Your first draft (or second or third) is done and now it’s ready for an editor, right? But are you ready?

Continuing on with my general project of demystifying writing and publishing, I thought I’d touch on the subject of feedback: what it’s like working with an editor to shape up your manuscript and whether you’re ready to receive feedback. It’s a tough one when you’ve put so much time, passion and yourself into the work, but my hope is that this can guide writers, both old and new, with emotional preparedness.

Many writers regardless of how long they’ve been at their creative practice are raring to go and ready to take the next steps: whether that’s polishing their book for self-publishing or finalising their manuscript in preparation for querying agents and publishers. However, some writers don’t take the time to reflect on themselves.

It’s time to ask yourself: Am I ready for feedback?

And by that I don’t mean nice comments from your family and friends. I mean actual feedback from a professional editor. Of course that editor will help you to see what’s working in your manuscript. The idea here is to address your manuscript’s strengths, but the editorial process is also to help you make your work the best it can be before self-publishing or querying. In short, what could be better?

Especially for new writers, it’s hard to realise that those books you see in bookshops are not created in a vacuum. An editor will most likely tell you that even if you have a great concept and some excellent writing or ideas, you should prepare yourself for rewrites and next drafts (even major revisions; not just light touch rewordings).

My clients come from a wide range: writers who are new to writing and those who are old hats. But I still like to prepare everyone with the following information. Because you know what? It doesn’t matter. You’ve been putting so much of your creativity, energy and passion into your book, it can still be a hard process to allow another person to critique it.

But remember, you know your work best and at the end of the day, you might not find all suggestions actionable, but the idea is to offer a guide to help you on the next stage of your editorial journey. The feedback from your editor is to help you with your redrafting strategy and you can take or leave what you find most useful.

1. Writers tend to jump right in and read the editorial report quickly, going straight to the critical bits and lose track of what is working. You don’t want to lose focus, so give yourself the luxury of breathing time. Try waiting at least a week before actioning any feedback. Let the report firm up in your mind.

2. An editor looks at big and small points. It’s the nature of an editor. Writers sit with their work for a long time and naturally miss things. It’s not useful for you to solely focus on the small elements. Think about how the picture will work for your readers. Small things might feel like nit-picks but your editor usually only brings them up as a potential hurdle for other readers, agents and editors. You might find it’s not an issue and it’s something the editor misunderstood. It might also resolve itself in your next revision.

3. You want to improve your work. Whether that’s to eventually land an agent or finalise your manuscript to self-publish. You want it in its best possible form. No one has written the perfect book when they’ve asked for feedback, but still for some writers, it can be hard to put emotions aside. A professional editor won’t be offering unlimited praise and remember: They want to help you get closer to a better, more engaging book. You don’t have to take every piece of advice or suggestion, but it could be helpful to consider where the comment is coming from (e.g., is there a reason why the voice is confusing or the narrator isn’t resonating with the reader).

4. Sometimes a note from your editor is unclear or really sticks out to you because you hadn’t thought of that point. Ask your editor to elaborate! Remember, though, it’s useful to wait and digest, and to not sweat the small stuff. How will knowing more about a teeny-tiny point help with your editorial journey? Is it just to know why they missed the character answering a question on page 68 or is it to clarify about the benefits of the three-act structure? The latter which is far more important to your book.

5. Be prepared to redraft and edit large sections of your manuscript after receiving an editorial report. I often find that a lot of new writers don’t quite understand this. You might have new ideas based off the actionable feedback and suggestions from your editor but also, no doubt, from your own plan. To perfect your final draft, you will write multiple drafts including major revisions before you send your book out. No one writes one draft then lightly proofreads and then it’s published to great success. Multiple drafts is completely normal! The author Virginia Feito recently spoke about having to complete re-write Victorian Psycho because the first version was so bad it made her mother cry and her agent was worried for her career. You know what she did? She listened to the feedback and then rewrote the entire manuscript.

It can be extremely disheartening for writers to work so long on a first draft and send it off to several agents and hear only crickets, rejection or rejection paired with the feedback that they should seek out editorial help. But it can be equally disheartening to seek out editorial services when you aren’t emotionally prepared to work with a professional editor.

But remember it’s a wonderful opportunity to strengthen your book, hone your craft and gain key insights about where your book could sit in the market.