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Are you an editor? Or are you looking for a freelance editor?
Amy wrote: "Cassie wrote: "Looks great, Amy! I'm excited for you! ;-)"Thanks, Cassie!!
And I would like to know this as well, TC. Authors, what does finally get you to decide to get your manuscript edited..."
Ya, I'd like to know too! ;-)
Nice ... I would just note that most people are visually oriented and might find the high proportion of text on the front page ... intimidating. Maybe break it up with some graphics? *shrug* I like it the way it is - it's how I'd do it - but I also know what a lot of people are like and they like pretty graphics ... *sigh*
Amy wrote: "I am definitely up and running! Send some people my Im totally diggin it!
I will have to check u once I get past the outline n on to the actual writing;)
Mod
Hi, folks! I just wanted to let anyone who has been contemplating having me do some editing for them know that I have changed my structure somewhat. I'm limiting myself to two books/month so I can guarantee a time period. I have changed my barter structure to one based upon Word document pages, and I will explain that if you are interested. And I am booked solid through January, except for one slot in December. I had to make these changes when I received 7 manuscripts within about a week, and will need to get them all done by September. While I probably can do this, I feel it is better to give myself a bit more leeway so I can ALSO spend time reading the 60-some books on my TBR list and the almost-50 books in my "freebie but review anyway" file ... I'm also contemplating some kind of name for my "service company" but that's something I will have to think about later ... Have a good day y'all!
Awesome, Katy! Your voraciousness for books never ceases to amaze me. And to think, we knew her when :)Splitter
C.S. Splitter wrote: "Awesome, Katy! Your voraciousness for books never ceases to amaze me. And to think, we knew her when :)Splitter"
Books are my life! :-) Thanks, Splitter!
Amy-- I just wanted to say that I love your website and I think it rocks!! You are an awesome editor and everyone should hire you!! :)Katy-you are one busy lady!! Sounds like you have a great system worked out though to get the job done! :)
Cambria wrote: "Amy-- I just wanted to say that I love your website and I think it rocks!! You are an awesome editor and everyone should hire you!! :)Katy-you are one busy lady!! Sounds like you have a great s..."
LOL - maybe I'll have to start subcontracting to Amy if there are some I simply can't get done ... what would be my finders' fee? X-D
Finder's Fee? For Amy? Nah, I am her agent, I get all the fees....lol. Show me the money!!! hehehehe
Cambria wrote: "Finder's Fee? For Amy? Nah, I am her agent, I get all the fees....lol. Show me the money!!! hehehehe"How does that work, if I'm the one who has the customers? So, I pay you to transfer my customers? *tsk* LOL Besides, I'm currently not charging money - I ask for books from my Amazon.com wish list - the number varying depending on number of pages in the Word document, so I don't have money to pay :-)
Amy has plenty of customers, I can vouch for that. And while she does charge for her services, again, I don't mind paying for services that are well worth my money.
Cambria wrote: "Amy has plenty of customers, I can vouch for that. And while she does charge for her services, again, I don't mind paying for services that are well worth my money."Oh, definitely - the main reason I don't charge is that I'm disabled and in order to receive disability, you cannot be working anywhere for pay. So, instead, I barter my services. This is especially helpful to indie authors who are just getting started - they, particularly, need their books to look good and be well edited, but cannot necessarily afford the service. I'm doing everything myself and can therefore only do so much but I feel like I'm helping "my" authors put out the best books they can while at the same time having the opportunity to do something I truly love. Win-win!
Mod
sorry to jump in so late, but I'm still wading through the topics on this forum and discovering new ones every day! ;-)I used a British editor for my first novel, who "edited" some sample chapters for free during her workshop, BUT she was expensive (£ against $ against euros) AND slow (too her two months but could have been three).
So I went to look for somebody else, cheaper and faster. I follow a blog of editors (http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/) so I checked their credentials. The first I contacted (an author whose book I won during a blog hop) was busy, so I kept searching and I found this one who stated on her page that she's fast and she can also read like a reader. So I thought "hey, I can have an editor and a beta in the same person!"! ;-)
She has edited my next two novels and I've sent her a third for an October release. In the meantime the other lady came back to me and I gave her my newly released sci-fi novella. I was happy with both (I'm doing a series of posts on this, this week), but I'll finish the year with the novel-editor - so she'll have a look at the first four novels.
Still I'm looking for other (cheaper?) solutions for next year... *glances shyly at Katy* so I'm going to check Canary and Amy's services while I'm at it! (And PM Katy at some point, although she's booked now, so maybe I'll do it later! ;-))
One of my offline writers group member is spending thousands of dollars on editing that doesn't do much for his novel... so I guess I've been lucky (even the £ were under 500, the $ were between 300 and 450 depending on the length) - but I still have a day job, and the editing fees are the biggest expense in my indie adventure!
Mod
Amy wrote: "You can find editors who charge anywhere from $150 a book all the way to $3000. It just depends on what you are looking for, and who you think will work with you the best. An editor is someone yo..."And who likes me! :-)
Well, Barbara, there's liking the person and there's liking the writing, and there's liking both. I think with an editor, it's important to like the person with whom you're working, but also to remember that you won't necessarily like everything they write; one of my authors recently had me edit a romance, and I really didn't much care for it, but I like HER and I like some of the ideas that she is putting out there ... in a way, it made it a little easier to edit, as I wasn't always getting caught up in the story while I tried to fix things :-) heh.
TC wrote: "Just out of interest, I was thinking about trying to get into proofreading and/or editing but when I started looking into training it seemed that there were a million courses available but no indus..."In the US, the standard is the Chicago Manual of Style - as a writer, you just need to know what style you want, and then the editor should have access to enough information to be able to work with it. I, for instance, was trained at University in AP style, because I was studying to be a journalist - but in journalism (despite what you see in the papers!), grammar and word usage are heavily emphasized - probably the best way to go about training yourself to edit properly would be to take some journalism courses, if you ask me. And get some style manuals - Chicago, AP - and even some general books about grammar. Also it would be good to pick up some books on word usage, and check out the link I posted in another topic that has a pretty extensive listing of common usage errors. good luck!
Katy wrote: "Well, Barbara, there's liking the person and there's liking the writing, and there's liking both. I think with an editor, it's important to like the person with whom you're working, but also to rem..."Absolutely! :-) But I warn all you prospective editors... as English is NOT my mother tongue, I tend to stray a little from the Chicago Manual of Style... check today's post on the topic! :-D
http://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com...
Barbara wrote: "Katy wrote: "Well, Barbara, there's liking the person and there's liking the writing, and there's liking both. I think with an editor, it's important to like the person with whom you're working, bu..." "Absolutely! :-) But I warn all you prospective editors... as English is NOT my mother tongue, I tend to stray a little from the Chicago Manual of Style... c"And that's why an editor is particularly helpful :-) I'm off to see your blog now ...
Interesting stuff, Barb - I left a comment with some of my thoughts, from the other side of the coin ... :-)
Katy wrote: "Interesting stuff, Barb - I left a comment with some of my thoughts, from the other side of the coin ... :-)"thank you, Katy, I really must hire you! :-D
Barbara wrote: "Katy wrote: "Interesting stuff, Barb - I left a comment with some of my thoughts, from the other side of the coin ... :-)"thank you, Katy, I really must hire you! :-D"
Let me know when - My next official slot is early June, my next "emergency squeeze in" is February :-) Get 'em while they're hot ...
Amy wrote: "I need the critical lookers - I want to make sure it looks as good as it can. I'm sure you know the feeling. We want our stuff to look great!! :)"Nice website.
Can I suggest that you make a point that all your fees are quoted in US Dollars (assuming that they are...). Lots of other countries use dollars as their currency, and the fact that your website has a dot com name doesn't necessarily mean that you are US-based.
Also, for those authors who are not mathematically inclined, should/could you quote your fees per thousand words instead of per word?
That's a good point, Iola. Of course, I don't charge money - I ask for books from my Amazon wishlist, so I don't really have to worry about that myself :-) I've worked with a couple people from UK so far, and I have a couple from Barbara - you're in Italy, right Barbara? - coming up in the winter. So I've gone International! wOOt! I'm doing a book for Nick Wastnage right now - it's quite entertaining. I'll be sure to let everyone one when it's available! Anyone with plans for their books to be done by next summer who would like to get my help, let me know - I'm taking new books starting in June of next year right now.
Barbara comments about about English not being her 'mother tougue'. Well, there are also differences between English and American English (which I assume is what the Chicago Manual of Style is based on).As a New Zealander who lived in London for ten years, I get really annoyed when an 'English' character uses an American term without explanation. Most US authors and editors don't pick up this kind of thing, so I would really recommend that those of you American authors whose books or characters are supposed to be English (or Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Australian, New Zealand etc) get your book either edited or proofread by someone who will actually pick up on those things that the Chicago Manual of Style won't include.
A few examples I have seen:
'Fall' for the season - it is autumn, unless your book is set more than 200 years ago
'Queen Mum' - she is always the Queen Mother (less relevant now she has died)
'she weighed 110 pounds' - most countries weigh people in kilograms (or stone, for English books depending on the time period. For example, I currently weigh 12 stone, never stones).
There are plenty of us Yanks who are aware of the differences between British and American English. And the Chicago manual does tend to note when there will be differences based upon country of origin - Continent, UK, what have you, so it's not completely useless. You'd probably be surprised about what's included. Those of us who are listing our services here are, for the most part, trained professionals - whether we've actually worked for a publisher, or in journalism, taken courses, etc. Amy specifically says that we must be in order to list our services, so don't worry about that! Also, we are all prolific readers, so we've picked these sorts of things up through our reading, if nothing else. Additionally, I don't know about any other editors, but I try to strike up conversations with the authors for whom I'm doing editing, so I can learn about their quirks of writing and maintain their "voice" in the book. I figure most of us do the same. It's part of what working with individual people makes so fulfilling.
Katy - I probably would be suprised at what is included in the Chicago Manual of Style - I've seen the length of it (and gasped at the price!) I'm only commenting because these are errors I've seen in traditionally-published books, so what you might consider to be common knowledge, ahem, may not be that common.I'm just trying to raise the point so that indie authors will know this is another question to consider when they select an editor/proofreader. As has been commented, not all editors are created equal!
Iola and Katy - yes, I'm Italian, I learned English in England so I used British spelling and words for a long time. Then with the new millennium I attempted the conquest of Hollywood and thus switched to American spelling. My fantasy stories are written with American spelling but I have a shelved historical with British spelling (and different pen-name) as well... talk about complicating my life... considering that my mother tongue is Italian... :-)
Oooh do you mind if I ask which part of Italy? I lived in Tuscany for a while, and absolutely loved it. The people were so nice... and so is the language. Mind, my Italian was popularly acclaimed as being "inaccurate but expressive" (when I wasn't accidentally finding out that perfectly innocent words can often have quite obscene implications when you use them in the wrong context, of course). JAC
Mod
Iola - I should probably put something in there about my prices being in dollars. That was a very good suggestion. I have edited for Australians and some British folks, but I never thought about making sure they knew my prices were in dollars.
The Chicago Manual of Style is HUGE - and yes, there are many great things in there, but you have to know something is wrong, or 'off' before you know whether or not you need to look something up. So you do make another great point, there as well. Americans are quite used to our way, and we don't always look at the differences in other countries.
All of those questions are great to ask when looking for an editor who will fit your needs.
Aloha, Kimberly here. I can't agree with you more. editing for your book is essential. I am an author and an editor and still I used a professional to edit my book. If you need an editor, I am here. I'm a professional editor. My business name is: English Writing Help. The link is http://www.englishwritinghelp.comMy rates are very reasonable and my work is thorough. I have 20 years exp. as an editor. Email me if you're interested.
Mod
Anytime I think I may be putting something out there (like a short story, etc.) I will definitely have another editor/proofreader check it out for me...usually more than once.
I am great at finding other people's mistakes, but not my own. LOL
I think most everyone knows that I do editing/proofing and use the barter system as payment. I am OCD about story flow, character development, spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc. Just send me a message or email. :)
Along with being an author, I've been an editor for over 20 years. My specialty is manuscript critique, which is often a more effective tool for a writer when they've just completed a manuscript than editing would be.A manuscript criqitue can tell you where and how the story can be stronger, how to develop your characters so that people care about them, and how to increase the tension in the story so that readers can't put your book down. If there are weak spots in your ms, a critique can help you tighten and focus them. Then, after a rewrite based on the comments, it's a good time to get the ms edited.
Manuscript critique is usually cheaper than editing as well. If anyone is interested in finding out more, please shoot me an email. I'll be happy to send my resume and provide references.
I'm also a developmental editor -- if you have a partial ms and don't know where to go with it, developmental editing is a huge help.
I agree with Katherine, there's a big difference between a critique that looks at the big picture and ways to improve the story, and line editing or proofreading. I work with a lot of clients in a variety of genres (children's and adults), and everyone I've worked with has needed major content editing -- even those who have previously had a novel traditionally published. My clients get a 4 to 6 page editorial letter with suggestions on improving the plot, character arc, theme, and so on, plus notes on the manuscript and advice about style/voice issues such as Show, Don't Tell and using cliffhanger chapter endings. But I don't do detailed line editing, because the manuscripts still need major revisions. Yes, if you're publishing independently, you may need to hire a separate proofreader at the final stage, but you need to get your manuscript in its best possible shape first.
(My rate is $1.50 per ms. page and recommendations are available at http://www.chriseboch.com/newsletter.htm)
As for editorial qualifications, the main thing is to look at experience. I teach through a correspondence school, The Institute of Children's Literature, and received their extensive training. I also teach a lot of workshops and speak at conferences on writing topics, and I published a book of my writing articles, Advanced Plotting. Other editors may have previously worked for a publishing company. Some will give you a free critique of the first few pages. I send a sample critique letter from a previous job I've done (author's name, book title, and pertinent details deleted). Recommendations are also good.
The most important thing is to understand what you are getting. I know people who've hired editors for thousands of dollars, and been disappointed that they only got line editing suggestions. "Editing" can be used to mean everything from major content editing to proofreading, so be clear about what you expect and what the editor intends to provide.
When I provide my editing, which includes both line editing and proofreading, I often include comments about how the story could be strengthened, or about things that maybe are somewhat inconsistent - I just figured that was part of the service I'm providing. However, since I'm usually the last person to see the manuscript and the authors are in a hurry to get it out, I don't think that many make a lot of changes. A couple of the authors with whom I work are starting to work with me from an earlier point because of this tendency of mine ... :-)I should point out that I'm scheduled solid until next September (yes, a year out) and only a few, limited spaces between September and Dec. 2012. I even have a manuscript scheduled well into 2013. So, if you know fairly well ahead of time, or if you have something short - 100 ms. pages or less - I can try to work you in. I am currently doing it on a barter basis, but considering switching to a pay-for-service fee structure plus bartering for those who need that; I just don't know for sure, and am uncertain what to charge as I've seen such a wide variety of charges, what the best way to set something like that up would be. anyway ...
Katy, I also make extra comments along the way, and I offer to reproof/edit after the author has made changes. You are a super busy bee!!! That's awesome! :-)
Cassie - Gathering Leaves wrote: "Katy, I also make extra comments along the way, and I offer to reproof/edit after the author has made changes. You are a super busy bee!!! That's awesome! :-)"
Thanks - yeah, I offer the re-proof, etc., too, but not too many have taken me up on it. Maybe I just do that great a job the first time around? LOL Scott Rhine is the one that mostly makes gobs of changes and sends it back to be re-checked, which is so valuable for me. I have a couple others who plan to - but they're both super busy and it takes awhile for the changes.
TC wrote: "Just out of interest, I was thinking about trying to get into proofreading and/or editing but when I started looking into training it seemed that there were a million courses available but no indus..."Hi Tracy,
This is a little ironic--I reset my notifications settings and all of a sudden I'm getting notices of all of the conversations going on here :) Then again, I totally missed your post this summer so what a great thing I got notified!
When it comes to hiring an edtior, I definitely would not be hiring them to proofread/line-edit. That kind of stuff you can get for free in droves. Then again, you get what you pay for. In the end, the author has to take responsibility for her own work (which I do, as you know, having read Dicky's Story early on after its release). Proofreading, however, is definitely a service some people REALLY need--and even though I'm not one of the ones who can afford to buy such frivolous things, buying proofreader services is a token to some of the indies out there.
Usually, proofreading is either by the word or by the page. Pricing per word should be less than one cent (USD) and per page, probably about 25cents ($0.25) which is about $0.01 x 250 words per page which is the average number of words on a double-spaced, 1" margins all around page in the 12pt Courier font (standard manuscript format here in the US).
I should also note that over here in the US, a LOT of people make money typing from home and proofreading typed work. There's a fairly solid need for transcription services (here) but that's from longhand so you wouldn't be taking on American clients. YOu should definitely investigate medical offices and legal offices in your area--especially given your surveyor's background/contacts! law offices that deal with real estate--because someone there might need a typist / proofreader, ask around! I'll bet you could bring in some work-at-home/on-your-own-schedule cash that would help a lot given your schedule is so unpredictable at times with the little one. It's also work you can take with you (hint hint) so you guys don't even have to give up all that travel!
You're a really good proofreader, Tracy. You really shoudl look into selling your skills as a service.
-sry
Katy, you're in demand if you're giving all that away for the price of proofreading :-)Cassie you are amazing at finding places where a story needs work -- hence why I am salivating waiting for your comments on the next several chapters of CONDITIONED RESPONSE *grin*
-sry
Sarah, The Webbiegrrl Writer wrote: "Katy, you're in demand if you're giving all that away for the price of proofreading :-)"*shrug* I believe in being thorough. And I am certainly not offering proofreading, I'm offering editing - in my mind, it's all part of the package - make sure the spelling, grammar and punctuation are correct (within limits - obviously you don't want to change a character's voice, and if they tend to say "ain't" a lot, you leave it there! But I like to make the narration as grammatically correct as I can while maintaining the author's voice), make sure each sentence is written cleanly while maintaining individuality, make sure there are no inconsistencies ... I just try to make it more like something I would want to read. Makes sense to me. I'm sure that, if I were charging what it was really worth, I'd probably be making at least a minor living, but then again, the Indies, who are the ones who really need that sort of help, couldn't afford me. Besides, I'm disabled and hoping to start getting disability soon - so I really shouldn't be working for money. It's why I currently barter.
I guess I can officially add my name to the freelance editor's list (that is, if Splitter is happy enough to vouch for me).
Tricia wrote: "I guess I can officially add my name to the freelance editor's list (that is, if Splitter is happy enough to vouch for me)."Woo-hoo!! I've never worked with you, Tricia, but I can vouch for your communication skills given you are able to carry on a Twitter life (LOL)
Do you have a web site or anywhere ppl can go to see your menu of services, list of fees or pricing etc.? Usually, authors are most interested in what and how much more than who. Me, personally, I'm always looking at who before all else.
-sry
p.s. I just finished editing through Ch 4 of CONDITIONED RESPONSE (which I'm doing myself for the first two passes, content then pacing) and got it down from 30,000 words to about 21,500 so I did a really good job in my mind. I think I actually changed the emphasis of the story in a few places though. I hope the first readers (who haven't been allowed to see the new version yet--soon, in the next 7-10 days!) still find it has the same magic it did when it was overly-long and wordy. (haha)
My site is: www.triciakristufek.wordpress.comI admit I have to update it to include pricing, but if anyone is interested I can forward that information on to them. I'm going to try to get the services page up and running soon after I finish The Reluctant edits (early 2012).
Creative Reviews
Books mentioned in this topic
Conditioned Response (other topics)Brave New World (other topics)
Sylvianna (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
Marjorie F. Baldwin (other topics)Nick Wastnage (other topics)
Thanks, Cassie!!
And I would like to know this as well, TC. Authors, what does finally get you to decide to get your manuscript edited, and how do you choose which editor is right for you?