The Professional Editing Roadmap

6 Steps to Hiring the Right Editor,
Navigating the Editing Process, and Getting the Most from Your Investment

If you’ve landed on this page, I’m gifting you my 6-step email course, which gives authors everything they need to find, hire, and work with a professional editor without getting overwhelmed, overpaying, or ending up with the wrong person for your book

Your guiding light to navigate the process with confidence

You finished self-editing your manuscript. Congrats! 

That’s not a small thing. Take a real moment with it … Pour your favorite drink, strike that superhero pose, or do a little dance to celebrate! 

Now comes the next step: professional editing. 

And suddenly you have questions you might not have thought about:

  • What kind of editing does my book actually need?

  • What should I expect from the author-editor relationship?

  • What will the editing process actually look like, start to finish?

  • When the edits come back, how do I know what to do with them?

  • How much should I budget—and what do I do if money is tight?

  • How do I make sure I end up with the RIGHT editor for my book?

If you already know the answers to all of those, you’re in great shape.

But if you’d like a guide who’s edited hundreds of manuscripts and knows exactly what authors need to understand before they hand one off, I’ve got you.

Make your editing dollars work harder

Course Information

Why I Created This Roadmap

I’m Katie Chambers, founder of Beacon Point LLC and author of two self-editing guides for authors (one for fiction, one for nonfiction). In my nine years of editing,  one thing I see over and over again:

Many authors go into professional editing without the information they need and end up confused, surprised, or paying more than they need.

That’s why I created The Professional Editing Roadmap, a free, 6-step email course that walks you through the entire editing process before it starts, so you can make smart decisions, protect your investment, and actually enjoy working with your editor.

Is This For Me?

If any of these sound familiar, the answer is yes:

  • You finished self-editing and you’re ready for the next step, but “go find an editor” feels vague and a little intimidating
  • You’re not sure what kind of editing your manuscript actually needs (and you’re worried about paying for the wrong thing)
  • You want to know what questions to ask (and what red flags to watch for) before you hire anyone
  • The idea of getting edits back and not knowing what to do with them makes you nervous
  • You’ve heard editing can be expensive, and you want to go in with a real plan, not sticker shock
  • You want to make sure your editor is the right fit for your book—and that you’ll know when you’ve found them

Course Content

1

What to Expect When Working with an Editor

The author–editor relationship is unlike anything else in publishing. This lesson debunks 10 common false assumptions about editing and replaces them with realistic expectations for this working relationship

2

Inside the Editor’s Studio

The editing world has four levels, and if you don’t know what they are, you could easily hire the wrong kind of editor entirely. This lesson breaks it all down so you know exactly what your book needs (and what you’ll be paying for).

3

How Much Will This Be Again?

The money lesson. This is where I break down why editing costs what it does, how to build a realistic budget, and smart strategies if you’re working against a deadline or money is tight.

4

From Start to Finish

What does the editing process look like, step by step? This lesson lays it all out ahead of time so you can plan alongside your editor—and know what a professional editor’s process should look like, too.

5

Responding, Revising, and Rewriting

When the edits come back, then what? This lesson teaches you how to use Tracked Changes, make confident decisions based on their suggestions, pushing back when you disagree, and pick the best review process for you

6

The Right Editor for Me

This final lesson brings it all together: exactly who you’re looking for, what to look for when you find them, and what it feels like when the fit is right. By the end of this lesson, you’ll know precisely what your book needs—and who to trust with it.

Testimonials

Katie Chambers sitting on a sofa, holding a file and a pen, looking at the camera

This course will teach you everything you need to find, hire, and work with not just any editor, but the right one for your book.

Not every editor will walk you through all of that.

This course will.