Wanted: Paid Editor for YA fantasy
Hello all! My friend Kalin Nenov of the Human Library is translating a YA fantasy and he needs your help.
Specifically, he needs help with copy-editing (that is catching typos and grammatical errors, as well as any other suggestions about word choice, but no critiques of plot or structure). The deadline is the end of March, but might change depending on whether a publisher picks up the project. The pay rate: 2 US$/1.5 euro per 1,800 characters, spaces included (the complete project is ~ 210,800 characters). Also any donations to the project will be split between everyone involved, including editors.
If you’re interested, please send an email to Kalin (kalin dot m dot nenov at gmail) with your name and writing experience and your edit of the two sample pages below. Remember the focus of your revision should be grammar and word-choice, not plot and character.
One more thing. Before you begin, please read this discussion of their project and its background so you are conscious of the characters’ voices.
~~~
“Awesome!” Raphael said. “I’m utterly enthralled. We’re gonna sleep in a shanty that’s survived two or three ages!”
“It might not look imposing from the outside, but it’s comfy.” Kia headed for the door, cracked from multiple layers of paint. The two wings welcomed them with a sinister creak. Inside, a wall of smoke hid nearly everything.
“Quite … comfy,” Aik coughed.
“They don’t usually smoke so much, but the plantation harvest must’ve arrived recently,” Kia wheezed. “Kobolds make their living chiefly with tobacco farming. Now they string it here, and they smoke an awful lot—tobacco stringing is a sluggish job. C’mon, we’ll find our way.”
Mephodi realized Kia talked mostly to Aik rather than him or the quadronor. The child kept coughing, tears in his eyes.
“There’s no need to get poisoned.” The young mage yawned and twisted the hand that he used to cover his mouth. “Protectodore!”
The wall of smoke thinned out in front of them, and Aik managed to catch his breath. They headed for the reception, ignoring the din around. Raphael was quietly swearing at all low-class dumps and their owners. Mephodi smiled. Then he examined the vague shapes sitting at the tables. Members of the lower races only … Kobolds, goblins, ogres—the dregs of society. Well, in most instances, they have done nothing wrong to get here. The Alliance government entices them with its new reforms, they buy the promises—and end up as cheap labor. Exploited for the sake of the higher races’ comfort. Some of them, those who’ve seen through the scheme, have turned against the government and the laws, but in what ways? They’ve taken on the burden of thievery, smuggling and the other ‘dishonest’ activities.
“How may I help you, gentlemen?” meowed the kobold receptionist and took a drag from a long cigarette sticking out of his feline mouth. The little black eyes, brown fur, two tails, batlike nose, and long fluffy ears covered in piercings gave him a rather untrustworthy look for his line of work.
“We need two double rooms, K’harry.” Kia’s hoarse voice made the kobold shift his gaze from Mephodi’s face to the silver visor. “I hope you’ll give me a reasonable discount.”
“Kia!” The kobold’s lips wavered, perhaps for a smile, but then he noticed Raphael’s self-satisfied face and his uniform. “Well I never … To bring me a paladin here! Wasn’t the money for the last errand enough? You agreed! We made a deal!”
“Easy, K’harry. I haven’t ratted you out. This elf,” Kia pointed at Raphael, “is off duty today. He knows us and he’s not going to arrest you or question you.”
“For now.” The quadronor smiled haughtily, but K’harry obviously lacked discernment and chuckled at him.
“We need quiet rooms. We want to rest after a long journey,” Mephodi said.
“Of course, rest!” K’harry meowed happily. “Alright then!” He exhaled smoke through his nostrils. His two straggly tails shot at the panel where apartment keys hung. “Rooms twenty-four and twenty-five. Second floor, end of the corridor. Freshly painted yellow doors. It’s calm and quiet. There’re no other guests in the area.”
“How much do we owe you?” said Kia and turned to the quadronor. Raphael assumed a puzzled look. Are you expecting me to pay for everything? his eyes said.
“Fadgnal sent you to protect and help us,” the modulator rasped. Aik giggled. Fadgnal likes you for a reason, Mephodi thought.
“Generally, I take five silver credits per guest.” K’harry closed his eyes and took the cigarette out of his mouth. “But since I’m K’harry the Charitable, I’ll take only three from you.”
“Why, that’s a licensed robbery!” Raphael said. “Three silver credits for staying at this hovel?”
“For your sake, I’ll drop it to two, boss, but you get no supper or breakfast,” the owner sighed. “Can’t go any lower. You can see how we live.”
“No problem, there must be enough cockroaches around. We’ll fix ourselves a kobold dainty.” Raphael pursed his lips, reluctantly handing the money over.
“Thanks, K’harry! If anything comes up, give Dorios a call,” Kia wheezed.
“Okay.” The communicator hanging around the kobold’s neck started buzzing, and K’harry picked it up. The group made for the stairs.
“What sort of errands did you two mean?” Raphael said, knocking his armored fists together.
“Nothing illegal.”
The quadronor stared at the visor in plain disbelief.
When they reached the corridor on the second floor, the Tin Man caught the child’s shoulder. “We’re in twenty-four.”
“And I’m not sharing a room with someone who’s messed with my mind!” Raphael said, stopping in front of the room chosen by Kia.
“Have you forgotten about this?” Mephodi pointed at his circlet. “Not to mention I’m dead tired. I don’t intend to deal with the thoughts of a wayward city guard, tonight least of all nights.”
“Quadronor, boy,” Raphael corrected him. “Quadronor!”
“The kind quadronor may share a room with the ungrateful worm, if it pleases him,” gargled Kia and bowed affectedly. Aik giggled, pointing a thin finger at Raphael.
“I’d rather stay with this hypnotist than sleep next to a freak!” Raphael stormed away to the other door, whose color was not so much yellow as off-white with gray streaks.
Kobolds’ eyes do have a different perception from ours, but that’s a bit too far, Mephodi wondered as he unlocked the door.
“Good night,” he said quietly before entering.
“Good night!” Aik called.
“Let’s hope it’s good,” Kia wheezed.
