So Your Book Just Got Edited…
Enough people made vaguely interested noises in the editing process that I thought I’d talk about it a bit. It’s definitely the tedious, grim, discouraging bit of the process, but it occurs to me that you, O Prospective Author, may find it even more traumatic if nobody tells you what to expect!
First, two caveats. I’ve had…I think…twelve books ( Read more... )
I also used to work with a large editorial group called, creatively, the Editorial Network. I decided I preferred to work without the group eventually, but there are some very competent, experienced editors in the group (or at least there were at the time I was working with them). It's a somewhat pricey service but at least you get skilled and personalized attention. You'll find them if you google on "editorial network" and "Lynda Lotman." Do note that I haven't been involved with them in at least 3 or 4 years, so I can't vouch for what the group is doing these days.
You can find inexpensive services and inexpensive independent editors, but I'd be wary of anything that seems to be notably underpriced relative to the going rate. It's important to get someone who is experienced, specifically with the kind of book you are writing. And it is good, I think, to work with someone who neither overvalues nor undervalues what they're doing.
If you look on the Editorial Freelancers website under "resources," you will find a list of average rates for various editorial services. It's a little out of date because it's based on a survey done the year before at the latest, but it will give you a ballpark to evaluate whether someone's giving you a wildly inflated or depressed quote.
I charge a flat per-hour rate for most services, personally, because I figure my time is worth the same regardless of what service I'm doing, and I find that the fee self-adjusts because a simple task (such as proofreading) will take less time than a complex task (such as a substantive edit). However, most editors charge differential rates based on the service, so you might find that you're not getting flat-rate quotes when you inquire about fees.
There are also some good peer feedback groups--critters.org is popular. But no, it's not the same as hiring a good independent editor of your very own. You can still get useful information out of it, though.
And personally, I wouldn't want to live in a basement, but hey, some editors will do anything if you give them a place to live and don't forget to water and feed them. The lack of bathroom might be a problem, though. ;
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I'm also skittish in general, since the last time I had anyone "critiquing" my fiction, it was in a really awful "writing fiction" college class, and I didn't write anything for a year after. (Fanfic brought me back, woo!) So, y'know, wild author... no sudden moves... >_>
(Ironically, I've done some editing of my own as well -- though for tabletop RPG stuff, not fiction. That and beta-readers have let me limp along... *wry* )
*bookmarks this post for more reasons than one*
Oh, and there is a bathroom just up the stairs and to the left, with a shower and tub, even! O;D
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And yeah, it's kind of inherently hard to accept criticism on one's writing, I think. I've published (or rather, they've been published for me) several books and short stories and virtual reams of consumer and technical products and documentation and oh, all kinds of things, and the edits I get back tend to be pretty minimal...but I still wail (briefly and inside my head) over the injustice, the INJUSTICE, I tell you, of every one. :->
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Here, you can email me at nettle at greennettle dot com instead, if you want.
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It's less INJUSTICE -- I've been edited and playtested on non-fiction -- and more... Well, it was a really awful class. *wry* Far less "here's some weaknesses to address" and more "I just didn't like this and nothing happens so you suck, have a C-."
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This is the teacher who boasted that Stephan King wanted to speak there, and they turned him down, because he was a genre hack.
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So I don't totally hijack this entry..how about if I put up a public post about it on my LJ? (Most of my posts are "friends only," but I'll leave that one public.) But I'm not going to have time to do it today, probably, because I have other things on fire.
I should just leave such a post at the top of my journal anyway, since people frequently ask me.
Gah, I started typing a short answer and realized I was about to post an essay anyway, so...yeah. Check my LJ in a day or two. I'll try to find some time to type something up tonight.
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