How to Choose a Professional Editing Service

There are many professional editing services available online, and each individual needs to consider their editing needs, preferences, and budget when choosing one. The quality and reputation of professional editing services vary, and it is important to first conduct research on the company offering professional editing services. Things to consider are the company’s ratings and reviews online, how long the company has been offering services, and the prices charged. It is also crucial to verify the skills and experience of the editors who provide services through the professional editing services company.

To choose a professional editing service, think about the type of document you need to have professionally edited. Are you publishing a fiction book, nonfiction book, journal article, white paper, business document, personal document, or something else? Some professional editing service companies provide a broad array of editing services, covering all of these types of documents, while others have a niche and focus more narrowly, perhaps only editing book manuscripts or academic documents. If you need professional editing services regularly, you may want to choose a company that offers an editing team so you can develop a working relationship with several professional editors. This can help you feel comfortable submitting your document for editing to members of an editing team and will offer assurance that you will always be able to hire an editor at any given moment. Having an on-demand editing team is also helpful if you need professional editing for a variety of document types. With an editing team, you can choose the editor who’s the best fit for the individual document each time.

For those who need a one-time professional editing service, an editing team may not be as important. In this case, you want to choose a qualified individual to edit your manuscript, being sure to verify the editor’s credentials, reputation, and reliability. You always want to get a free sample edit from a professional editing service before submitting your full document. This way, you can make sure the editor has the right skills for your project and get an idea of the editor’s communication style.

Which professional editing service you choose also depends on the type of editing you desire. Are you looking for more involved editing and feedback, or a simple copyedit of your document with limited comments from the editor? You should clearly establish your goals and editor requirements before hiring a professional editing service or agreeing to pay for editing services. As the writer of the document, you also want to consider the turnaround times offered by various professional editing service companies. Some offer a quicker turnaround time than others, which is often associated with a higher cost. You always want to make sure that there is a clear deadline for receiving your edited manuscript before making a choice for professional editing services. In addition to having a clear deadline, you want to choose a company that is known for honoring its deadlines (you can often view this information in third-party reviews of the professional editing services company). It’s beyond frustrating to anticipate a deadline that’s not met by the editor.  

The final consideration in choosing a professional editing service is price. Before submitting your document to any professional editing service, you should clearly understand the total price and what you can expect for the price paid. Is the price for professional editing services for one round of editing, which is often the case, or does it include two rounds of editing? As discussed throughout this article, there are several things to consider when choosing a professional editing service. As a paying customer, it is important to fully understand the policies of any professional editing service you hire before submitting your document for editing.

 About Editor World: Writing, Editing, & Proofreading Services

Editor World offers fast, high-quality professional writing, editing, and proofreading services. Clients can choose their own professional writer or editor 24/7 and communicate with the provider throughout the writing and/or editing process. Editor World’s prices are based on one round of editing and proofreading (contact info@editorworld.com for more information).