From the SRP Editor site:
Right now, my editing queue is full through the end of April.
That’s the good news.
The other side of that coin?
A lot of writers wait until the last possible moment to book their editor—and then need the edits back immediately.
That’s where frustration creeps in. Not because the work isn’t important. It is. But because editing doesn’t happen on demand.
Here’s the reality:
Editors schedule weeks—sometimes months—ahead. Not because we like full calendars, but because it’s the only way to give each manuscript the attention it deserves.
When a manuscript shows up late and needs to be turned around fast, something has to give. And it shouldn’t be the quality of the edit.
So here’s the shift that makes everything easier:
Stop thinking of editing as the final step. Start thinking of it as part of your ongoing production schedule.
- Book your editor early.
- Keep writing while you wait.
- Have the next project already in motion.
Because the writers who make the most progress aren’t the ones waiting on edits.
They’re the ones already halfway through the next book.
–Mark