I'm currently working with Jo Fletcher on my latest fantasy novel. Jo is a legend — one of the most respected editors in the genre, responsible for launching and nurturing careers you've definitely heard of. She's worked with the best, including many of my favourite authors, Terry Pratchett and Robert Rankin to name but two.
Working with her is a privilege. It's also, at times, painful.
The experience
You send off your manuscript. You think it's pretty good. You've revised it yourself, maybe had beta readers, polished it until it shines.
Then the edit comes back. And there's... a lot of comments down the side of the page.
Your favourite scene? Doesn't work. That clever bit of world-building? Confusing. The subplot you loved? Slowing things down. The prose you were proud of? Overwritten.
It stings. It's supposed to.
Why it matters
A professional editor sees what you can't. You're too close to your own work. You know what you meant, so you read it on the page, even when it's not there. You're attached to choices you made months ago. You can't see the wood.
An editor comes in cold. They experience the book as a reader will. They find the gaps, the longueurs, the places where you lost them.
This perspective is invaluable. You cannot get it any other way.
The temptation to resist
The first instinct is to defend. "But they don't understand what I was trying to do." "That scene is important for reasons they don't see." "They're wrong about this."
Sometimes they are wrong. Editors aren't infallible, and ultimately, it's your book. But nine times out of ten, if an editor flags something, there's a real problem — even if their suggested solution isn't quite right.
The mature response is to sit with the feedback. Let the defensiveness pass. Then look again with fresh eyes.
What I've learned
Every round of editing has made my work better. Not just the specific book — my craft overall. You internalise the lessons. You start catching the problems yourself, earlier in the process.
The pain is temporary. The improvement is permanent.
The practical bit
If you're serious about your writing, budget for professional editing at some point. It doesn't have to be a big-name editor. It just has to be someone good, someone who edits your genre, someone who'll tell you the truth.
It will hurt. You'll be glad you did it.