Editorial Services
Do I need an editor?
Many writers are unfamiliar with what it is that editors do, or how an editor's services can contribute anything to the process of getting their ideas from manuscript to publication. "After all," many authors say, "I'm a writer so why should I allow someone wholly unconnected with my book to tell me how to change it?"
This would be a fair question if a writer's goal is to produce a book that he or she would be perfectly happy shelving for posterity, but for no one else to read. Is the writer's purpose to provide a story or a theme or a pitch to an audience? Should not the audience have a say as to what makes that story or pitch most accessible to understanding, cognitively and stylistically? Since authors cannot easily poll their potential readership, a mediator is needed to assist with that - a mediator who is unbiased, fair and engaged; who is well-versed in the rules of wordsmithing, especially grammar, style, and the elements of a story; who possesses a broad range of knowledge in order to identify when fact-checking is necessary; and who knows how to communicate this information judiciously and graciously to the author so that the resulting work is loved by both as much as it was by the author alone in the beginning.
You need an editor if your audience's voice matters to you.
This would be a fair question if a writer's goal is to produce a book that he or she would be perfectly happy shelving for posterity, but for no one else to read. Is the writer's purpose to provide a story or a theme or a pitch to an audience? Should not the audience have a say as to what makes that story or pitch most accessible to understanding, cognitively and stylistically? Since authors cannot easily poll their potential readership, a mediator is needed to assist with that - a mediator who is unbiased, fair and engaged; who is well-versed in the rules of wordsmithing, especially grammar, style, and the elements of a story; who possesses a broad range of knowledge in order to identify when fact-checking is necessary; and who knows how to communicate this information judiciously and graciously to the author so that the resulting work is loved by both as much as it was by the author alone in the beginning.
You need an editor if your audience's voice matters to you.
How to find the right kind of editor for your work
If an author's work is acquired by a publishing house, the work is subjected to assessment and spec reviews by dozens of professionals and eventually moved through the editorial process. Sometimes this involves early developmental edits where a story grid or analysis is figuratively placed "over" the work and editors determine if necessary elements are in place and effectively balanced to satisfy the needs readers have to be drawn in to the narrative, feel a connection with the characters, and receive a payoff as goals are pursued and met.
From there, depending upon the amount of editing that the house determines the manuscript needs, it will go through basic to substantive line editing. The more the author has proofread the work and gone over it thoroughly with a grammar-stylistic rules comb, the less often the manuscript will have to be handled in this stage. With each major pass (from front to back, beginning to end), a full editorial check is required.
Authors who are not contracted with a publishing house, or whose contract is with a smaller press that does not maintain an in-house editorial staff, or who wish to have their manuscripts reviewed prior to submission to a publishing house, often engage the services of a freelance editor.
The Editorial Freelancers Association surveys members and provides guidance for industry standards (which, for freelancers, is like herding cats) for a variety of aspects of the editing profession, from average rate schedules to templates for documentation. I have implemented the rate schedule posted at EFA and set my rates slightly below the standards for the low end for each service I offer. I do this because, as I state on my Professional History page, I am re-entering the market as a freelancer and not able to provide recent examples of my work. If interested, you can there download a list of the titles I have edited and what services were provided for each.
From there, depending upon the amount of editing that the house determines the manuscript needs, it will go through basic to substantive line editing. The more the author has proofread the work and gone over it thoroughly with a grammar-stylistic rules comb, the less often the manuscript will have to be handled in this stage. With each major pass (from front to back, beginning to end), a full editorial check is required.
Authors who are not contracted with a publishing house, or whose contract is with a smaller press that does not maintain an in-house editorial staff, or who wish to have their manuscripts reviewed prior to submission to a publishing house, often engage the services of a freelance editor.
The Editorial Freelancers Association surveys members and provides guidance for industry standards (which, for freelancers, is like herding cats) for a variety of aspects of the editing profession, from average rate schedules to templates for documentation. I have implemented the rate schedule posted at EFA and set my rates slightly below the standards for the low end for each service I offer. I do this because, as I state on my Professional History page, I am re-entering the market as a freelancer and not able to provide recent examples of my work. If interested, you can there download a list of the titles I have edited and what services were provided for each.
Light Copyediting
|
Substantive Editing
|
Proofreading
Proofreading is traditionally the reading of physical galley proofs or an electronic copy of an item ready for production, with the goal of detecting errors created during the production process and marking the manuscript for typesetters, editors or the author itself. Some authors request freelance proofreading of a manuscript prior to submission to a publisher to ensure all material errors have been removed.
Rates
Proofreading: $.01 - .0127/word or $30-35/hour |
Definitions and Abbreviations
MS = manuscript
MS page = +/-250 words in 12 TR font, 1-in margins (I don't edit in TR but the standard word count per page uses this font size.)
Light copyediting = A light copyediting job is sufficient if 6-10 MS pages can be completed in an hour.
Heavy copyediting = A heavy copyediting job is needed if 1-5 MS pages can be completed in an hour.
Substantive editing = In a substantive edit, 2-6 MS pages can be completed in an hour.
Developmental editing = In a developmental edit, 1-5 MS pages can be completed in an hour.
Proofreading = A proofreading job allows for 9-13 pages to be completed in an hour.
MS page = +/-250 words in 12 TR font, 1-in margins (I don't edit in TR but the standard word count per page uses this font size.)
Light copyediting = A light copyediting job is sufficient if 6-10 MS pages can be completed in an hour.
Heavy copyediting = A heavy copyediting job is needed if 1-5 MS pages can be completed in an hour.
Substantive editing = In a substantive edit, 2-6 MS pages can be completed in an hour.
Developmental editing = In a developmental edit, 1-5 MS pages can be completed in an hour.
Proofreading = A proofreading job allows for 9-13 pages to be completed in an hour.