Freelance Editing Services
"What can an Editor do for me?"
Simply put, an Editor should make you better. They should point out your bad habits and offer suggestions; clean up your copy and find the flaws in your writing. They should add to your creation, without robbing you of your voice or your vision. A relationship with an editor should always be additive, even if it feels like there's a lot of subtraction going on.
Having said that, an Editor is only as good as the Writer they're working with. Before you seek out the services of a professional Editor, you really have to consider the step you're about to take. Your Editor is not your mother. They are not your best friend, nor your camp councilor. They have one goal: to make you better. And sometimes growth is painful.
I can offer an anecdote from personal experience. Two months into my first staffer job, I found myself with the Editorial Director, skimming an article I had just finished. As she read it, she off-handedly commented: "You know, at first I thought you sucked. But you're not too bad." That was high praise from her.
Welcome to the world of professional writing.
To a very large extent, your success as a Writer will depend on how you react to criticism. Some Writers I've worked with react angrily to edits. Some Writers are dismissive - their work is perfect; they were just looking for confirmation.
Learn to separate yourself from your work. Look at each interaction with an Editor as an opportunity for growth. Writers who will become successful are the ones open to the idea of tearing their creation apart to make it better. And although it can be painful, and it can certainly be hard on the ego, those are the Writers who will be cashing checks while others complain about never getting a break.
What can I do for you?
In the interest of fairness, I'll begin with what I can't do for you. I can't get you published. I can't guarantee you a better grade. I can't turn you into Stephen King or Stephen Ambrose. Only you have the ability to do those things.
What I can do is offer you a second set of eyes, and the benefit of over a decade of professional experience.
I'll tackle any size job - from short story to book manuscript. And, if you can't afford to have your whole book done, have me edit a few chapters and apply those lessons to the rest of your book yourself.
What form my help takes is up to you. I'd be happy to skim your work and give you my thoughts and some general advice. I'd be happy to do a complete line edit. Or, if it needs it, I can tear your work apart and help you rebuild it. In more formal terms, I can Advise, Copy Edit, or offer Substantive Edits.
Obviously, each approach involves a different commitment of time, and fees are structured accordingly.
| Role | Cost | Work Involved |
|---|---|---|
| Advisor | $3 | Advise as to content, clarity and style. Point out major flaws and areas of concern. Suggest areas that might be improved, and general approaches that will help rectify problems. |
| Copy Editor | $7 | Edit text word-by-word. Note errors in spelling, grammar and flow. Find obvious factual errors, and highlight areas where clarity might be improved. Suggest possible cuts and missing information. Eliminate wordiness, bad formatting and awkward phrasing. |
| Substantive Editor | ? | Only very rarely will I take on Substantive Edits, depending on workload and interest in the project. Fees will be negotiated in advance. |
* US dollars. GST and taxes are included in these rates.
The 'No Rip Off' Guarantee
As a Writer, I've been ripped off by just about everyone in this business - Editors, Publishers and Agents included. An entire cottage industry has been created to exploit Writers trying to make a go of it. I don't like it, and I won't do it to you.
I will only take on work I feel I can improve. I will not take on more work than I can handle, so that your manuscript gets anything less than the time it deserves. (It's for this reason that I will only rarely take on Substantive Edits, as they require an enormous commitment in time and effort, and it's the sort of thing my heart has to be invested in.)
If you ask me for a Copy Edit and I feel your piece is not yet at that stage, I will Advise you on areas of improvement instead, and return the difference in fees ($4 per page). To really benefit from a Copy Edit, a story has to have already achieved a high degree of coherency. It's always a good idea not to call in an Editor to help until you've taken a few cracks at it yourself.
How will the process work?
Generally speaking, an edit will run as follows:
- Initial Contact: Get in touch via email. Tell me a little about yourself and your project. What's your level of experience, and what are your goals with this work? I'll get back to you as soon as possible and let you know about my availability.
- Offer: Once we've decided to work together, send me a copy of the work you'd like edited, and let me know what you'd like to be done. Are you just looking for advice, or do you want more help? How would you like your edits returned - in hard copy or electronically? Do you prefer Canadian spelling or American...? Once I know what you need, I'll send you a formal confirmation outlining the fee, estimated timeline for the work, and state the exact work I plan to do. Once that is acknowledged and accepted on your part, I'll begin work.
- Edit & Return: I'll begin editing your piece. (I may follow up with questions, I may not, depending on circumstances.) To the best of my ability, at some point before the end of the estimated timeline, I will return your work to you. If you chose to have the edit returned electronically, you will receive it via email. If you prefer to have a hard copy mailed to you, I will email you on the day the manuscript is being mailed. (Please note, it is your responsibility to notify me of address changes! Often a hard copy is the only record of edits, and if it's lost, so too are the edits. Fees will not be refunded in such circumstances.)
- Follow Up: After you receive the edits, I strongly encourage you to get in touch with any questions you may have. Are there edits you don't understand? Is everything clear? (Please note: this is not a time to talk about whether edits are 'fair'. Advice is advice. It's your job to decide what to do with it.)
Getting the edits back to you
As noted above, edits can be returned in one of two ways: electronically or in hard copy.
If you chose to receive edits electronically, I will do them directly in the file you send me. (Ideally Word, or generic RTF file.) It's a little more cumbersome - notes will be included in the text in red, passages to be cut will be colored red and designated by 'strikethrough', etc. - however, electronic edits are printable and are immediately returnable. Plus, you can integrate the edits far more rapidly, simply by changing fonts or cutting text, or whatever the case may be.
If you're old fashioned, as I am, I can do a hard copy edit of your piece. Edits will be marked with red ink directly on a hard copy, using traditional copyediting marks and easy-to-read notations.
I'm happy to do edits either way, so let me know what you prefer.
Payment
Both for convenience and our mutual safety, all payments must be made through PayPal, the online payment system. (If you don't yet have an account, setting one up is immediate, and funds can be withdrawn from your bank account or a credit card. Please see PayPal for details.)
PayPal allows you to make quick, traceable payments to me without exposing your personal banking information. It also allows me to receive payments without having to worry about bounced checks and bad credit cards.
And, in the interest of full disclosure, it also allows parties to file grievances against each other should the need arise, which then can be resolved through the PayPal system. Just one more layer of security for you in the No Rip Off Guarantee!