Editio Self-Publishing discussion

This is a great place for people to list where they found editors who they really like.

I asked my author friends, sent out requests via facebook and twitter. Eventually I chose an editor that a writer friend recommended to me.

I'll recommend http://historicaleditorial.com/ who did a nice job on mine and improved the product immensely.

I run an editing service that works specifically with independent authors. my link textTestimonials and referrals are provided on the site. I have edited genre novels, literary novels, and poetry, and I am a writer myself.

J.P. wrote: "I have edited genre novels, literary novels, and poetry, ..."

How do you edit poetry? It seems to take such license with the language and is probably so personal to the author, an editor is likely, once they go beyond the hard edits, apt to miss the writer's message/vision entirely. I'm picturing some bloodletting in the haiku factory.

I edit in various ways, depending on what the author wants. Sometimes I just proofread (and, of course, have to go over every possible "misspelling" or "grammatical error" with the author to see if it was intentional. Some poets want me to analyze, evaluate, and suggest. I recall several years ago a particularly challenging and playful poet, working in a highly rhythmical, Gertrude Stein vein, was much appreciative of my suggestions for getting the most out of rhythm. In my experience, editing poetry is not only possible, but is more work than editing prose.

Ken wrote: "I'll recommend http://historicaleditorial.com/ who did a nice job on mine and improved the product immensely."

except they only edit historical works...

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to self-promote but since a few others have done it, I guess it won't hurt to add one more. ;-)

www.final-edits.com

I've got references from current authors that have been really happy with my work and my rates.

Also, if you're really on a budget, consider setting up a list of beta-readers that can help with the editing. It's not ideal...and maybe not even that effective...but it's better than just publishing your first draft that might be full of typos and inconsistencies. ;-)

Kris

I'd suggest--strongly--asking any editor for a sample edit before you sign a contract. That way you can see both what they can do for your book and whether you two can work happily together. I usually offer about 5 pages of double-spaced editing for any prospective client (free of charge). That also helps me set a fee, because I can see what shape the manuscript is in and how easy the author is to work with.

(So, yes, I'm an editor, and I love working with indies, but I am full up through May!)

I just joined 2 of my colleagues, who edited and proofread my novel, The Chakra Diaries, in a new venture... see www.IndieAuthorCounsel.com for more on their editing services and their blog, IndieAuthorCounsel.wordpress.com for daily advice for Indie Authors.

Kris wrote: "I'm not sure if I'm allowed to self-promote but since a few others have done it, I guess it won't hurt to add one more. ;-)

www.final-edits.com

I've got references from current authors that have ..."

Yes! Kris is fantastic!

lol! My husband wasmy first spell-checker. Before I'd even had a chance to run the Word spell-checker he'd read over my shoulder and correct all my mistakes. Drove me batty! :)

Google.

There are many editors' associations that have local or national databases. Google "editor associations". Don't just look at price; look at experience and the depth of the coverage. Many newbie editors will just put your book through the same digital editing devices that you can; as with everything in life you get what you pay for. Also, there are different levels of editing: proofing (also called copyediting), storyediting, and manuscript development; each has its own fees.

I also provide editing services. I've been a professional writer/editor for over twenty years. I charge tax to Canadians but not to international clients.

I found my editor at Story Circle Networl. They have an editorial service. http://www.storycircleeditorialservic.... I was very happy working with Kathleen Kelly.

Sharazade wrote: "I'd suggest--strongly--asking any editor for a sample edit before you sign a contract. That way you can see both what they can do for your book and whether you two can work happily together. I usua..."

I completely agree. Recently I went through this process myself and found a wonderful editor here on Goodreads. You can check out my blog here...

http://laurynapril.blogspot.com/2012/...

where I talk about what I went through looking for an editor as well as choosing the right one, and I recommend a few of the editors that I delt with in it as well.

you can find a great editor here: http://colleenwaitwrites.blogspot.com...

When looking for an editor, remember that you get what you pay for. A good editor will spend a great deal of time on your manuscript, and for a service provider time is money. If the price is too good to be true, the quality of the service probably isn't going to be very high.

That being said, my prices are probably far beyond the budget of many new authors and I understand the financial difficulty. I also know how important it is to have your work edited. So I invite you to go to my website and learn more about me and my services, and then to send me a sample of up to 1,000 words so I can show you exactly what I can do for your manuscript.

Don't worry about the price; let me know what your budget is and I will do everything I can to work with you to find a fee that we can both feel good about. I've been an avid reader all my life and now I'm trying to realize my dream of owning my own editing business. You're trying to realize your dream of getting a work published. Let's help each other make those dreams a reality!

Hi everyone, my blog, The Indie Tribe is now offering mentoring to new and inexperienced Indie writers. We offer a Structured Plot , wherby we convert your general synopsis into a chapter by chapter plan. We also offer a Manuscript Critique, where we scrutinise your first draft to make sure that it will stand up as a novel. Upon completion of your second draft we offer a Structural Edit to make sure your self-published book stands comparison with the quality of conventionally published books. Join The Indie Tribe and check it out.
http://theindietribe.wordpress.com/20...

Security is my main issue. How safe is it to send all of your unpublished work to a virtual stranger? I'm afraid to do so. Are there any measures I can take to smooth my anxiety over this issue?

If you're in the US, you can register your work with the US Copyright office. This provides a great deal of legal protection if somebody steals and sells your work. Beyond that, look at how many books they've edited. If they do it professionally, they won't want to ruin their reputation by stealing somebody's book.

Kevin wrote: "If you're in the US, you can register your work with the US Copyright office. This provides a great deal of legal protection if somebody steals and sells your work. Beyond that, look at how many b..."

Thank you so much Kevin! I wasn't sure I could copyright before editing. It makes sense now. My brain just wasn't focusing on common sense. Thank You for calming my biggest fear. I'll have to do that.

Also, any good and legitimate editor will offer you a guarantee that all work remains your own. I never share anything about any project I'm working on with anyone, and I guarantee that as part of my terms and conditions on my website (http://redpenforrent.com). I also draw up a contract before beginning work with any every client that includes a non-disclosure policy. Copyright is also a great idea, but like Kevin said, I personally would never even think about jeopardizing my reputation by stealing someone else's work.

I'm lucky enough to have a large family of avid readers, so I've recruited some to be beta readers for my work. I've also gotten some decent tips from other authors on editing it myself. I don't know that I would hire an editor, since my budget is pretty much zero, but this thread is a good resource for anyone who wants to hire one. :)

In a writers life, there are few things so tricky as finding a good editor.

A good editor is also a sound and smart ally. I've written and published three novels, lecture in creative writing and work as and editor, and I know how damned important it is for every writer to find good eyes for their work.

All through my miserable 20s, before my first novel was published, I searched high and low and met with a dead and expensive silence.

So, I leant on my canny friends, a few who were good readers, and prepared to be frank.

And now, 20 years later, three novels later, a little success, a Man Booker shortlisted novel - Carry Me Down (2006)- I decided to start my own editing firm.

I wanted writers to be able to get their hands on professional editing.

There's no way to say this next thing without also telling you who I am, but please know that this isn't a crass plug. I want you all, every writer, to know this: it's vital to find at least two readers who are prepared to be frank with you, two readers (maybe from a writing group) willing to read your pages.

But don't exploit them. Don't misuse them. Don't demand too much. Don't hand over scruffy, rushed and brand-new drafts. Don't give your ally/editor too much to read. Be judicious and patient.

Yours, with fondest wishes,
M J Hyland
www.mjhyland.com
www.editingfirm.com

I'm an author,

I run a small publishing services company in South Africa with a fellow indie author. We're very happy to offer our services to fellow indie's and you're most welcome to look at our services or to read our testimonials. We charge in ZAR, so overseas authors make big savings on edits.
Find us here: www.firebladepublishers.com

I provide a detailed editing/proofreading service for a very reasonable price. To review my credentials, client testimonials, and services, visit my website: www.christinericepublishingservices.com.

Hello

My name is Tom and I work as a freelance editor and proofreader. I have extensive experience working in academic proofreading and have recently entered into working with self-publishers. Please have a look at my website and testimonials or email an inquiry to tom@tghwritingservices.com if you are interested.

I am able to provide a (free) 1000 word sample edit and quote within 24 hours if you are looking for an editor, and am happy to discuss your needs in detail over Skype or iMessage.

Ken wrote: "J.P. wrote: "I have edited genre novels, literary novels, and poetry, ..."

How do you edit poetry? It seems to take such license with the language and is probably so personal to the author, an ed..."

Editing poetry is indeed a tricky business. You need a good understanding of the mechanics and impact of language, and ideally a long chat with the individual poet, to get a sense of their stance, their intended themes, etc. If you understand all that, you CAN edit poetry. Also of course, being open to follow-up discussions with your poet about the relative merits of versions and edits allows you to agree versions which make the most of their creative skills and your editorial flair.

Cheers

Tony
www.jefferson-franklin.co.uk

Alissa wrote: "Also, any good and legitimate editor will offer you a guarantee that all work remains your own. I never share anything about any project I'm working on with anyone, and I guarantee that as part of ..."

This is a very strong answer to the question of the safety of sending your work out to a total stranger, and I commend Alissa for putting it so well.

Firstly, you should be reassured that whoever you send your work to, it is shared with the minimum number of people. And absolutely, any good and legitimate editor should be able to guarantee that your work remains your own. In over two and a half years in business, oddly enough, only one author has ever sought copyright of their work before submitting to us, but as the consensus appears to show, if you make your living as an editor, you live and die on your reputation. It therefore is the editor's responsibility to ensure that while their advice may not be what the author wants to hear in some cases, their reputation for fair dealing, fair assessment, and above all, legality, remains unimpeachable.

Tony
www.jefferson-franklin.co.uk

A little late to this party, but finding the right editor for you is a matter of trial and questions.

If an editor doesn't seem forthcoming or won't answer your questions (won't, rather than can't - editing services aren't agent-finders, for instance), then they're probably not for you.

If they have no-one who's familiar with your intended market, they're probably not for you.

If they demand money before they'll show you the kind of service you're going to get from them, they're probably not for you.

If they're going to charge you the earth, they're probably not for you.

At Jefferson Franklin, we've capped our prices for all edits under 200,000 words, we offer free, no-obligation sample chapter edits of up to 8,000 words (as we're not sure you get a full sense of what you're paying for with just 1,000 words), and our pricing structure slides on two factors - word-count and turnaround time, to give authors more control over their own financial destiny. Always happy to talk to anyone with an editing query, and for a sample-chapter edit, just send the chapter as a Word doc to enquiries@jefferson-franklin.co.uk

We'll give you an honest assessment and if you don't like what we say, you're under no obligation to use us, and you've lost nothing. Also, happy to confirm destruction of our copies of sample chapters afterwards in writing, should the author want us to do so.

Cheers

Tony
www.jefferson-franklin.co.uk

Tony wrote: "In over two and a half years in business, oddly enough, only one author has ever sought copyright of their work before submitting to us"

Really? I always copyright my work before sending it anywhere.

Kevin wrote: "Tony wrote: "In over two and a half years in business, oddly enough, only one author has ever sought copyright of their work before submitting to us"

Really? I always copyright my work before sen..."

Fair enough, Kevin - if it makes you feel more secure, it's worth doing.

Actually, between my original post and this one, we've had our second submission with copyright in place. Maybe it's becoming more popular.

As a would-be author, I'd never even think of copyrighting my work before sending it to an editor. But then again, I'd make sure to go to an editor I trusted.

Cheers

Tony
www.jefferson-franklin.co.uk

I'm curious why you wouldn't copyright it beforehand. Copyrighting something before you send it to an editor doesn't prevent you from doing it again after you get it edited, so it only minimizes your risk.

I just wouldn't think about it. Firstly, I'd trust to the professionalism of the person I chose to work on it. Secondly, there's a sort of double-standard of egotism at work in my brain - firstly, it has to be good enough that someone would WANT to steal it, and secondly, if someone steals it, they have to keep it up, and if it's my work, it's my voice, and I'm egotistical enough to think that's unique to me.

For me it's simply a "better safe than sorry" decision. Having already copyrighted my work also made hunting for an editor less stressful IMO.

Sure. As I say, if it makes you feel better or more secure then it's worth doing.

Phantom Owl Press is looking to interview editors. For the editors out there, it might be a good way to get your name out there and let writers know a little more about who you are. And if you're a writer looking for an editor, you might want to check out their blog posts in the following weeks to check out the interviews.

Check it out.

www.phantomowlpress.com

http://phantomowl.blogspot.com/2014/0...

Hi authors! I'm going to go ahead and post about my editorial services, if that's OK.

I am a qualified and experienced editor who loves to work with writers who are new to the world of publishing. Tact and empathy are two of the most important personal traits an editor can have; I like to think the happy relationships my authors and I have always enjoyed bears out my skills in this regard. My services include developmental editing, line editing, copy-editing, proofreading, author care, and adapting American English to British English. Contact me on vaarunika@gmail.com.

‘It’s so much better a book because of your input … You were one of the best, most incisive editors I’ve ever worked with!’
– Bea Davenport, author of The Serpent House

I'm another freelance editor joining the discussion.

As far as copyright goes, it's very rare for authors to go to the trouble and expense of registering their work with the copyright office, because it is unnecessary.

In the United States, every time you create something and put it down on paper (or write it as a file) it's already legally yours. You own it. You own the rights to it. If someone were to steal your manuscript, you could sue them for your intellectual property, and simply prove you had an earlier version of the document. It would be a pain, but any lawsuit would; holding a copyright would only make it marginally easier.

Speaking as an editor, the very thought that I would steal someone's work is abhorrent. If I wanted to write a book, I would be an author, not an editor. What I love doing instead is helping authors. I love seeing their books bloom into something truly irresistible to a reader. I love getting to read new books before anyone else. I love meeting all kinds of authors and the honor of helping them bring out the books they have been working so hard on for a long time.

I wish all authors the best. sonnetfitzgerald.com

Looking for an editor with reasonable fees and good quality at the same time? A person you can email at any time and ask whatever questions you have about books in general, not just editing? Someone who actually cares about your book? A person who will keep you updated during the whole editing process, so you know what's actually being done to your book?

I would be happy to offer that to you.

-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookaholic.e...
-Website: bookaholic-editor.weebly.com
-Email: bookaholicf@gmail.com

Thanks,
Noran.

Sonnet wrote: "As far as copyright goes, it's very rare for authors to go to the trouble and expense of registering their work with the copyright office, because it is unnecessary."

In my experience, registering one's work with the US copyright office was easy and cheap, and I think it makes the amount of damages you can sue for higher if it's registered ahead of time.

Kevin wrote: "Sonnet wrote: "As far as copyright goes, it's very rare for authors to go to the trouble and expense of registering their work with the copyright office, because it is unnecessary."

In my experien..."

Unregistered works allow you to sue for actual damages -- if you can track down the thief.

Registered copyrights allow you to sue for punitive damages in addition to actual.

It's funny, I co-founded the startup Reedsy to answer this very question… We've created a carefully curated marketplace of editors (all stages), proofreaders, designers and illustrators that indie authors can freely browse to find the right partners for their books.

Have a look at www.reedsy.com -- I can guarantee the quality of the people on it, we've received over 2000 applications from freelancers and have hand-picked only 200.

I'm a professional epub creator. I have 3 years experience in epub field. Ill create ebooks like fixed, mobi, kf8. I deliver books in correct time and good quality in low cost. Anyone want to create ebooks contact me my id kamalandece@gmail.com

My name is Sara, and I'm a freelance editor and independent author. I currently offer copy editing and proofreading services. Copy editing is $8 (USD) per thousand words. Proofreading is $5 (USD) per thousand words. Both services are $10 (USD) per thousand words.

For more information, please check out my website: http://www.saraathertonmason.com/edit...

Or you can email me: sara.a.mason@gmail.com.

At the end of the year, I'm retiring from AKW Books as Chief Copy Editor.

I'm taking copy editing reservations for next year. I'm limiting myself to one ms a month. I have no interest in making a lot of money, just a small supplement to my social security.

I'm only a passable story (content) editor, so I don't feel comfortable charging for that service, but I can recommend one to you that I've worked with. My specialty for 7 years has been copy editing and final eBook formatting (which I do simultaneously).

My rates will be quite reasonable and will depend upon how much work the ms requires (relatively "clean" works will be less expensive than mss that are full of errors). For instance, a job that will only take 20 hours of work will pencil out at around $200.

How do we figure it out? You send me the full ms AFTER it's been story edited. I'll pick a section or two at random and work it/them with an eye on the clock. Then I'll send you the worked section(s) along with a quote and an explanation of how we'll work together to get your ms in shape.

Contact: alediting [at] montepres dot com

“Jackie is brilliant to work with and has a ‘sixth sense’ for all things text. I would recommend her to anyone in whatever stage of writing a book.” Dr L Mallory, Educational Psychologist and Parent Coach

After writing my first book I just fell in love with words! Now I'm a freelance non-fiction editor (and loving it!). I'm especially keen to support coaches, business owners, and anyone who's passionate about the message they want to share. Need your book to be ready to publish with clean copy, good layout and an argument that makes sense? Visit my site to see how I can help: www.jackiecharley.com

Lauryn wrote: "Sharazade wrote: "I'd suggest--strongly--asking any editor for a sample edit before you sign a contract. That way you can see both what they can do for your book and whether you two can work happil..."

"The Price of Hiring and Editor" is the title of your page? Looks like you need a new editor :)

Hi there! I offer editing services for writers, ranging from basic proofreading to much more in-depth services. Prices start at $1.50/1000 words. I'm very flexible as far as turnaround times and details go. I'd love to hear from any authors who'd like assistance! I have 5+ years experience in this field.