How to Take Advantage of an Editor
You have a manuscript into which you've poured your soul,
your energy, and possibly every waking moment. You are now
at the stage of having someone else tinker with it.
You want to know:
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What's actually done to my work?
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2. |
What about my needs and feelings?
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3. |
How much will it cost? |
4. |
How do I get started? |
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What else should I consider? |
In working with any editor, you want to take advantage of
the services she or he can provide that are best for your
particular needs. Here is some information to help clarify
the process, whomever you choose as your editor.
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I. WHAT'S ACTUALLY DONE
TO MY WORK?
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The professional editor you hire works for you and
helps you get your work ready for publication. Here
is a quick overview of the primary options that different
editors make available.
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a.
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Critiquing gives you a written summary of a
work's overall strengths and weaknesses, with suggestions
for improvement. You interpret how you want to apply
those suggestions to your writing.
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b.
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Developmental editing guides you in making your
work more marketable (i.e., publishable). Nonfiction
development covers large-scale issues such as purpose,
concept, audience expectations, scope, the need for
more information or less, organization, structure, tone,
focus, logic. This is sometimes called concept or structural
editing. For a work of fiction, developmental
editing deals with character and character development,
plot, pace, theme, audience, mood, and more. The developmental
editor provides insightful queries, observations, recommendations,
and suggestions that give an author direction. When
performed early, developmental editing can save major
rewriting. Content editing is not the same as
concept or developmental editing, but is similar to
peer review, in which individuals who are uniquely
qualified to comment on the topic, or certain parts
of it, offer their expert feedback on the accuracy
of what is said rather than on how
it is said.
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c.
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Line editing examines your text line by line,
dealing with many of the same issues as developmental
editing but on a smaller scale, marking the manuscript
with specific improvements that sharpen the writing,
improve clarity and flow, ensure consistency, improve
usage (parallelism, tense, transitions, etc.) and correct
"mechanics" (punctuation, grammar, and spelling).
Wherever the meaning is unclear, the editor queries
you or suggests alternative wording. The experienced
editor is also alert to possible infringement issues.
In addition, for works of fiction the line editor
makes specific recommendations about scene structure,
plot, character, point of view, setting, the "hook,"
building conflict, tightening and sharpening dialogue,
and much more.
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d.
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Copy editing is similar to line editing but
deals less with techniques for sharpening the writing
and more with correcting errors of style and raising
questions. Most people who ask for copy editing actually
have line editing in mind. True copy editing occurs
late in the editorial production process after the
text has been developed and line edited. Often, copy
editing catches errors that occur as a result of revision.
It also prepares the manuscript for typesetting, applying
the art director's specifications for interior design
by coding the text for the typesetter. Thus, the cost
of copy editing is affected by the complexity of a book's
design, format, degree of hierarchical levels (headings
and the number and depth of subheadings), and the number
and complexity of other elements, such as columns, extracts
(blocks of quoted material), illustrations, footnotes,
and cross-references.
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e.
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Proofreading occurs at key steps in the editorial
process: before a manuscript is submitted to a publisher,
before it is typeset, and before pages are composed.
Proofreading that occurs only at the end of the editorial
process just before printing usually results in higher
production costs. That's because proofreading assumes
editing has already taken place. It is not a substitute
for editing, even though each leads to clean copy. Both
can be done on the same "pass," but it's a
mistake to expect two for the price of one, because
after corrections are made, proofing is repeated until
the editor knows that the quality level specified by
the customer has been met.
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f.
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Rewriting sometimes to the point of ghostwriting
is considerably more involved. It needs to be
discussed separately with your editor. (Note: I no longer
offer ghostwriting for nonfiction, and I've never
offered it for fiction.)
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g.
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Coaching, consulting, and assistance
in developing a proposal are additional services you
can discuss with your editor.
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2. WHAT ABOUT MY NEEDS AND FEELINGS?
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Editing is much more than technical proficiency. It
is a collaboration between editor and author to reach
the author's goals. The editor is a go-between or mediator
between you and your reader, sensitive to your voice
and personality in writing style as well as to nuances
of tone, attitude, judgmentalism, bias, and opinion
used as fact. The skilled editor improves the work while
remaining true to the author's voice.
Whatever level of editing you choose, keep in mind
that it produces a series of suggestions and recommendations,
which you are free to accept, ignore, or act upon in
some other way. The goal is to encourage the best from
the author.
An editor with market savvy should be honest about
the possibilities for publication. Not everyone who
is capable of fixing grammar and punctuation is also
knowledgeable about the market for a particular book
or capable of recognizing what a manuscript needs to
boost its chances for commercial success. An author
needs to realize that not every editor can know every
market. You want to learn what kind of experience your
editor has in your market.
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3. HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
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Editors can charge by the project, the page, or the
hour. Work is usually scheduled on a first-come basis.
Rush work is often billed higher, as is consulting, though the individual editor might not accept any rush work except from an established client.
Depending on skill, experience, and workload, an editor might charge an hourly rate of between $90 and $150 for consulting (in person or by phone or email), and between $3.00 and $10.00 a page for general editing (mostly copy editing and line editing, with light-to-moderate developmental editing). For heavier developmental editing, or for online editing, rates may start higher.
Out-of-pocket costs are extra, such as long-distance
phone and fax, shipping of the edited manuscript, reformatting
a manuscript for editing, printing from an e-file, extra printouts.
Cost varies according to an editor's experience, education,
publishing credentials, and reputation. Professional
editors have healthy workloads as a result of steady
referrals, so it's not a good idea to ask an editor
to "just take a look at this in your spare time"
or to offer an editor a share of hoped-for royalties
in lieu of payment. An editor who accepts such offers
might be lacking clients. You've heard the adage: "You
get what you pay for."
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Rates are influenced not only by an editor's experience
and reputation, but also by four factors that are under
your direct control:
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a.
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Type of editing. For an explanation of your
most common options, see # 1 above. If you are not sure
of the type of editing to request, you might submit
a sample of your manuscript and ask the editor to recommend
the type of editing the manuscript appears to need.
Bear in mind, however, that it is not always possible
to tell from a sample the extent of work that a manuscript
needs.
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b.
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Length. The longer the manuscript, the more
time it takes to edit and the more it costs. If you
pay by the hour, the number of pages edited in one hour
can range from 5 to 25, depending partly on the
thoroughness of the editor, mostly on the quality of the writing.
If you pay by the page or the project, you can calculate
your costs in advance.
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c.
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Content. If the manuscript is excessively wordy,
unclear, or disorganized, or if the subject is especially
technical, abstract, or complex, editing takes longer
and your costs are higher.
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d.
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Format. There are two advantages to your using
standard manuscript format (see SMF in the sidebar):
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It makes your manuscript editor's job easier
(which is why an editor's best rate may depend upon how closely a writer follows SMF); and
It facilitates estimating the length
of the finished book.
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4. HOW DO I GET STARTED?
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a.
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Consultation: If you have not yet written your
nonfiction book, you might benefit from a consultation
with an editor to help you plan your project for greater
marketability.
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b.
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Sample edit: If you've finished the writing
but aren't sure about its need for editing, an editor
may be willing to start with a chapter or two. A sample
edit lets you:
- experience the style of
the editor
- control how you want the rest of the editing to be handled
(e.g., "Edit more heavily" / "less
heavily" / "just as you've been doing"
or "Stop wherever you are, I changed my
mind.")
You pay for only the work that's been done.
If you decide to continue, be
prepared to do so right away to avoid the editor's having
to reread the sample to ensure continuity (and charge
for the extra time).
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c.
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What to send: If you are thinking about working
with me as your editor, here is what I require:
[1] |
If fiction, 10 to 20 consecutive pages, starting with your first chapter.
If nonfiction, any representational chapter—not an introduction. A nonfiction sample should include
a descriptive table of contents or a chapter-by-chapter
outline. Print all samples as a hard copy (on paper)
in SMF (see format standards).
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[2] |
Questionnaire, which
you can download and print by clicking ready? in the main menu. Take this opportunity to describe
your goals, the specific reader your book has to
target (if you say "everyone," I'll know you are unrealistic), and any
other information about what you want. You can also
specify what you do not want. |
[3] |
Description
of how you plan to market and distribute
your book, especially if you are self-publishing. (I
explain the reason for this in "My Work Ethics"
please click about me.) |
[4] |
Any special instructions
you have or concerns you want your editor to be particularly
aware of.
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AFTER you
receive a price quotation and estimated completion
date that matches your needs, you can then
send the following all in the same mailing, please, NOT piecemeal. |
[5] |
Complete manuscript
in hard copy + an exact match in a read-only e-file. If I quote a price to you based
on your manuscript's use of standard manuscript
format, please double-check the list of format
standards to be sure your formatting conforms. Variations most likely add to the time or cost of the work, if the job is even accepted. |
[6] |
Comments, if any,
that you've received from agents, publishers, or
others. |
[7] |
Any special style guides
that your publisher requires be followed (otherwise,
I—like most professionals in book publishing—apply
the style of a recent edition of the Chicago
Manual of Style). |
[8] |
Retainer to authorize
the work and reserve time in the work schedule.
Also known as an advance. |
[9] |
Diskette or CD that is
labeled and matches the hard copy page for page.
On the label please print your name and
identify your computer platform (Mac or PC) and
your own word processing program. My Macintosh OSX.4 and my Word programs do not read the .docx extension. Discuss in advance any questions
you have about compatibility. |
[10] |
For fiction, also
send a list of characters, alphabetized,
with one line explaining who each character is. For heavy developmental editing, especially for plot,
include a list of scenes, the form of which I will explain
at the time we begin to work together.
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5. WHAT ELSE SHOULD THE WRITER CONSIDER?
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Now that I've told you some of what influences the
cost of editing as well as my own submission preferences, let's consider the factors that set
one editor apart from another. These include:
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provable experience
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ability to devote quality time to your work
(seldom possible for a part-timer or moonlighter)
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demonstrated continuing professional development
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ethics and attitude toward writers and
their work
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a record of happily published authors.
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Professional editors are proud of their references
and will give you the names and addresses of their clients.
Just ask.
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More
about editing |
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