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Nathan shares his experience hiring a developmental editor for his novel, a process that's often opaque to aspiring authors. He details how he found and evaluated potential editors, from scouring book acknowledgments to leveraging AI tools, and breaks down the surprising costs and timelines involved in working with top-tier editors from major publishing houses.
The conversation explores how the publishing landscape has evolved, with many experienced editors from the "Big Five" publishers now working independently and commanding fees between $3,000-$8,000 for a full manuscript review. Nathan and Nat discuss the changing dynamics of traditional publishing, where debut novels need to be more polished than ever before submission, and how hiring a developmental editor might be becoming an essential step in the journey to publication.
TIMESTAMPS
[00:13] Hiring a developmental editor for novel
[00:49] Current writing projects updates
[05:34] Nathan's agent querying results
[09:19] Finding developmental editors
[15:47] Methods you can use to search for editors
[19:21] The Reedsy platform for book professionals
[21:23] Using book acknowledgments to find editors
[22:00] How to reach out to potential editors
[26:24] Narrowing down editor choices
[26:53] Pricing for developmental editing services
[28:22] Timeline expectations and booking challenges
[31:29] Surprising aspects of the hiring process
[35:28] How Nathan's perspective on querying has changed
[37:18] What to do while waiting for editor availability
[40:55] Final thoughts on cold emailing current publishers
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