And speaking of speaking of social media, if you’d like a case study for the state of the mid-2020s publishing industry, a dubious herbal remedy book from 2019 has become a bestseller thanks to a wildly misleading TikTok.

Happy 10th Anniversary to the wonderful organization We Need Diverse Books!! Please consider making a donation in honor of their decade of excellent work.

I always get excited when a new Mike Shatzkin post arrives, and the latest from the publishing sage didn’t disappoint. Did you know, for instance, that New York City is the center of the publishing world because of the Erie Canal? And that the publishing calendar is divided into seasons because the Erie Canal would freeze? Stick around for the publishing history, stay for the sobering look at the continued difficulty of breaking out new books.

And speaking of publishing facts, Lincoln Michel tackles more publishing myths and factoids after dismantling “no one buys books,” which includes the Publishers Marketplace decoder, and publishers actually doing things for authors (including/especially distribution).

Alice McDermott gets a whole lot of mileage out of her favorite all-purpose bit of writing advice: “Ah, fuck ’em.”

I almost didn’t link to the Pulitzers on principle because of their incredibly bizarre choice for international reporting, but congrats to these deserving authors:

If you’re a nonfiction author working on a book proposal, Gotham Ghostwriters hosted a webinar recently with some very knowledgeable experts on how to write a winning proposal.

And if you’re a novelist considering a screenplay, here are five tips from Cathy Yardley.

Lastly, if haven’t already, do yourself a favor and subscribe to Ron Charles’ weekly book newsletter, which is ten million times better than the one you’re currently reading.

This week in bestsellers

Here are the top five NY Times bestsellers in a few key categories. (All links are affiliate links):

Adult print and e-book fiction:

  1. King of Sloth by Ana Huang
  2. Funny Story by Emily Henry
  3. The Women by Kristin Hannah
  4. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
  5. Only the Brave by Danielle Steel

Adult print and e-book nonfiction:

  1. The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson
  2. The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
  3. Uncomfortable Conversations With a Jew by Emmanuel Acho and Noa Tishby
  4. An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin
  5. For Love of Country by Tulsi Gabbard

Young adult hardcover:

  1. Powerful by Lauren Roberts
  2. Powerless by Lauren Roberts
  3. The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
  4. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
  5. Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

Middle grade hardcover:

  1. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
  2. The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs by America’s Test Kitchen Kids
  3. Heroes by Alan Gratz
  4. Ferris by Kate DiCamillo
  5. The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro

This week on the blog

In case you missed them, here are this week’s posts:

Don’t forget that you can nominate your first page and query for a free critique on the blog:

And keep up with the discussion in all the places!

And finally, scientists may be beginning to decode an alphabet of sperm whale clicks. Fascinating stuff.

Have a great weekend!

Need help with your book? I’m available for manuscript edits, query critiques, and coaching!

For my best advice, check out my online classes, my guide to writing a novel and my guide to publishing a book.

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Photo: The Huntington, San Marino, CA. Follow me on Instagram!

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