How to respond to edits on your book
Deep breaths all round... you can do this!
Hi everyone, and welcome to my new subscribers! Thank you for signing up.
Today’s Substack is sort of a follow up piece to the previous post about restructuring your novel. This can be a big project and it is often something editors ask for - they might suggest you make fairly major changes such as altering an ending, cutting out a character, keeping someone alive (I once had to *spoiler alert!* keep a baby alive in my third novel because the foreign rights agents didn’t think the alternative would go down well in their markets… that was a challenging rewrite, let me tell you! Though actually, it is now my bestselling novel!)
Anyway, today I wanted to send out a post about how to actually respond to and deal with the edits you might receive from a publisher.
As an editor, part of my job is to send authors feedback on their novels and let them know what I think is working well, and what perhaps needs a little more work (and OK, sometimes lot!). As a writer now too, I’ve also experienced this from the other side, so I hope I am in a good position to give some advice.
Receiving edits on your book can be a very strange feeling – after all, this is something you’ve probably spent months (or years) labouring over, and you’re understandably nervous to see what someone else in the publishing industry thinks of it. It’s really wonderful hearing that your editor likes your book – one of the best feelings – and it can be worrying hearing about the parts that might need to change, but it doesn’t all have to be scary. Here are some tips I have for dealing with edits and avoiding hitting the panic button:
1. Take the time to process them. I am guilty of often having really knee-jerk, almost panicked reactions to things, and that includes edits, and my initial reaction is always to only see the negative and start worrying about how on earth I’m going to make the changes needed. I always want to reply straight away and sort things out as quickly as possible, but as an editor I advise my authors to do the opposite (I’m pretty bad at taking my own advice!) and to instead take a little time to just think over the notes, maybe even sleep on it, and let them percolate in your mind a bit so that you can avoid having an instinctive, emotional response. Remember that your editor will have the same goal as you – to make the book the very best it can be and ensure it resonates with readers and sells lots of copies! Their edits will only be designed to help you make your manuscript even tighter, and they’re a useful pair of fresh eyes, as by the editing stage you as the author will already have spent so long poring over the manuscript that it will be harder to see where the pace is lagging or where things need a little more clarity. You all want the same thing - think about it logically, why would they not want your novel to sell?!
2. Always respond politely. Even if you don’t agree with something that’s been suggested, try not to get upset or angry – the comments should all be about your manuscript, rather than you as a person, and the best working relationships are always polite and kind. Occasionally, you might feel as though your editor is completely wrong, but even if that’s the case, they’re still spending their time working on your book and ultimately they want you to succeed. Books are so subjective, and it’s natural that you might not always agree with everything, but your editor will usually have good experience in the industry and be taking into account important things which you may not have thought of such as other books in the market, the opinion of retailers, and feedback they’ve had on similar types of books. If you feel like you need to let off steam after receiving edits, talk things through with a friend, go out for a run or whatever your equivalent is – do something distracting and allow yourself to feel the upset then let it move past you before you sit down to email back! I really value the relationships I have with both my list of authors and my own agent and editor – we’re all on the same side.
3. Take notice of the positives. I often completely gloss over any positives that people say about my writing and focus only on the negative, and I think a lot of people do this too. It’s very unlikely that your editor will hate your whole book; what’s much more likely is that they really believe in you and love your writing, and are pushing you on a couple of plot points or raising questions over characters in order to ensure your book is 100% brilliant. I always try to leave positive notes in the margins when I’m editing, calling out lines I love or really breath-taking moments, and my hope is that the author will notice these as well as the more constructive comments. Praise is praise, and you deserve it – don’t dismiss it!
4. Ask questions. If there’s anything your editor has said which you feel doesn’t make sense or you’re not sure about – just ask! It could be that something hasn’t been explained quite well enough, or that you’re both reading the same lines but interpreting them differently, and no good editor will ever mind an author asking for more clarity. I always tell my authors that they can call me to discuss edits too, as sometimes a phone chat can help (or even face to face if it is geographically easy). Never feel stupid for asking questions – the book by that point is quite a collaborative process so it can be super useful to discuss editorial changes before making them, and I actually love talking about books with my writers. You never know when a new and exciting idea might spark.
5. Keep it in perspective. It can be really overwhelming receiving editorial feedback sometimes, but it’s also hugely exciting – I feel privileged to get feedback from my agent and editor on my work, and in reality there are probably lots of authors who would love to have an editor. To be at the stage where you are being edited is wonderful – so take the time to reflect on that and give yourself a pat on the back for getting as far as you have! If it all feels overwhelming, remind yourself of all the other things you no doubt have going on in your life. Writing and the publishing industry can be amazing, but they’re only a small part of a very wide world.
6.Be realistic about deadlines. You can tell your editor if you have a holiday coming up, or something major going on in your life, or if you simply need more time - publication dates are always flexible (we move them around literally all the time) and it’s better to be realistic about the time your re-write might take rather than agree to a deadline and then miss it. That causes far more problems for publishers, as we then have to change the production schedules, so have a proper think about how much time you need, and then discuss that conversation honestly with your team. I promise they won’t be cross! I always really value and respect authors who can meet deadlines - it does get frustrating when deadlines are missed or constantly pushed back multiple times without valid reason - but if an author asks for more time and is straight with me about needing that, I can build time into the schedule and it’s all fine.
What tips do you have for responding to edits? Feel free to share them in the comments below, and as always, thank you for reading The Honest Editor, and please share with your networks if you are enjoying.
Wishing you all lovely weekends.
Phoebe x
In my experience, editors often send edits out on a Friday evening. I read them, cry a little, swear a lot, put them away and open some wine.
The following day I reread them and realise the editor is right, of course, and I am hungover.
I have just the same reaction to receiving edits - a panicky, overwhelmed 'I can't do this!'. But now I recognise this as my anxious brain firing off fearful arrows. Your advice to let things percolate is great. Sometimes, for me, it helps to gently lower myself into the edits and begin by making the small changes I can rather than addressing the big structural things. It might seem 'wrong' to do this because of course big structural changes may affect the smaller edits, but psychologically I find it good because I get in touch with my own agency and feel I'm able to do something. And once that happens, the bigger stuff becomes more do-able. When it does come to the big stuff, I find it really helps to focus on one thing and make all the changes relating to that before moving to another. Again, 'one thing' feels far more doable and less overwhelming.