1. Howard

    Howard New Member

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    Need a 'editor'

    Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by Howard, Feb 24, 2008.

    Well my punctuation and grammar isn't great, it never has so i need someone who can put the grammar and punc in where i have missed it or change the grammar i have put in ifit is wrong.
    If you could do this please message me.

    Howard
     
  2. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Editing services are not free. They are mostly employed by established authors working on a deadline, after the author has proofread the work thoroughly. The author needs to choose an editor carefully, to ensure that the editor does not alter the story by overzealous editing.

    If you are serious about writing, I highly recommend developing your spelling, punctuation, and grammar instead of looking for someone to do it for you. An editor will therefore be correcting the occasional glitch reather than rewriting your story.
     
  3. Howard

    Howard New Member

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    Ok, thanks for that :)
     
  4. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    sad, but true... and the fees for such work would be in the thousands, for a complete novel rewrite such as you seem to have in mind... however, i do help writers with their work for free, am rewriting a couple of non-fiction books as we speak... if you email me, i'll see if i can do anything for you...

    love and hugs, maia
    maia3maia@hotmail.com
     
  5. Myopic Chihuahua

    Myopic Chihuahua Banned

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    A-1 editing service is great. I actually worked with another editing service before them, and was happy but not as happy as I am with A-1. They are actually not that expensive.

    http://www.alphaediting.com/
     
  6. DavidGil

    DavidGil New Member

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    No-one will edit a whole book for you here or well, not many. I know Mammamaia said she does it.

    My best advice would be to pop up a piece and ask for editing advice. (prefably around 700-2000 words)

    Then just take the advice given and see if you can apply it to your work. At least, you'll have an idea of what you need to look for.

    Failing that, read works whether it's online here or books. Look up things such as sentence structure via google as well.

    MS Word is good for the basics as well but as you learn more, you'll learn that it's not always right. A text reader might also help to some degree. You simply feed what you've written into the program and the computer will read out to you what you've wrote with a selected voice.

    Edit: I second Cogito as well.
     
  7. TWErvin2

    TWErvin2 Contributor Contributor

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    The editing service's website doesn't post how much they charge per page...one has to contact them for details. However, I think if this editing service is similar to one mentioned by JustinaB in a different thread it, charges 1.2 or 1.3 cents per word--if I recall was what they charged (I'm going from memory).

    Still, what mammamaia said, editing for a full novel is expensive.

    Even at a penny per word, roughly $2.50 per page (which from my last bit of research is under industry standard for professional quality editing), this adds up to about $1000.00 for a 100,000 word novel. Going with 1.2 cents per word, that's $1200.00. For my finances, that is expensive but for others it may not be--or they may consider it an investment, espeically if they learn from the process. An individual choice to be sure.

    As a side note: Editing services don't refund if a novel doesn't sell to a legitimate market...or I've never seen one that does...maybe they're out there, and I haven't looked hard enough.

    Just one more opinion added to the mix.

    Terry
     
  8. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    info on services and fees above relate to standard 'editing' [correcting typos and minor goofs, only pointing out major ones] and not the 'rewrite' you seem to need, which would approach 'ghostwriting' which is at the upper end of writing service fees...

    one major service calls that 'substantial editing and their fees for that run: "generally in the high four-figure to low five-figure range."

    even their standard editing job will be: "in the mid- to high four-figure range, depending upon the length of the work and the level of editing."

    another's minimum for standard editing is a minimum of $2,500 and for major rewrites, $10,000 and up...

    look from now till the cows come home and you won't find one... no editing service will guarantee you a sale, as they can't... the most they can assure you is that they will make your ms as 'marketable' as possible... as in, being up to submission standards... selling it to a publisher is up to you...
     
  9. xXxKidxXx

    xXxKidxXx Banned

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    Hey, dude, you really need an editor, i'm sorry to say. The title of this thread should be - Need an editor.
     
  10. writiki

    writiki New Member

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    Most people need editors, even if your grammar is pretty good. A cheap idea would be to post small sections of writing on message boards like this or other writing sites and see what people pick up on. That will at least help you out for now, but in the long run if you are writing a novel you're probably going to need a paid editor.
     
  11. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Really? This does not match up with what I have heard from published authors. I'm not saying you are wrong, but I'm not convinced that you are right, either.
     
  12. TWErvin2

    TWErvin2 Contributor Contributor

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    I think Writiki was basing it on the individual asking for an editor...based on the writing sample. Or that's how I read it.

    Terry
     
  13. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    same here... i didn't see it as a blanket comment re all novelists, just in re the poster who clearly does need an editor, co-writer, or ghostwriter...
     

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