It always annoys me when “literary snobs” dismiss self-published work as sub-par, or something that’s just not worth their time. Sometimes it’s really just them looking down on certain genres (*cough* romance *cough*) because they think it’s “easy to write.” And sometimes, their aversion of all self-published work stems from reading or hearing their peers talk about a handful of badly edited ones.

Sad, but true.

As a reader, I can forgive a few minor grammatical errors in the books I read, but gaping plotholes, one-dimensional characters, and problematic narratives make me cringe and wonder: Who the heck edited this?

I cannot stress this enough: To every author, self-published or not, having a great editor is IMPORTANT. A good editor can spot grammatical or typographical errors for you, but a great editor can do that AND also flag problem points in your manuscript. Great (AKA experienced, skilled, and constantly improving) editors are able to tell if a plot point or character behavior doesn’t make sense and offer constructive insight on how you can make your book better. And the more you continue working with good editors, the better author you will eventually become.

But how exactly do you know if you’re working with a great editor? Here are some qualities that I think they must have.