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  1. NK_UT

    NK_UT Active Member

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    Editor Discussion Budget editing.

    Discussion in 'Self-Publishing' started by NK_UT, Aug 28, 2020.

    Hey all!

    I just published my book "Touching the Void". It was a lot of fun and a huge thrill to hit that "publish" button. However, going through and editing/re-editing it over the last several months has demonstrated to me that I need to hire an editor to get my 3-part novel series "Destiny Outbound" published. I plan to publish "The Exclusion Zone" in the next few weeks, then do the other two entries in the series in roughly six-month intervals.

    I put out a request on Reedsy for editors. The editors who have replied to my request have all been very courteous and enthusiastic. I would love to work with at least a few of them, but the quotes I have been receiving have tended to be far outside my budget. I got one response with a price that I might be able to swing, but it's pushing a bit, and still more expensive than I read ought to be the average fee for a book of my length and genre.

    I was hoping that some of you find people could make a recommendation as to the best platform on which to find budget editors, or make personal recommendations based on editors you've worked with in the past.

    "Destiny Outbound" is a dystopian sci-fi series with elements of cyberpunk and what I'm dubbing "AI Horror" (dunno if that genre exists, I've not seen it, yet).

    Any help is massively appreciated!
     
  2. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    what sort of editting are you looking for and whats your budget, and how long is you book?

    a full structural line edit will be in the region of 900-1000 for a 80k word novel;... wheras a copy edit or proof read should be more like 300-500 (in GBP other currencies and territories will vary)

    very cheap editors are a false economy as they don't know what they are doing and/or are scammers who do nothing more than run pro writers aid or similar
     
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  3. NK_UT

    NK_UT Active Member

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    Thanks, BSM!

    I feel like I should do a developmental editing pass. I wrote most of the core of the manuscript while I was still speaking Chinese more than English, and I'm fairly sure there are some wonky bits in there. However, I know that that tends to be the most expensive form of editing and usually clocks in around 1300~1500 dollars US (if my research is accurate). My budget is somewhat flexible, but I'm essentially living on savings at the moment (Thanks covid 19 for destroying my business!).

    My book is a hair over 68k words.

    I was worried that cheap editors might not be a fantastic idea, but I'm hoping there are editors that are more on the affordable side for the author on a shoestring budget.
     
  4. Ted Catchpole

    Ted Catchpole Active Member

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    Spelling for a start!

    Sorry. Couldn't help myself!
    Good advice though, especially about the cheap ones, although I was priced way higher than what you gave as examples and was put off so maybe I should return to market
     
  5. Ted Catchpole

    Ted Catchpole Active Member

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    Is that a metaphorical button or a real one? If so what are you using
     
  6. TWErvin2

    TWErvin2 Contributor Contributor

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    Normally, you get what you pay for, and that includes editing.

    You might be able to hire a less expensive editor and improve the manuscript, but it'll still be a good step from professionally edited. But an inexperienced or inept editor might actually cause more concerns with a novel as opposed to improving it.

    Also, a two to week timeframe for an editor would be a crunch, and not likely to happen.

    I think it would be beneficial to have the same editor for the entire series, especially if you are looking at structural edits. In addition, one of the benefits of hiring an experienced/reputable editor, is that you can learn from the process of working with that editor. It may help you move forward as a writer, so that structural edits of works in the future won't be necessary. That will enable writing faster and more effectively, and require less payout for an editor.

    Often an editor will edit, like the first 10 pages or 15oo words or something, as a sample, so that you can see what to expect, before being contracted to edit the manuscript. Normally their fee is based on the length of the work (per word or page), and their expectations with the editing process. An author would probably have to pay extra for a rush job (2 or 3 weeks), if that option is even available. Reputable editors often have projects lined up for months out...sometimes longer.

    Hope all works out and your venture as an author grows into a great success.
     
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  7. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    speeling mistooks are more of a proofreader thing... the editor is there to help make the book better... course some do both and some do a really thorough copy edit which is more in depth than most proofreaders will do... it depends on what sort of service you want
     
  8. Mckk

    Mckk Member Supporter Contributor

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    I have been in touch with this editor, who was recommended to me by another writer friend: Alyssa, aganezer@gmail.com

    I've not worked with Alyssa, but we have had a few email correspondences and she's always replied swiftly and in detail, with a very friendly and kind tone. I was surprised by the length of her responses when I wasn't even a client. She's given me a good impression just from that. As I said though, I've not worked with Alyssa before, but if I did hire someone, I think I'd definitely give her a go.

    I once hired an "editor" because he was cheap (different one). He'd self-published his own very badly written memoirs and had never worked on fiction before, and told me to prepare a book proposal when I was writing a fantasy novel. Money down the drain and honestly caused more harm than good. Lesson learnt. Better no editor than a bad editor.
     
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  9. jimmybobb

    jimmybobb Banned

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    Depends what type of editing you need! There are typically 5 levels from development down to SPAG.
    Do you need help organizing? Or help wordsmithing? Or SPAG?

    Professional editors will cost more. You can find editors with various ability tending to be less at much cheaper prices.

    I would first ask myself why you are paying for editing?
    Do you hope to sell many MORE books that would pay for the editing?
    Or are you just doing this for fun?

    Who is your marketplace? Do you know how to reach them? How many books would you reasonably be able to sell?
    That would guide you if you are trying to make money.

    If this is just for fun then what is your hobby budget to do it?
     
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  10. NK_UT

    NK_UT Active Member

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    Great reply. Thanks for the insight.

    I do want to sell my books. It would be fantastic if I could earn some sort of income from it, but realistically I'd like to just earn enough to break even. I want the editing for the additional polish it would provide to my writing. I also viewed hiring a developmental editor as a learning experience. I am selling on Amazon. I enrolled in KDP Select, so exclusively on Amazon right now. I tried Amazon's advertising services, but didn't get much out of it. I am on Reedsy Discovery and am starting to grow a small following and get attention. Aside from that, I don't really know.

    As to whether this is a hobby or what, I'd say it's a hobby that I'd like to turn into a part-time income.
     

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