(#8) it's a matter of trust

how do you know you're getting the right editor?

Author

Addison Horner
April 02, 2026

Text from Threads user @ac_orlandi: “I wish I could trust dev editors. I've interviewed so many and they all say the same awesome things, but l've had two already on this project and neither could help it.”

When I saw this post on Threads, I had a LOT of thoughts.

First—you should be able to trust your editor. They’re your partner in prose, your comrade in craft. They want what you want, which is to make your story as excellent as possible.

It’s easy to look at this and say, “Well, not all editors.”

But this writer has worked with two editors and had less-than-ideal results.

So are they supposed to play the editor lottery until they get the right one?

There’s something deeper here—did you catch it?

“…and neither could help it.”

This writer came to their editors with specific problems or issues in mind.

They wanted help, presumably to make the story “better.”

Whether they could define what “better” meant for them, I can’t say.

It’s possible that this writer wanted something an editor can’t provide: total and complete faith in the power of their own writing.

It’s also possible that these two editors’ feedback didn’t address very real story issues.

I’m an outsider to this situation, so I can’t say which (if either) is true…

But I can say this:

An editor’s job is to help you elevate your story.

Whether the story meets your expectations is subject to a whole bunch of extraneous factors.

So when you request a free sample edit from an editor, ask them the crucial question up front.

“What should I expect from your edit?”

Establish trust from the jump.

And I can help with that, because I provide free sample edits and a video call to answer any questions you have with no strings attached.

And tell me: what questions would you have for your next editor?

Got questions about right writing rites? Reply to this email with your query; I might include it in a future Bite.

Thanks for reading Avocado Bites!

Avocado Bites is a publication of Avocado Tree Press, LLC, that helps you revise your stories one bite at a time. We love working with indie and traditionally published authors on fiction manuscripts—and if that’s you, welcome to our target audience.

Ready for a sample edit? Here’s our site.

Addison Horner is the chief editor of Avocado Tree Press. Here’s his newsletter. It’s different but still pretty good.