FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
I typically prefer to charge $.02 to $.03 cents per word because the words are being edited, not the hours. In my experience, this is the fairest rate for the author and the editor. For this rate, I do *much* more editing than most editors do. As I line/copy edit for the basics such as grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure, I also write notes to the author within the manuscript with suggestions for big-picture improvements such as deeper character and plot development, paragraph or chapter rerrangement if needed, deletions and additional/different writing, improvements in dialogue and narrative, and so on. I am also willing to accept a per-hour rate of $35.00, which is actually a bit lower than the industry standard of $40.00 per hour. I do build in discounts for repeat author clients who write and publish multiple books, especially if they have a long-range plan within a year, for example, of when they want each book (or novella, or Kindle singles) to be edited and published. Finally, one of my latest innovations is to set an agreed-upon monthly payment plan to make it easier on the author's budget. If you're the kind of author who has multiple books or projects in the works and a long-range plan, and you know the approximate word count you will need edited each month or throughout a long span of time, such as six months or a year, I will write an editing agreement with a monthly payment that incorporates a discount in exchange for regular payments on a set day of the month. Likewise, my edits will correlate and be completed accordingly.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
The first step for any professional editor -- despite what you might hear from some who call themselves that -- is to see your *entire* completely written manuscript to assess the writing and its needs. This is vital because quite often, the beginning and ending of a book are very clean because the author has gone over them multiple times, but the middle of the book lags or has other problems. Then, sometimes I will offer a sample edit, but the author must keep in mind this will just be a sample of what's known as copy or line editing. There is no way to provide a visual sample of the big-picture developmental editing that often unfolds in the course of perfecting a book for publication. After I assess the writing and look through the entire manuscript, I will send you an Editing Agreement as well as a Publishing Agreement, if you also want to hire me as your indie publisher. I will also send you an Editing Invoice with the total amount specified and a notation of how this total can be paid in various installment payments. Once payment is made through PayPal, I will commence editing and stay in close email communication with you throughout. I am very author-focused and enjoy the process of working collaboratively to perfect a book for publication.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have thirteen years of continuous experience as a book editor (since 2005), which includes 450+ books (I've lost count!) of all genres, fiction and nonfiction. A list of the best of the published books I've edited can be found on my profile and on my website, as well as my LinkedIn profile. I have a BA degree in Elementary Education and I'm a former teacher.