Published on December 9, 2009
As a book editor I deplore the bad workmanship of some of my colleagues. Editing a book takes time and care and the last step, for me, is running spellcheck to pick up any typos I might have missed. Quite often I have to refer a ‘correction’ back to the author to make sure I have understood the intended meaning. In some manuscripts I have to rewrite a sentence or paragraph that appears clumsy or obscure, and that may need discussion as well. An editor should always improve the material she’s working on and should have the professional integrity to turn down something that is really badly written. I agree that (your reader) should not pay the second installment, but tell the editor exactly why and cite examples.
Another thing, ask the editor you intend to use what she has worked on recently and who for. A good editor will be praised by her clients, something you often see in acknowledgements in a published book. And that may be the place to find an editor. If you aren’t writing fiction, look in books on similar subjects. Many editors who work for publishers do freelance work as well.
Anne
Published on December 9, 2009
I was sucked into content mill writing early on in the game. As a fairly new writer, I was eager to get my feet wet and several content mills were willing to let me take a dip in their pool. Being offered compensation for my work made me feel beyond elated, regardless of how little the compensation may have been.
Published on December 9, 2009
My friend, who is a writer, suggested I contact you about a contract I was offered. I am a first-time author and a bit green when it comes to the business. Within the contact it is required that I purchase 3,000 books when it is printed. I have to buy them at 65% off the retail price. My friend said she has never had to do this before. Is this something new that publishers are doing to make up for the recession? Any advice would be appreciated.
Published on December 9, 2009
Henry David Thoreau must contribute to this introduction, for his words sum up the heartbeat of my writing. “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.”
Published on December 9, 2009
Angela is still swamped! Whispers and Warnings will (HOPEFULLY!) return next week.
Published on December 2, 2009
With a family this large, in addition to four cats, a dog, a lizard and some sea monkeys, our house is never really empty…but it sure is quiet after the crowd we had here on Thanksgiving! The day was perfect and the children were so sad when Grampa and Rita had to fly back to Texas.
Published on December 2, 2009
With all the hubbub about content mills (and how many believe they are responsible for declining pay rates for freelancers), I can’t help but wonder if they are also contributing to the decline of the quality of writing on the Internet…
Published on December 2, 2009
Letters will return next week.
Published on December 2, 2009
Blogging has become standard operational management for local real estate agents. A recent Internet search engine request for “real estate+blogs” turned up more than a million listings. Firms now routinely maintain a blog as part of their website, attempting to attract the attention of people using search engines for information. The more often the blog is updated with fresh material, and the more frequently specific key words and phrases are used, the more readily that website and blog will turn up in results. A blog associated with a business serves as a kind of net to draw in viewers. As a side-effect, it also offers an opportunity for a freelance writer.
Published on December 2, 2009
I am working on a nonfiction book manuscript. I hired an editor to do line editing for $500.00 and book doctoring (critiquing) for an additional $500.00 – for a total of $1,000.00. I sent some sample paragraphs from my manuscript to the editor, which she edited and returned to me. There weren’t any problems with the sample so I sent a check for $500.00 as a deposit for the job. The editor did do the job and return the edited manuscript back to be on time. The quality of the book doctoring was worth the money. The editing was not. The editor made improvements in areas like sentence construction, and eliminating unnecessary words to make the manuscript flow better. However, there were so many typos and issues with grammar in the edited copy that now I feel compelled to hire a professional proofreader to catch any mistakes I didn’t catch myself. Hiring a reputable proofreader to fix the editor’s mistakes is going to cost me hundreds of dollars. I haven’t sent the remaining $500.00 to the editor yet. Frankly I am having a hard time bringing myself to write that check. My feeling is that the edited copy should have fewer flaws than my original, unedited copy. I don’t know what to do. I can’t insist the editor go back and proofread it herself because I don’t trust the quality of her work. I have thought of emailing the editor and asking for a discount on the remainder of my bill to compensate me for the cost of hiring a proofreader. What would you do in my position?
