Do I need professional editing before querying agents?

April 1, 2025
Do I need professional editing before querying agents? blog feature

Is it necessary to get professional editing before querying literary agents?

Whether or not to get professional editing before querying is a (somewhat) controversial topic in the publishing world! Agents and publishers have lots of opinions on whether you need to hire an editor before querying literary agents. Because of this, it’s important to consider all the factors before you make a decision either way.

Hi, I’m Kaitlin, an editor for indie romance fiction writers. During my career I’ve received quite a few inquiries for copyediting services from authors who are preparing to pursue the traditional publishing route. Today my goal is to help you decide if professional editing is the right step for you!

 

Is paying for copyediting a waste of money?

Some people point out that publishing houses provide free editing services during the traditional publication process. They might say paying for copyediting before getting an agent is a waste of money since publishers will likely ask you to rewrite portions of your book anyway.

It’s true that your manuscript will change a lot from when you first submit it! In that way, yes, paying for an editing service could be considered a waste of money.

The other side of the coin is that the publishing industry is extremely competitive, and authors who hire experienced editors before submitting their work can gain an advantage over less-polished submissions. 

Your manuscript doesn’t need to be perfect before you submit it. But it should be clear, readable, free of major flaws, and your story must be strong. If you think you need an expert set of eyes to meet this standard, working with an editor may be a good idea.

Copyediting is focused on the mechanics and consistency of your story. While you may have a good grasp on that, what if you’re worried your story itself needs help? That’s where a developmental editor could really help. A developmental editor will look at your story as a whole and help you find plot holes, character inconsistencies, and sections that need to be reworked, removed, or revised. 

A line editor may also be a good choice for you. A line editor looks at language and voice sentence by sentence. A good line editor will be on the lookout for language that could be stronger, passive voice, and overall flow of the text.

Agents don't expect perfection

Literary agents don’t expect to receive flawless manuscripts. They know that any story they accept will go through an extensive process of developmental editing, line editing, and more before publication. However, they don’t have all the time in the world to overhaul a sloppy manuscript. You want to show agents that your work is professional, solid, and worth their time. 

You might want to pay for professional editing if:

*You know you need help with grammar. If you run your entire book through a grammar checker and it flags a whole bunch of things that you’re not sure how to fix, an expert can help.

*You want to present the best version of your manuscript. Submitting your work to agents is a lot like applying for a job—you want your resumé and cover letter to stand out, or you risk getting glossed over for a cleaner or stronger application.

*You aren’t confident. If you know there are loose ends or loopholes in your story and you can’t figure out how to resolve them, or if you feel that certain characters just aren’t fleshing out in the right way, it’s probably worth it to get those looked at by an editor. 

*You want to invest in your writing craft. Seeking professional feedback is an investment into your career (or side gig) as an author. Think about it this way: People spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars going to school, obtaining equipment or resources, getting certifications, etc. in order to successfully achieve their goals. Expert feedback doesn’t just improve this one book—it can improve your skills as a writer. 

*You’ve already started contacting agents and have received a ton of rejections. Getting feedback from an editor can highlight potential issues or weaknesses in your book that you may be unaware of. They can help you rework your manuscript, query letter, and/or synopsis, so you can get back to the submission process with a better chance of getting published.

What do editors say?

Erika Steeves, a fiction editor—specializing in science fiction, horror, and speculative fiction—with over a decade of experience, gives her take on the benefits of hiring an expert:

“Although it’s not necessary to work with a professional editor before authors start querying, I think getting a partial or full copyedit can be really beneficial.

Agents are poring through so many submissions. Making sure your manuscript isn’t riddled with errors and inconsistencies will give you a leg up in terms of first impressions and giving you more opportunities for them to request to read the full manuscript. It’ll also help showcase your storytelling and characters if readers aren’t stumbling and distracted by surface problems.

Again, it’s not necessary to go through a whole copyedit—because publishers will go through the process again anyways once they accept the manuscript—but just getting the agent to see the potential in your story is how you get through this stage of the querying process. That’s why I recommend, if possible, getting whatever pages you’ll be sending to an agent copyedited. It can also be helpful to get your query letter looked at as well.

Another benefit is the learning experience of working with a copyeditor for a partial edit. That way authors can apply the sorts of edits to the rest of their manuscript.”

Steeves has worked with querying authors before in a few different capacities. When asked to describe what she does for authors looking for literary agents she said:

“Querying authors have come to me when they start querying, or when an agent has asked to read more of their manuscript. In these cases, I typically copyedit the first 50 or so pages of their novel so that they have the best chance of making a great first impression. I’m copyediting mainly for mechanics and consistency—anything that would draw the reader out of the story and make it difficult for them to stay immersed.

Especially with agents, or anyone reading through a pile of submissions, it’s extremely important to keep their attention. Although they don’t expect the manuscript to be fully edited, it’s just a better experience to read a manuscript that’s as clean as possible.”

Michelle Meade, an editor who worked in-house at a traditional publisher for over ten years before going freelance, believes writers usually don’t need an editor before submitting their work.

“I don’t generally recommend getting professional copyediting (and especially not proofreading) before submitting to literary agents, but this advice has qualifiers. Here’s the thing: if your novel is going to attract an agent and then go on to get a publishing deal, part of that deal includes professional editing in-house (from developmental edits all the way to proofreading). In the same way that I never want writers to pay for line/copy edits before or at the same time as developmental edits (because the whole POINT of dev edits is that substantive changes are going to be made, rendering the technical edits mostly moot), it’s a waste of money to pay for copy edits when there’s still so much that might change once you land an agent. The other thing to remember is that proofreading should be done on a final, typeset manuscript, so that’s definitely not one I’d suggest getting ahead of time. 
 
Now for the caveat: what you definitely want to avoid is querying with an error-filled manuscript. However (and this is a big however), I still don’t think this is when hiring a CE is a good idea. If your writing is at a place where you’re not clear on the grammatical and technical basics to self-edit and eliminate obvious errors, I would say the question isn’t, “Should I invest in a copy edit?” but rather, “How can I improve my writing skills and knowledge to level up my pages?” I’m not saying you have to be a perfect writer when it comes to the technical stuff, but you should have enough of a grasp of the basic rules that your writing is clear, straightforward, and not filled with typos. Writing is a job, and it comes with a required skill set, just like any other career. If your dream is to be traditionally published, then you should be willing to put in the work required to meet those skills, especially when these are skills that can be worked on for free.”
 
When asked if she found that most submitted manuscripts to her publishing house had been through a copyedit or proofread, Meade had this to say:
 
“It was nothing we ever expected or asked about specifically, so I would say that for the most part, traditional publishers don’t know whether you’ve had these services and definitely don’t require them. That said, the manuscripts submitted to me in-house were in solid shape (mostly error-free) because they’d already been through the rigorous editorial stages with their agent (and before). The reality is that a manuscript riddled with grammatical and technical errors is certainly going to have a harder time generating enthusiasm, so it’s worthwhile to get yours as clean as possible before going into querying.”

Still curious? A few more experts in the industry share their honest opinions here!

Other options

But what if I’m still not sure??

That’s totally okay! Here are a few alternative options you could try instead of (or before committing to) a full service edit.

*Request a partial edit—such as the first five chapters or first fifty pages. This is a more cost-effective option and will show an agent or publisher the sample of your manuscript in its best light. You can also compare your original section to the revised version to see whether the editor made a significant improvement, or if the original is already good enough for submission.

*Pay to edit just your query letter and/or synopsis. Query letters have very specific rules, and an editor with this type of experience will be able to make sure it makes a great first impression. Your book synopsis also needs to grab an agent’s attention, so getting this document edited can give you an advantage without costing a fortune!

*Enlist the help of beta readers and critique partners. (And no, this doesn’t mean friends and family.) While well-meaning, your best friend and your brother may not know what to look for, or what makes a strong story in your particular genre. When recruiting feedback from peers, be sure they are in your book’s target audience, and are strong writers or readers themselves. It’s also helpful to give your readers a specific list of things to look for, such as whether any parts of the story don’t make sense, or whether the book follows expectations of that genre.

*Do a thorough self-edit, then do it again! If you only do ONE thing between writing your first draft and sending it off to agents, make sure it’s an extensive self-edit. Don’t rush it either. Spend as much time as you need to combing through your book, running it through a grammar and spellchecker, putting it away for an extended period of time, and then returning to it for another round. 

What if you start going through your book and realize that maybe you do need an editor after all? Pay attention to these signs that indicate you could benefit from hiring a professional editor.

Will a lack of professional editing hold me back?

The short answer: If your story is great, no. If your manuscript isn’t readable, yes.

When agents review your manuscript, they look at the story as a whole. If your story is solid, then smaller errors won’t matter as much. But if there are significant flow or developmental flaws, agents will likely move on to the next submission. Use your best judgment here—you know your work best!

Will you get an editor before querying?

What are your thoughts? Do you think it’s worth it to pay for an editing service before you query agents?

Maybe you want to start with one of the alternatives mentioned above, such as a partial edit or having your synopsis reviewed. If that sounds like the right option for you, send me a message and let’s talk about how I can help!

 

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