Editing Services
Image: Nic McPhee
I've had quite a bit of experience now with publishing books, both for myself and for other authors. In addition to the books currently published by Comely Bank Publishing, there are others in the pipeline and I've also edited a fair few that have eventually come to nothing. In addition, I've edited several other works of fiction, either in novel or in short story form.
Many authors completely understimate the value of a good editor. A good editor looks at your work with a completely fresh eye, picking up on plot or character issues (DEVELOPMENT EDITING), then the writing quality itself (LINE EDITING). In addition to editing there's the process of PROOF-READING, which is the final check of the book (usually a pdf) immediately before it's sent to the printers.
The best editors are honest, sometimes to the point of brutality. There's nothing worse than opening your newly-printed novel and spotting a typo straight away, and it's better if authors are at least aware of possible problems. But I don't like being nasty, and I like to work with self-publishing authors, which means the authors almost always have the final say. By the way, you'll never avoid every typo, especially in a first edition – you learn to live with it.
And I can typeset novels, using Adobe InDesign. Never take for granted the value of good quality typesetting.
I also create ebooks, which is a separate specialist skill in itself.
Many authors completely understimate the value of a good editor. A good editor looks at your work with a completely fresh eye, picking up on plot or character issues (DEVELOPMENT EDITING), then the writing quality itself (LINE EDITING). In addition to editing there's the process of PROOF-READING, which is the final check of the book (usually a pdf) immediately before it's sent to the printers.
The best editors are honest, sometimes to the point of brutality. There's nothing worse than opening your newly-printed novel and spotting a typo straight away, and it's better if authors are at least aware of possible problems. But I don't like being nasty, and I like to work with self-publishing authors, which means the authors almost always have the final say. By the way, you'll never avoid every typo, especially in a first edition – you learn to live with it.
And I can typeset novels, using Adobe InDesign. Never take for granted the value of good quality typesetting.
I also create ebooks, which is a separate specialist skill in itself.
PRICES
Editing is a time-consuming process, and it doesn't come cheap, I'm afraid. If you think how long it takes you to read a book, then remember that the minimum wage in the UK is currently around £8.00 per hour, you'd not do the job yourself for a mere pittance. It's also very tiring reading online manuscripts. In addition, the author is entitled to expect feedback, suggested changes, and there may be other issues as well. On several occasions I've had to explain to authors that their work is actually defamatory, breaches copyright or – in the case of historical fiction – factually wrong. And the manuscript might be very, very heavy going indeed.
My current fee is based on the National Union of Journalists' Freelance Guide, and there's some useful other information at Coinlea, too.
A very approximate rate for a general edit of your fiction manuscript would be £150 plus £5.00 per thousand words of manuscript. However, please get in touch first if you're interested, as the rates vary depending on your needs.
The same applies to typesetting. Typically, a novel will cost £1000-£1500 to typeset if done commercially. I don't charge that! But it does take time, and authors need to understand that the software has to be paid for somehow.
Editing is a time-consuming process, and it doesn't come cheap, I'm afraid. If you think how long it takes you to read a book, then remember that the minimum wage in the UK is currently around £8.00 per hour, you'd not do the job yourself for a mere pittance. It's also very tiring reading online manuscripts. In addition, the author is entitled to expect feedback, suggested changes, and there may be other issues as well. On several occasions I've had to explain to authors that their work is actually defamatory, breaches copyright or – in the case of historical fiction – factually wrong. And the manuscript might be very, very heavy going indeed.
My current fee is based on the National Union of Journalists' Freelance Guide, and there's some useful other information at Coinlea, too.
A very approximate rate for a general edit of your fiction manuscript would be £150 plus £5.00 per thousand words of manuscript. However, please get in touch first if you're interested, as the rates vary depending on your needs.
The same applies to typesetting. Typically, a novel will cost £1000-£1500 to typeset if done commercially. I don't charge that! But it does take time, and authors need to understand that the software has to be paid for somehow.
