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@taylorclogston

I’m going to invade Jess’s guild for a minute because I’m very sorry to hear that you’ve had a bad experience with editors. From what you’ve said, it sounds like whoever you worked with wasn’t qualified, which I’m afraid is the case with many alleged “professional” editors. A line editor should do much more for your prose than catch errors.

A word of advice: Testimonials (and even recommendations from other writers) are meaningless if the editor has no other credentials (such as affiliations with professional organizations, experience working with publishers, certifications, etc.). Many writers (especially inexperienced ones) aren’t discerning enough to be able to tell the difference between a skilled editor and a wannabe. Thus, if the so-called editor makes a few changes and suggestions that the client likes, she’ll give the editor a glowing testimonial.

Editors must go through a screening process (which includes vigorous testing) to get jobs at publishers and be admitted to certain organizations (such as the Christian Editor Connection), so that’s why those are solid factors in verifying an editor’s credibility. Also, if an editor isn’t a member of a professional organization (such as The Christian PEN, ACFW, or the EFA), that means they aren’t plugged into the industry and probably aren’t aware of the current trends and standards. I’d recommend looking into The Christian PEN and CEC when searching for a reputable editor to hire in the future.