What if you’ve already done enough to work with an editor—right now? Most writers think they need to finish more drafts, solve more problems, or reach some mysterious milestone before they “deserve” editorial help. But what if that’s completely backward?

You have been working on your book for so long. You’ve spent months outlining. Developing. Drafting. Years revising. And revising. And revising.

Or maybe, you’ve spent those years planning, and plotting, and researching, and one day pretty soon you’ll probably be ready to write the first word.

And all this time, in the back of your mind, you’re wondering:

When should you work with an editor?

After all, you like to plan. You want to know where in your process you should expect to invest in editing.

Also, if you’re honest with yourself, you’re secretly kind of miserable. You’ve been struggling with your story for ages. All that revising is starting to feel like spinning your wheels on story problems you should be able to solve, but just can’t crack.

But you’re afraid of reaching out too early, with half-baked ideas, an unfinished manuscript, or a draft five riddled with problems you know you need to solve. After all, editors need a manuscript to edit, right? And if you already know the problems are there, you should just fix them, not pay someone else just to tell you yes, you were right, your story has problems.

So: when exactly is the right time to work with an editor?

That’s the question I’m tackling today. And if everything I just described sounded way too painfully relatable, my answer might surprise you. Here’s a hint: it’s earlier than you think—and that’s a wonderful thing.

When Should You Work With an Editor?

This is such a good question because most writers do not know about all the support available to you or when you can seek it out. And if you’ve been here a while, you know that I am passionate about equipping you with the knowledge of the publishing industry that will empower you to get all the support you need exactly when you need it, and not get taken advantage of along the way.

It’s kind of the Wild West out here in the publishing world. There are a lot of opportunities around you and a lot of pitfalls. And until you’re pretty deep in it, most people really don’t know what’s out there.

So today, I’m going to equip you with my best advice on when you should bring an editor into your process.

And I’m going to share a low-key, high-impact way you can start working with an editor, even if you’re not sure you’re ready yet. That’s coming at the very end.

When should you work with an editor? Here’s my short answer:

Work With an Editor When You’re Stuck

I recommend you work with an editor when you’re stuck.

This is my favorite metric for determining when it’s time to work with an editor.

You don’t need an editor when . . .

Are you flowing?

Do you have clarity about what you’re writing?

Do you feel confident about what to do next?

Do you have a process that’s working for you?

Are you making progress that feels good?

Great! Fantastic! Keep doing what you’re doing. You have everything you need right now, and your writing is bringing you creative fulfillment and joy. There’s no need to make a change or bring in an editor right now.

You DO need an editor when . . .

Are you stuck?

Is your story muddled, and you don’t know how to solve it?

Do you feel like you’re banging your head against a wall, like you have a thousand ideas but don’t know what to do with any of them?

Do you feel totally overwhelmed, lost and confused about what to do next?

Is your process not working, or you don’t have a process at all?

Do you feel stalled and unable to make progress?

This is a great time to bring in an editor. You have taken your writing as far as you can easily go alone. Yes, you can make more progress on your own, but it’s going to be slow and painful and full of second-guessing yourself.

An editor can help with all of this—with un-muddling your story, helping you choose between all your ideas and strategize how to implement them, with building a process that works for you, with marking the progress you’ve made so far and setting expectations and goals for the progress you’ll make next.

You Don’t Need to Reach a Milestone

You’ll notice that I didn’t say you should reach out to an editor after you’ve hit a specific milestone—

• After you’ve finished your first draft,
• Or your second,
• Or the one you’re hoping is your final draft.

The amount you’ve accomplished is not the measurement I use to determine when you should reach out for an editor’s help.

That’s because the landscape of author support is enormous. It’s so much greater than most writers realize.

There is always, always, always someone who can help you with exactly what you’re struggling with.

If you’re struggling to wrap your head around the first spark of an idea, there’s someone who can help.

If you’ve spent months or years planning and researching and you’re wondering whether you have enough to start writing or need to keep preparing, there’s someone who can help.

If you’re trying to write your first draft, but you can’t figure out how to fit writing into your life or make it work with your brain, there’s someone who can help.

If you stalled out halfway through that draft and you have no idea what happens next in your story, there’s someone who can help.

If you’ve finished your first draft, and now you feel like you fell off the map and you have no idea what to do next, there’s someone who can help.

If you’ve revised three drafts and now you’ve lost all objectivity and can’t see the forest for the trees, there’s someone who can help.

If you think you’re finally done and you want to start pitching your manuscript to agents, but you’re worried you might be missing something, there’s someone who can help.

If you have pitched agents, and you’re getting rejections and don’t know what’s wrong or what to do with them, there’s someone who can help.

If you’ve pitched agents successfully, and gotten book deals, and written books you’re proud of, and now you want to level up, there’s someone who can help.

You get the picture: if you are at literally any stage of the entire process from idea generation to marketing your book after publication, there’s someone who can help.

And so the question is NOT: Have you made enough progress to be ready for an editor?

A much better question is: Are you stuck?

If so, there’s someone who can help.

Find the Right Editor or Book Coach

Now, the trick, of course, is finding the right person to help with the specific things you need at the specific point of the process where you’re stuck. The internet is vast and there are so many author service providers out there. But knowing how to find them, what search terms to google or how to vet people’s websites to determine whether they’re the person you need—well, that can get tricky.

So let me give you some language to watch for, and explain what that language might tell you.

There are two main roles to watch for: “Editor,” or more specifically, “developmental editor,” and “book coach.” There’s a lot of overlap between those roles, but they’re not exactly the same.

Many editors consider themselves book coaches as well, and many book coaches consider themselves editors as well.

I personally am both. I’m certified in Story Grid as a developmental editor, and I’m certified in Author Accelerator as a book coach. I think of myself as a heavily editorial book coach, or a developmental editor who conveys feedback via coaching.

But there are also many people who consider themselves one or the other, but not both. There are book coaches who do not consider themselves editors. And there are editors who do not consider themselves book coaches.

Editor vs. Book Coach

We could get into all the nitty-gritty nuances between those two roles. And believe me, I’m tempted—it’s something I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about.

But for the purposes of answering our question—when should you work with an editor?—there’s just one difference I want to make sure you’re aware of.

The role of “editor” has traditionally involved giving feedback on a completed manuscript. Someone who leads with “editor” as their role is more likely to want you to have a completed manuscript before they work with you.

The role of “book coach” encompasses writer support at every part of the writing, editing, and publishing process, from idea generation all the way to pitching, publication, and even after. Someone who leads with “book coach” as their role may be open to working with you before you’ve written a single word.

Find Someone Who Specializes in Exactly What You Need

These are loose, general guidelines, not hard-and-fast rules. For every service provider you find, you’ll want to investigate to see what they specialize in.

Do they prefer to work with new writers beginning to plan their first-ever novel?

I know of several Author Accelerator book coaches who love this stage. My friend and colleague Savannah Gilbo built a fantastic course and membership group that’s perfect for writers who are stuck here.

Do they prefer to work with writers who have been wrestling with one story idea for a long time, and who have a lot of content drafted, but are struggling to get the plot to work?

My friend and colleague Kim Kessler is brilliant at this stage, and I send writers her way all the time.

Do they prefer to work with writers several drafts in, after the big-picture plot problems are all solved, to refine and polish the scenes and pages and lines?

This is my specialty—I love this stage, and I can help writers so much more here than at any of the previous stages.

All three of us are editors. All three of us are book coaches. And all three of us specialize in different stages of the writing, editing, and publishing process.

So, I suppose that defining “editor” versus “book coach” isn’t a huge differentiator, at least in our case. But I still want you to know what those terms mean, especially so that when you see them on their own—someone who’s an editor but not a book coach; someone who’s a book coach but not an editor—you know what that might suggest.

The True Limiting Factor

Hopefully, by now, you’re starting to see what most writers don’t realize when they’re just getting started: There really is someone who can help you at any and every stage of your process.

That means that the amount you’ve accomplished in your book simply is not a limiting factor. There is no “right” amount to have done before you reach out for help. You have accomplished enough simply by deciding to write a book. That’s it—that’s all you need to do before you reach out for support.

The limiting factor is also not “do you want to get an editor’s help.” In my experience, most writers do—especially once they’ve gotten a taste of just how powerful it can be. My clients regularly tell me that our calls are their favorite hour of their week, and they wish they could have this level of support for every book they write.

So if it’s not how much you’ve accomplished, and it’s not whether you’d like it or not, what is the limiting factor?

You can probably guess: it’s budget. Does your budget allow for it? That’s the one factor that can make it a good idea to wait rather than calling in support early and often.

When to Work With an Editor (Since Your Budget Isn’t Infinite)

In a perfect world where every writer had infinite funds to invest in their writing, I’d encourage you to bring in an editor or book coach as early as possible, and work with them as often as possible

But, since that’s not the world we live in, I recommend this instead:

Bring in an editor or book coach when you’re stuck—no matter what part of the writing, editing, or publishing process you’re in.

And if you’re not stuck, but you still want support:

Bring in an editor or book coach when you want to level up.

A great editor or book coach will be able to see opportunities in your writing that you haven’t seen before and help you hone your skills and your story to make the most of them. That means we’re the people you want in your process when you’re stuck and don’t know how to solve the problems you’re facing, or when you’re flowing but you can see there’s potential left on the table and you know you need help to reach it.

There Is ALWAYS Someone Who Can Help You

The bottom line is this: There is always, always, always a service provider out there who can help you with exactly what you’re struggling with. The world is big, the internet is vast, and there are trustworthy professionals who are experts in exactly where you’re stuck.

So don’t feel like you need to do more before you’ve earned the right to work with an editor. Don’t feel like you need to make more progress before you could benefit from an editor’s feedback. Don’t tell yourself you need to solve all your problems before you bring an editor in.

Our job is solving problems! And we can help you find the root of what’s really getting you stuck so that you can move forward with confidence and know that you’re working on what matters most in your story.

Want to Try It? Start With Next Right Step

If you do have a draft of your novel, and you’re feeling editor-curious, I have the perfect starter package for you.

It’s called Next Right Step, and it’s a one-day manuscript intensive where I will show you your best next step to revise your manuscript.

Here’s how it works:

I’ll send you a worksheet to fill out to tell me about your story.

You’ll send me your materials—your manuscript, your scene list, and your completed worksheet.

Then, I’ll spend a day devoted just to you and your story. I’ll dig into your materials and identify exactly what’s working, what’s not, and what you should focus on next.

At the end of the day, we’ll have a call where I’ll share what I’ve found, I’ll point you to your next right step, and we’ll start exploring what it looks like to solve the most important challenges in your manuscript. I’ll have suggestions for how to do that with more editor support or on your own.

It’s all designed to help you get unstuck and create a clear, actionable revision plan custom-built for you and your story—whether that’s with an editor or on your own. And, of course, to give you a taste of what it’s like to work with an editor in general, and me specifically.

In order to make the most of Next Right Step, you’ll need a completed manuscript. (Remember, I’m a developmental editor who specializes in the stage after you’ve finished your manuscript.)

That manuscript could be a first draft, or a tenth draft, or the draft you’ve submitted to agents, but aren’t getting any bites on. If you have a draft, and you’re feeling unsure what it needs, Next Right Step is a great fit.

Right now, as of the moment this post is published in September 2025, I have about four spots available for new Next Right Step clients. If you’d like to be one of them, fill out this form to tell me about your story.

Don’t Stay Stuck Alone

And remember: There is always, always, always a qualified, trustworthy professional out there who specializes in helping writers like you solve the exact problems you’re facing right now. If you’re feeling stuck, there’s no need to struggle alone. You have already done more than enough to qualify you to work with an editor or book coach.

So look around, reach out, and find the people you need to be on your team. And if I’m the person you’d like on your team, fill out the form right here and let’s connect.

You’ve got this, and you never have to go it alone!

Happy editing!