1. Cdn Writer

    Cdn Writer Contributor Contributor

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    Seeking Editor - or recommendations for one

    Discussion in 'Self-Publishing' started by Cdn Writer, Aug 2, 2021.

    Hi,

    I have been working with a co-author and I think it's time to seek out an editor.

    The book is a suspense crime thriller, approximately 75,000 words and I think 30 chapters at this point.

    **There are mentions of child abuse, murder, kidnapping, suspicious events, etc. I do NOT think it is too graphic but if this material is offensive or triggering for someone, it's probably not the best book for you to edit. That said, I think Stephen King has darker work than we do.**

    I'm seeking a professional editor and willing to pay for this. I don't know what is reasonable but I will be shopping around and asking people.

    This is book #1 in a series, it is currently planned to be three books total but might go up to four.

    I would like a price for editing one book and a timeline & I would also like a price for editing three books total. The current plan is one book per year and to self publish.

    Also, IMPORTANT - in addition to writing this and spit-balling ideas with my co-author, I have also been training and starting a new job in my personal life. I am RARELY on this site so I will probably not see replies til next week. (Second week of August)

    You can private message or post a comment reply, both are ok. Other people might have similar questions so comment replies might get you additional work from other aspiring writers as they are public.
     
  2. SapereAude

    SapereAude Contributor Contributor

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    Do you know what type of edit you're looking for? Developmental edit? Copy edit? Proofreader?

    All of the above?
     
  3. Cdn Writer

    Cdn Writer Contributor Contributor

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    Wow, that was quick!

    I don't know the difference between those types of editing so I'll say, "All of the above."
     
  4. SapereAude

    SapereAude Contributor Contributor

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    Cdn Writer likes this.
  5. Cdn Writer

    Cdn Writer Contributor Contributor

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    TRYING (!!!) to read Eric Flint's "Ring of Fire" series.......it's soooo many books!!!!!
    I found a service online that seems to be a "one-stop" shop in the sense they offer everything. They're definitely not cheap.

    www.proofreadingservices.com

    My big issue with them is that they offer too much!!! And they charge top dollar. That said, if I have the money I see it as an investment in making the book successful. I mean translation into other languages?! Audiobook creation?! And they edit and proof read the manuscript???
     
  6. SapereAude

    SapereAude Contributor Contributor

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    Your opening question was rather open-ended. How can this service offer "too much"? I didn't click the "Get a quote" button but from the web page it appears that their services are a la carte -- you decide what service(s) you need, and they quote on those services. They claim to have good references, but I don't know how to check that.

    As I commented above, good editors aren't cheap. The low-budget alternative is fiverr.com, but that's definitely caveat emptor.

    As for audio books, if that's what you want, do they allow you to audition the narrator for your book or do you have to go with their choice. Other services allow the author to audition narrators, and I would not do an audio book without first hearing the voice that's going to read it.

    Back to your book -- or series. The best proofreader in the world can't fix bad writing. That's addressed by a developmental edit and then a copy edit. You said you don't know the difference among developmental edit, copy edit, and proofreading. In that case, I'm going to crawl out on a skinny limb and suggest that, since you want your book/series to sell, before you start worrying about audio books and translations you just hire a developmental editor to read the manuscript and tell you if it's any good at all and, if so, where the weak points are that could stand to be reworked.
     
    Last edited: Apr 27, 2022
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  7. Cdn Writer

    Cdn Writer Contributor Contributor

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    TRYING (!!!) to read Eric Flint's "Ring of Fire" series.......it's soooo many books!!!!!
    Developmental edit is done about $300 for 170 pages. Copy edit in process now approximately $2,000 for 200 pages. The proofreader thing, I was going to ask one of my pals but he's an anti-vaxxer so......I need to find someone else.

    Regards the audio book services, I'm deaf. Even if they let me screen the voice actors, I won't be able to tell whether or not their voice fits the character.

    I just know that people don't seem to read anymore so I want to improve my chances of having people buy the book by having it available in text format and also audiobook format......I know my mom doesn't really read anymore and I'd like her to be able to listen to the story.....

    My real concern is that I could spend thousands....$$$$$$ and then sell hundreds...$$$.

    I wish there was a way to improve the odds - that's sort of what I'm doing when I say they offer too much...I'm adding this, then I add that, then something else jumps out.

    Right now, I have manuscript critique, para/sentence edit, then I probably want the marketing package, the e-book format, and the promotion to blogs. I'd like translation from English into French because Canada's official languages are French and English but that's probably $5,000 USD and I don't know if anyone in Quebec will buy the book.....
     
  8. Bruce Johnson

    Bruce Johnson Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2023

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    How many beta reads have you gotten?

    My understanding is that developmental editing is done first, then copy editing, since there's no point in having a copy edit of a chapter that will be cut after a developmental edit, or miss a rewritten or entirely new chapter. Obviously it's too late for that, just repeating what I've heard.
     
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  9. SapereAude

    SapereAude Contributor Contributor

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    Draft2Digital will publish your book for free, and allow you to choose to whom it gets distributed. They can do ebooks, print books, and audio books. Your cost is zero.

    There is an excellent computer translation application out now (far better, IMHO, than either Google or Bing translator) called DeepL Translator. It's from Europe and it doesn't offer nearly as many languages as Google or Bing -- but it certainly offers English to French. I have used it to translate two books into Spanish, and the native speakers who reviewed the resulting translations prounounced them good-to-go. I didn't want to spend the money for a professional translation because, like you with French, I don't have any idea if a single copy of either book will sell in Spanish. My pastor thought the books "should be" available in Spanish, so now they are. It's an experiment.

    I used the free version for my translation, and it has some limitations that were initially bothersome but which became less so as I worked with it. The paid version will allow you to upload entire chapters, or maybe the entire book and translate it in one pass. I believe you indicated that you don't have a lot of time, so this might be a better route for you and I'm sure it would be less expensive than paying a translator. Do you speak enough French to be able to at least know if the computer translation is close?[/QUOTE]
     
    Last edited: Apr 27, 2022
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  10. Joe_Hall

    Joe_Hall I drink Scotch and I write things

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    WTF does his opinion on a shot have to do with his ability to proofread? If he is a good proofreader I wouldn't turn down his services if he was a flat earth-believing, Ancient Aliens fan if I trusted his ability to do the job...
     
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  11. Cdn Writer

    Cdn Writer Contributor Contributor

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    ?? Here goes my third attempt to reply to Joe_Hall.....

    I know that individual in real life and I have family members that are immune-compromised. Socializing with anti-vaxxers right now is not in the cards.

    I did find two other people to serve as proofreaders and they're not professionals but it will only cost me a couple of lunches.
     
  12. Cdn Writer

    Cdn Writer Contributor Contributor

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    TRYING (!!!) to read Eric Flint's "Ring of Fire" series.......it's soooo many books!!!!!
    I haven't done any beta reads through this forum but there are two of us involved in this book so there's us, plus I have one family member and in about two weeks I will have three more beta-readers/proofreaders.

    I don't know if there's a rule of thumb like one beta-reader for every chapter or whatever but my big struggle is finding the time to reciprocate any beta reads I get. I'm actually buying people lunch in exchange for their help. It's easier than exchanging works with someone else because my time is very limited. I think I'm on this forum once in a blue moon.....
     
    Last edited: Apr 30, 2022
  13. Cdn Writer

    Cdn Writer Contributor Contributor

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    [/QUOTE]

    I don't know any French. I have some siblings that took French immersion in school but none of them kept it up.

    With regards to free services, I feel that you get what you pay for. As long as I can afford it, I am looking at it as an investment in the book to have a professional service handle all my needs. I won't be moving ahead on any audiobook or translation until I have some idea of how things play out cost wise....ideally, the book will sell and then I can reinvest the profits into enhancing the book or writing a sequel.
     
  14. SapereAude

    SapereAude Contributor Contributor

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    How are you going to publish the book initially? Will it be paperback, e-book, or both? There are a lot of a la carte "publishers" out there who offer all kinds of services -- for fees -- that a traditional publisher handles as part of the cost of developing a book. I don't think I am alone in thinking that most of these places are pretty much a scam. I understand the concept of 'You get what you pay for," but this is one of those areas where t'ain't necessarily so. Those a la carte "publishers" are (IMHO) the current version of what used to be known as the vanity press. The difference is that vanity press was upfront that they were basically just printers. They didn't market themselves as a one-stop publishing "service."

    The point being that in order to sell the book and make a profit, you have to get the book into circulation -- whether that's print, e-book, or both. And once you have the manuscript edited and proofed, you DON'T need to pay someone to get your book published. You can do it for free through Amazon, Barnes & Noble Press, or Draft2Digital. Same with e-books.
     
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  15. SapereAude

    SapereAude Contributor Contributor

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    Correction: Audio books are NOT free through Draft2Digital. They don't do them in-house, they have a reciprocal arrangement with Findaway Voices. And Findaway Voices isn't a free service -- they charge $250 per hour (minimum) for narration.
     
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  16. Cdn Writer

    Cdn Writer Contributor Contributor

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    TRYING (!!!) to read Eric Flint's "Ring of Fire" series.......it's soooo many books!!!!!
    Self publishing, e-book. We don't have Barnes & Noble in Canada. I was going to use this option before:

    https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/selfpublishing

    Unfortunately they've closed. Which is annoying because they were actually in Winnipeg and I could have just walked in and sat down with the staff.

    The MAJOR benefit with the McNally Robinson approach would have been that it would keep things simple for the tax people. I've been looking at the Barnes & Noble site that u/SapereAude was suggesting and the tax implications are driving me crazy - I don't want the IRS withholding 30% of my royalties!!! - but going through the process of waiving that fee.....I'm trying to wade through their menu and I keep getting sent to the IRS website where I am supposed to find a form to fill out...but then I get sent to a list of countries that have tax treaties with USA???

    I guess it's time to visit the tax accountant and see what he says.

    What I was looking at paying for with the proofreading service was the e-book formatting and then the marketing of the book. Barnes & Noble has a similar service on their website and they seem to have similar pricing.

    I'm learning a lot from the experience. I kind of think you (SapereAude) could start a business guiding us newbies through the process!
     
  17. SapereAude

    SapereAude Contributor Contributor

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    If you're going to do an e-book, publish through Draft2Digital and be sure to include Kobo in the list of outlets for your title. You can also choose Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

    You can get an e-book formatted for free by using Reedsy's book creation site. You can also use the on-line (free) version of Apple Pages, which allows you to format your book and then download a copy in the EPUB format.
     
    Last edited: Apr 29, 2022
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