The #1 question we get is: “How much will it cost to edit my book?” Here's why book editors can't give you a blind price quote: The Writer Is English your first language? Did you ace every English class you took? Do you write in dialect or “proper English?” Are you a...
I took 5,000 words of an unedited novel and uploaded it to Grammarly. I edited those same 5,000 words employing eyes, brain, fingers, and 48 years of professional experience.
Online Proofreading Services I have lost count of how many times I’ve been the cleanup crew for another company purporting to be professional proofreaders or editors. Authors find me for help after their book is out in the world, serviced by subpar editors. They share...
When I copy edit a manuscript, I make at least hundreds—and usually thousands—of changes to adhere to the rules of grammar, Merriam-Webster, and Chicago Manual of Style (the “bible” of the book publishing industry). By adhering to the 33 tips below, you can do a...
Self-Editing Fiction Many published authors will tell you they spend twice as much time self-editing and revising than they did writing the first draft. As an author of historical fiction, I feel that self-editing is the most creative and important part of writing a...
Writing, Editing, Publishing Roundtable The Writing, Editing, Publishing Roundtable is a forum for writers and editors to meet and discuss writing, editing, traditional publishing, and self-publishing. You'll find this group to be a safe and nonjudgmental venue for...
You need an editor—of that much you are certain. But how can you avoid falling prey to incompetent, untrained, or inexperienced pretenders who may insert more errors than they correct? (Yes, it happens alarmingly often.) And how can you avoid falling prey to the scammers?
Who are you trying to please? I'm one of those editors who say that you should never change your book based on what an agent or book-buying editor says would be "a good idea," or "just the thing your story needs" . . . unless that agent or editor says he will...
My publishing house was located in Aurora, Colorado, not exactly a known hub for publishing. I've probably critiqued and/or line-edited somewhere between 300 and 400 manuscripts. Granted, some were repeat authors, but I only remember meeting six before I either signed...
I find that many of the nonfiction writers I work with are maybe just a little too smart for their own good. I say this with affection and appreciation for how hard it is to communicate paragraph after paragraph of complex information and insight in a coherent way....
Fiction Editing Fiction is an art, and editors must be respectful of that. Typically, the best fiction engages readers in such a way that they fully embrace the alternate universe created by the writer and immediately "get" this other world. There should be no...
More than in any other genre of fiction, readers of science fiction want to be challenged. Most science fiction readers consider themselves intellectually gifted due to their ability to stretch their minds around conceptual advances contained within a story. Boring,...