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7 Tips for Communicating With Your Professional Book Editor or Proofreader
One of the most important steps you can take to ensure a positive experience with your professional book editor or proofreader is to communicate your needs and expectations clearly when you submit your manuscript for review. You might assume that your editor is the professional and knows exactly what to do, but editors differ in their approaches and ideas about what your document needs. Any editor can revise your manuscript to remove grammatical errors and typos. Book editing can also involve additional aspects you may not have considered. Before you submit your manuscript for review, ask yourself the following questions.
Quick Answer: What to Tell Your Editor Before Submission
1. Style guide.
Chicago, APA, MLA, or your own preference.
2. Publisher or adviser conventions.
Any rules about voice, register, or referencing that go beyond standard style.
3. Tone and audience.
Who you're writing for and the register you want to hit.
4. Word count target.
Whether the editor should trim or suggest expansions.
5. Vocabulary and phrasing preferences.
Especially important for ESL authors writing in English.
6. Scope of editing.
Sentence-level only, or structural and organizational feedback as well.
7. Sections to skip.
Placeholders, sections under revision, or material you'll finalize later.
1. Do I need to follow a specific style or formatting guide?
If your publisher, agent, or institution requires a particular style guide, such as Chicago, APA, or MLA, let your editor know upfront. If you're self-publishing and have your own formatting preferences, share those too. The more information you give your professional book editor at the start, the less back and forth you'll need later.
2. Does my publisher or adviser want me to follow certain conventions?
Your publisher, agent, or writing supervisor may have specific requirements that go beyond standard style guides. They might want you to avoid passive voice, limit the use of first person narration in certain sections, or restrict block quotes. They may also follow particular conventions for describing events or referencing other works. There's no reason to feel hesitant about sharing these requirements with your editor. They're there to help you meet them.
3. What tone does my book or document need?
Tone varies enormously across different types of writing. A literary novel, a self-help book, a memoir, and a business nonfiction title all call for very different registers. Let your professional book editor know the context of your manuscript and the audience you're writing for, so they can help you tailor the phrasing appropriately. If you find tone difficult to describe, phrases like "informal but warm," "authoritative and clear," or "conversational and engaging" give your editor a useful starting point. Telling them your target audience, such as "young adults," "industry professionals," or "general readers," helps even more.
4. Do I need to meet a specific word count?
If your manuscript has a target word count, whether set by a publisher, a contest, or your own goals, let your editor know. Decide in advance whether you're comfortable with your editor trimming redundant text to bring the count down. Or whether you'd prefer suggestions for sections that could be developed further to bring it up. This avoids surprises when you receive the edited manuscript back.
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Choose Your Editor5. Do I want suggestions about vocabulary or phrasing?
This is particularly worth considering if English is your second language and you're writing or publishing in English. You can ask your professional book editor to enhance your vocabulary, improve phrasing, or revise passages to read more naturally for a native English speaking audience. These choices are personal, so think about how much latitude you want to give your editor before you submit. For more on this, see Editor World's ESL editing service.
6. Do I want my editor to address flow and organization?
A professional book editor may notice that certain sections, chapters, or paragraphs would read better in a different order, or that transitions between ideas need strengthening. Let your editor know whether you want them to flag or address structural and organizational issues. Or whether you'd prefer they focus only on sentence-level editing and leave the overall structure as it is. Being clear about this scope upfront saves significant time. For more on the distinction between structural and sentence-level work, see our guide on the difference between editing and proofreading.
7. Are there sections I don't want my editor to touch?
If your manuscript contains placeholders for citations you haven't finalized, highlighted passages you plan to revise yourself, or sections still under development, let your editor know when you submit. This prevents them from spending time on sections that aren't ready, and ensures the feedback you receive is focused on the parts of the manuscript that need it most.
Your professional book editor wants to return a manuscript you're proud of. When you and your editor have different ideas about how the finished product should look, it's much harder to achieve that result. Thorough, upfront communication at the start of the editing process saves you time and money. It reduces the likelihood of needing additional rounds of editing. It gives your editor everything they need to deliver exactly what you have in mind. For the underlying principles behind a productive editor collaboration, see our companion article on three ways to have a better writer-editor relationship.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What should I tell my editor before submitting my manuscript?
Tell your editor about the style guide you're following (Chicago, APA, MLA, or other), any conventions required by your publisher or adviser, the tone and target audience for your manuscript, your target word count and whether you want trimming or expansion, your preferences around vocabulary and phrasing changes, the scope of editing you want (sentence-level only or structural feedback as well), and any sections you don't want the editor to touch, such as placeholders or material under revision. The more context you provide upfront, the more useful the feedback you receive will be.
Which style guide should I use for my book?
The right style guide depends on your publisher, your audience, and the genre of your book. The Chicago Manual of Style is the most widely used guide for trade book publishing in the United States, including most fiction and nonfiction books. The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is common in academic humanities writing. The American Psychological Association (APA) style is standard in the social sciences and behavioral sciences. If you're working with a publisher or agent, ask them which style they use. If you're self-publishing, Chicago is the most flexible default for book-length work.
Should I tell my editor about my target word count?
Yes. If your manuscript has a target word count, whether set by a publisher, a contest, or your own goals, your editor needs to know. You should also decide in advance whether you're comfortable with your editor trimming redundant text to bring the count down, or whether you'd prefer suggestions for sections that could be developed further. This avoids surprises when you receive the edited manuscript back and ensures the editor is working toward the same target you are.
Can I ask my editor to improve my vocabulary or phrasing?
Yes, and this is particularly worth considering if English is your second language. You can ask your professional book editor to enhance your vocabulary, improve phrasing, or revise passages to read more naturally for a native English speaking audience. These choices are personal, so think about how much latitude you want to give your editor before you submit. Some authors prefer minimal intervention to preserve their distinctive voice. Others want extensive vocabulary and phrasing improvement, especially when writing in a second language.
Will my editor change my book's structure?
Only if you ask them to or if structural feedback is included in the scope of the editing service you ordered. A professional book editor may notice that certain sections, chapters, or paragraphs would read better in a different order, or that transitions between ideas need strengthening. Whether they address those issues depends on the type of editing you've requested. Developmental editing addresses structure. Copy editing and proofreading typically don't. Let your editor know whether you want structural feedback included or whether you'd prefer them to focus only on sentence-level editing.
How do I tell my editor which sections to skip?
When you submit your manuscript, send a brief note listing any sections that the editor should not edit. Common examples include placeholders for citations you haven't finalized, highlighted passages you plan to revise yourself, and sections still under development. You can also highlight or comment within the manuscript itself to flag these sections visually. Letting the editor know what to skip prevents them from spending time on sections that aren't ready and ensures the feedback you receive is focused on the parts of the manuscript that need it most.
What if my publisher has specific conventions beyond a standard style guide?
Share those conventions with your editor at submission. Your publisher, agent, or writing supervisor may have specific requirements that go beyond standard style guides, such as avoiding passive voice, limiting first person narration in certain sections, restricting block quotes, or following particular conventions for describing events or referencing other works. There's no reason to feel hesitant about sharing these requirements. A professional editor expects them and will treat them as part of the brief.
How much information is too much when briefing my editor?
There's rarely such a thing as too much context for an editor, but the most useful information is specific and actionable. A short, clear brief covering style guide, audience, tone, word count target, scope of editing, and sections to skip is typically more useful than a long general description of the book's goals. Save the detailed background for any specific questions the editor asks during the project. The brief should answer the practical questions the editor needs answered before they begin work, not summarize the book.
Content reviewed by Editor World editorial staff. Editor World, founded in 2010 by Patti Fisher, PhD, graduate of The Ohio State University, provides professional editing and proofreading services for academic researchers, students, business professionals, and authors worldwide. BBB A+ accredited since 2010 with 5.0/5 Google Reviews and 5.0/5 Facebook Reviews. More than 100 million words edited for over 8,000 clients in 65+ countries. Stevie Award winner: Gold 2019, Bronze 2018 and 2025. Native English editors from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada with subject-matter expertise across the social sciences, the natural and physical sciences, medicine, engineering, computer science, and the humanities. 100% human editing, no AI at any stage. Less than 5% of applicants are accepted to the editor panel. Recommended by the Boston University Economics Department.