Choose one authoritative version
Save a clearly named copy of the manuscript you want edited. Resolve duplicate chapter files and identify any material that belongs outside the book. If you have earlier tracked changes, explain whether they should be accepted, reviewed, or preserved before a new edit begins.
Make the structure easy to follow
Use consistent chapter headings and normal paragraph styles. Keep the text editable. Avoid manually inserting spaces to align text or using repeated blank lines to position a heading. Indicate intentional scene breaks consistently, and mark placeholders for images or tables.
Write a short author brief
Name the book’s intended audience, genre, purpose, and approximate word count. Explain the kind of help you want and anything that should remain untouched: dialect, deliberate repetition, unusual spelling, culturally specific terms, or meaningful numbers. An editor should understand the intention before changing a pattern.
Gather supporting material
Send a list of character and place names, a reference list if relevant, and your preferred spelling convention. If illustrations contain text, include that text in an editable file. Identify quotations and permissions questions so they can be discussed within the scope rather than discovered at the final production stage.
Agree how questions and revisions will work
Ask how editorial queries will be presented, how you should respond, which file becomes the working version, and how many follow-up rounds are included. A clean copy and a tracked-changes copy serve different purposes. Keep a backup before reviewing changes and read queries in context.
Your final preparation check
One current manuscript. A confirmed word count. A short audience and style brief. A list of deliberate exceptions. An explanation of work already completed. A realistic desired schedule. These details help an editor propose useful work without guessing what your book needs.
Explore editing & proofreading or compare the proposed packages to plan the next stage.