on BookBaby Blog:

What type of editing you need and what an editor can do to improve your work depends a lot on where you are in the arc of your project. Wherever you are, a precision edit is what you want.

Sending your book to an editor can stir up scary or triumphant feelings – or both. You are exposing yourself and your work and inviting scrutiny, but editors are there to help.

What you need from an editor depends on where you stand in the story development queue. Are you still developing your plot, characters, or setting? Are you on draft number 20? Just combing out the last typos?

Stories develop over time, from initial idea to full detail. How well have you done and how will a reader respond? Ask an editor.

Editing services come in different levels of invasiveness. Pick the right editor to help you hone anything — from big to small — from your story concept to poltergeist typos.