You can employ an editor at any point in your writing process. A great rule of thumb is to always completely rewrite your book once you finish the first draft. This sounds like a lot of work at first but it can also feel incredibly freeing. Instead of facing the blank page, you are working with something that already has structure, tone and emotion. In our opinion, it is a waste to hire a professional editor when most of their work is absorbed fixing simple errors that could have been caught with spell check. Rewriting beyond the first draft means you are making your book the best it can be before it leaves your hands, and your editor can take it even further. A rewrite of your entire book is certainly a lengthy endeavor, but it’s a great opportunity to advance the manuscript before you send it to an editor. It can be really exciting to be swept away by your own novel!