Ask the Editor

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First Pages Critique: How to Better Establish Your Setting

In a new feature, our Ask the Editor column reviews the first pages of an unpublished work.
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How to Pursue a Career in Editing: Advice for College Students

Although writing and editing are very different skill sets, much of what you can do to master one will serve you well in the other.
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Is It OK to Ask for Before/After Examples from a Freelance Editor?

If confidentiality prevents a freelance editor from sharing samples of prior work, how does an author gauge who to hire and what to expect?
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Is an Editor Worth the Money?

If you have reason to suspect your story is not quite “there” yet, a professional edit may be what’s needed to push you across the finish line.
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What If You’re New to Writing and Don’t Know How to Fix Things?

Like writing, editing and revision are skills that take time to learn, and they develop only with practice.
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Should I Hire an Editor to Help Cut My Manuscript?

Good editors are expensive, so the best time for a full manuscript review is when you’re pretty sure your book is ready for publication.
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How Big of a Problem Is “Head Hopping”?

Switching POVs within the same scene should only be tackled by experienced fiction writers, and only when it reveals something important.
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How to Avoid Taking Edits Too Personally

When editorial feedback entails rebuilding a manuscript, one writer struggles with not taking it too personally.
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When Should Writers Stand Their Ground Versus Defer to an Editor?

Is it best for unpublished authors to trust the editorial guidance of their agents and editors, especially when it comes to sensitive issues?