Hello, I just received a corrected copy of my novel by email a few minutes ago. Needless to say I was very excited to have finished my book. I was however surprised that the copyeditor did not include a list of changes made. So I compared the new version to my draft and couldn't tell the difference other than formatting and punctuations. For my previously self published novel, I received the manustcript in a accept/reject changes format. That is the format I am used to. Should I be worried that I didn't get some form of change/ comment/ suggestions except for punctuations and formatting? I paid a great deal of money for this work. All she told me was that she really liked the plot but that I should use more contractions in my dialogues but that can't be all! I mean this is a 117800 words work!! Should I seek a second opinion? I want my work to be publisher ready not sitting here wondering whether there are still be things that need fixing. Any suggestions?
What kind of editing was advertised and/or what kind of editing were you expecting? Line and copy editors do not deal with the story itself - they deal with punctuation, factual errors, general sentence flow, etc. It sounds like you were expecting a critique (what you got for your first story). It seems to be a case of miscommunication between you and this editor.
Well, I really wasn't expecting a critique per se. I was just expecting the editor to give me choices of words in case the ones I used were not inappropriate or over used which I tend to do. Everything else she did was good and I am not complaining about that. I just don't want to turn in my work to a publisher and they tell me that it has to be re-edited.
The publisher will put your work through their own editor and request you to make changes anyway even if they accept - either way, your work WILL be re-edited I think! Nah, it's not the editor's job to tell you which word to use or give suggestions in this case I think. I mean, occasionally, sure, but I wouldn't expect something like that throughout. Word choice is the job of the writer, not the editor - at best the editor should point out that she doesn't like the word choice for X reason. But that's just my opinion. If the only thing she didn't do is suggest words for you to choose, then I think it's fine.
when i edit material for my clients, i spell out what kind of editing will be done before we come to an agreement on a fee... the lowest fees are for what you received and it goes up from there... what was the 'great deal of money'? you should have been told exactly what the editor was going to do for you beforehand... assume nothing, get it all in writing next time... i'll be glad to take a look at your first chapter and let you know if the edit you got left any flaws needing correction, if you want to send it to me... for free... love and consoling hugs, maia maia3maia@hotmail.com
Thank you mammamaia for the clarification. I guess my problem was that I thought all editors use the same format and it was not written down (silly me). Obviously I was wrong on that. I remember seeking help here but Cogito specifically told me that I was not allowed to seek help here. So I looked else where. I could have consulted you if I knew you could help. Anyway, I will send you a chapter as you suggested. Thank you for looking into it for me.
First off, well done for going to the trouble of getting a professional editor to work on your m/s before you submit to a publisher - you'd be amazed how many people don't! However, this does just mean that you now had an edited first draft, and if a publisher takes it on, they will want to re-edit, proof-read, etc, but that's no big deal. The other point is, as so few publishers accept unsolicited m/s, now you have a polished draft an agent is more likely to look at you and take you on as you do come across as professional and care about your work. Best of luck.
having an editor go over your ms does not always result in a polished ms, simon... there are many levels of editing and, as carsun learned to his dismay, a simple edit for punctuation and typos won't correct all the major and minor goofs and glitches in the writing itself...
