Well, it happened again. I received this email from an author:
“I am planning to send the whole manuscript to another editor because the prior one failed in doing a proper job. If you have someone to recommend…”
I receive similar emails from authors almost every week. And, when I do, it’s always very disheartening. Why? Because those authors must pay someone else (a real professional) to edit their books all over again.
While hiring someone on the cheap might be tempting, don’t do it. There is no licensing authority for editors. Anybody in the world can slap up a website, and call him or herself an “editor.”
And, when someone pretends to have expertise they do not, selling services based on that non-existent expertise is a SCAM.
Editing is a skill that takes years of education and training. When someone spends that much time and effort perfecting a skill, they’re entitled to be paid respectable wages. And, they can afford to do so. Professional editors are extremely busy these days. Many folks who now work from home are pulling out old manuscripts, and polishing them for publication. Many established authors have started writing new books. The need for great editors has never been…greater.
If someone quotes you only a couple or few hundred bucks to “edit” your 200-page manuscript, run as fast as you can away from them. You’ll very likely be extremely disappointed in their work. Even worse, the absolute worst “editors” insert errors into manuscripts. That happened to me many years ago and my “editor” worked for a traditional publishing house! I was told she was fired after working on my book.
If you need a referral to an great editor who has been vetted, and who has an excellent track record, CLICK HERE.
RELATED
- When Freelance Editors Cross the Line
- When Book Editors Err… By Dr. Marlene Caroselli
- POD Authors Need To Hire Editors By Dougie Child
- “Can You Post Your List Of Recommended Editors Once Again?”
- When Freelance Editors Cross the Line
Got questions about Print On Demand and Self-publishing? Ask Angela Hoy.
About The Author
Angela Hoy is the publisher of WritersWeekly.com, the author of 19 books, and the co-owner of BookLocker.com (one of the original POD publishers that still gets books to market in less than a month), PubPreppers.com (print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish), and Abuzz Press (the publishing co-op that charges no setup fees).
Angela has lived and traveled across the U.S. with her kids in an RV, settled in a river-side home in Bradenton, FL, and lived on a 52 ft Irwin sailboat. Angela now resides on a mountaintop in Northwest Georgia, where she plans to spend the rest of her days bird watching, gardening, hiking, and taking in all of the amazing sunrises.
WritersWeekly.com - the free marketing ezine for writers, which features new paying markets and freelance job listings every Wednesday.
BookLocker.com - According to attorney Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print, BookLocker is: "As close to perfection as you're going to find in the world of ebook and POD publishing. The ebook royalties are the highest I've ever seen, and the print royalties are better than average. BookLocker understands what new authors experience, and have put together a package that is the best in the business. You can't go wrong here. Plus, they're selective and won't publish any manuscript just because it's accompanied by a check. Also, the web site is well trafficked. If you can find a POD or epublisher with as much integrity and dedication to selling authors' books, but with lower POD publishing fees, please let me know."
Abuzz Press offers FAST and FREE book publication, but only accepts a small percentage of submissions, and only works with U.S. authors.
PubPreppers.com - "We Prep, You Publish!" Print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish. Offers formatting and design services only, and then provides simple instructions for authors on where to sign up to have the print and ebook editions printed/listed/sold. Cut out the middle man. Keep 100% of what bookstores pay for your book!
Angela's POD Secrets Revealed Series can be found HERE.
Have a POD Book with another publisher? See if BookLocker can give you a better deal. (BookLocker offers "disgruntled author discounts" to those who want to move from other POD services.)
See BookLocker's publishing packages HERE.
ANGELA ON TWITTER https://twitter.com/AngelaHoy
BOOKLOCKER ON FACEBOOK - Provides links to free excerpts!
https://www.facebook.com/booklockerbooks
ANGELA ON FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/angela.hoy.750
ANGELA ON LINKEDIN
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/angela-hoy/78/719/390
Angela is the creator of the Original 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
https://24hourshortstorycontest.com/
Read More Of Angela's Articles HERE
90+ DAYS OF PROMOTING YOUR BOOK ONLINE: Your Book's Daily Marketing Plan by Angela Hoy and Richard Hoy
Promoting your book online should be considered at least a part-time job. Highly successful authors spend more time promoting a book than they do writing it - a lot more.
We know what you're thinking. You're an author, not a marketer. Not to worry! We have more than a decade of successful online book selling experience under our belts and we're going to teach you how to promote your book effectively online...and almost all of our techniques are FREE!
Online book promotion is not only simple but, if you have a step-by-step, day-to-day marketing plan (this book!), it can also be a very artistic endeavor, which makes it fun for creative folks like you!
Yes, online book promoting can be EASY and FUN! Let us show you how, from Day 1 through Day 90...and beyond!
7.625 STRATEGIES IN EVERY BEST-SELLER - Revised and Expanded Edition
At this moment, thousands of would-be authors are slaving away on their keyboards, dreaming of literary success. But their efforts won’t count for much. Of all those manuscripts, trade book editors will sign up only a slim fraction.
And of those titles--ones that that editors paid thousands of dollars to contract, print and publicize--an unhealthy percentage never sell enough copies to earn back their advances. Two years later, most will be out of print!
Acquisition Editor Tam Mossman shares seven essentials every book needs to stay in print, and sell!
Read more here:
https://writersweekly.com/books/5635.html
You should also be very careful of the person who converts your book so it can be published. I used the same person for almost 10 years. In my last book, she got half way through the job then decided that she wanted me to pull my credentials out of the book but leave hers in. I needed my credentials in my book because it helped sell it. When I refused to take my credentials out but leave hers in, she dropped the entire project. My suspicion was that my credentials, which grew more numerous each year, but hers did not, caused her to become jealous and terminate the project.