What Does an Editor Actually Do?
And why might you need one?
Imagine the moment: you’ve spent weeks— maybe even months, or years— crafting your book, blog post, or article. You’ve drafted, written, redrafted and rewritten so many times that you can barely see the wood for the trees. You place the final full-stop, save your final draft and sit back feeling a well-deserved sense of accomplishment. You’ve finally finished.
So, what now?
Now is the time for a fresh pair of eyes. Now is the time for an editor.
What does an editor do?
Many people think editing is just catching typos or fixing mistakes, but there’s so much more to it! Before the final proofreading stage, an editor can help you:
Clarify your meaning so your reader never feels confused or lost.
Enhance flow and structure by addressing the bigger picture — how your ideas are organised, how smoothly your writing moves from one idea to the other, and whether anything is missing or out of place.
Refine your language by tightening sentence structure and removing repetition or unnecessary phrases.
Maintain your voice. A good editor won’t impose their own style. Instead, they’ll help your unique voice shine through.
Why should you work with an editor?
When you’ve spent so long inside your own writing, it’s easy to become too close to it. You know what you meant, but will your reader? Your brain might be filling in gaps because of how well you know what you've created, but how clear is that information to someone reading it for the first time?
An editor offers a fresh perspective (they’re often the first real reader of your work) and can provide thoughtful, honest feedback to help it land the way you intended.
Concerns about editing
Handing over something you’ve worked so hard on, especially something as personal as your writing, can be daunting. Many writers worry that their work will be criticised, butchered, or changed beyond recognition, and these are legitimate and reasonable concerns.
However, a good editor sees their role as collaborative, rather than combative. Their job is to support and enhance what you’ve written, not to destroy it or change it into something they would have written. They have the same goal you do: to make your writing the best it can be.
For those who are going down the self-publishing route, hiring an editor might feel like an extravagant expense. You may have friends and family willing to read your work, or you might even be in a supportive writing group that can offer feedback, and that’s great, but it is worth investing in a good editor. Having a professional look over your work means you can publish a piece of work you can feel truly proud of — one that reflects your effort, your voice, and your vision.
Working with me
If you’re at the stage where your writing could benefit from a fresh pair of eyes, I’d love to help!
As a qualified editor and Entry-Level Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP), I work with writers to refine their work and let their stories shine.
If you’d like a free, no-pressure chat about how I can help, just get in touch. I’d love to hear about your project.
