What do you expect to pay for editing and what do you expect to get for your money?<\/p>\n
How many of you have ever seen a cute craft or bakery item somewhere for sale and said, \u201cOh, I could make one of those?\u201d You devalue the work that went into the item because you believe you could duplicate it, thus you don\u2019t think it is worth the amount they are asking.<\/p>\n
Of course, you never get around to making it, do you now?<\/p>\n
Some people devalue the art and craft of writing simply because this is something everyone can do. They don\u2019t feel they should have to pay for writing work or editing. And they can often find someone who will do the work for free or very cheap. Sometimes a friend who is a prolific reader will offer to edit a manuscript for the pleasure of being the first to read it. A family member who has a way with words might agree to do the editing for free or for a small fee. A creative neighbor might throw together a promotional brochure for the practice or to enhance his portfolio.<\/p>\n
Sure, you can get writing and editing work done for free or practically free. But beware\u2014if this person isn\u2019t accustomed to editing book manuscripts, you may not be getting the value you desire. <\/p>\n
A woman once came to me for an editing quote. She didn\u2019t like my fees. If she didn\u2019t like my fees, she wouldn\u2019t like any professional editor\u2019s fees. She was not of a mindset to pay even a reasonable price for the work she needed done.<\/p>\n
She thanked me for my estimate and went on her merry way. A few weeks later, she contacted me and said, \u201cYou know, you really ought to change your way of charging. I found someone who will edit my 200-page book in four hours for $400.\u201d <\/p>\n
I explained to her that this is unrealistic. No one can even read a book for pleasure in four hours. That\u2019s fifty pages an hour. <\/p>\n
Several weeks later, she emailed me and said that I was right to warn her\u2014that as it turned out, all the \u201ceditor\u201d did was run her manuscript through his computer spellcheck and call it good.<\/p>\n
Folks, do not skimp on editing. If you are writing a book, start saving now so that you are prepared to pay the $800 to $3,000 (or more) for the editing work your manuscript requires. I can\u2019t tell you how many authors I meet who are great storytellers or they have a creative way of stringing together words and phrases or they know how to organize a how-to or informational book, but who desperately need an editor. They may use a lot of run-on sentences. They may have a muddy way of writing. They may not know how to use dialog so it works. Some of them are confused about paragraph breaks. There are those who try to tell a story rather than show it. Some have lost the flow of their story halfway through. Some are inconsistent in the way they present their characters or the story. Many of them don\u2019t know how to use the apostrophe correctly. Several of my clients need help Americanizing their manuscripts\u2014English is their second language.<\/p>\n
These are just some of the things an editor can help with. If you don\u2019t know where the problems are in your writing, turn your manuscript over to a book manuscript editor who will give you a free sample edit, an evaluation and an estimate. You\u2019ll learn volumes about what your manuscript needs.<\/p>\n
Questions: PLFry620@yahoo.com
\nFor more about me and my editing work: http:\/\/www.patriciafry.com<\/a><\/p>\n