Are you thinking of using a freelance editor to go through your novel manuscript before sending it off to an agent or publisher or publishing it yourself? Smart move! I asked our regular guest blogger, Jodie Renner, who is a freelance fiction editor, to give us some ideas of what to expect when seeking out and working with a freelance editor.
MP:
How do writers go about finding a freelance editor?
JR: They can just Google words like editing, fiction editor, editing services, freelance editor, copyediting, copy editor, copyediting services. Or go to the websites of editors’ associations like The Editorial Freelancers Association,
http://www.the-efa.org/about.php or the Editors’ Association of Canada,
http://www.editors.ca/ .
MP:
How do I choose from several possible freelance editors for my novel?
JR: First, be sure they not only edit fiction, but also read and edit your genre. Visit their websites and check out their credentials and experience, and read about their process and editorial services offered. Ask the editors for references from former or current clients or check the testimonials on their website and consider contacting some of the authors who have written reviews there.
Also, it’s important to get a
sample edit from several different editors. Many editors offer a 5- or 10-page free sample edit, or will edit several pages or your first chapter for a small fee. I would get at least 5 pages of your work edited as a sample. Be sure to send them all the same chapter— and your original, not one another editor has already gone through! This way you can see how each editor would handle your work. Also, if your spelling and grammar skills are a little rusty, get that aspect of the sample edit checked over by someone you know who’s good at that.
MP:
What would you like potential clients include in an initial email to you?
JR: I often get this kind of email: “What are your rates for editing an 80,000-word manuscript?” There’s no way I can answer that without seeing at least 10 pages of the writing. In fact, before I can give potential clients a fee rate for their manuscript, I ask them to email me the genre, total (or projected) word count, a brief synopsis, a brief description of each of the main characters, the first 20 pages of the novel (double-spaced), and another 10 pages from somewhere in the middle. If the manuscript looks ready for copyediting and I have time to work on it soon, I do a free sample edit of the first 10 pages and send that back to the author, along with any other advice that may occur to me as I’m reading.
MP:
What can writers expect from an editor and an editing process?
JR: Most freelance editors these days edit on-screen and online, using Microsoft Word Track Changes, so all of their changes are visible in red (or another color), and they add comments, suggestions and questions in boxes in the margin. You can accept or reject their changes and respond to the comments with another one of your own. At the end, you turn off the Track Changes function and delete the comments, and that becomes your final version – you don’t cut and paste it to another document, which could create new problems. Documents/Files are sent back and forth by email, as attachments.
But good editors will first assess the level of editing the manuscript needs to bring it up to current industry standards, which is almost always more than the writer realizes. Some manuscripts even need a major overhaul, starting with developmental editing; others need fairly heavy content editing for “big-picture” issues; others need stylistic help to smooth out the writing and make it clearer and more powerful; and some just need a final polish, to check for typos, grammatical error, and punctuation.
Often aspiring authors will contact me asking for a light final copyedit or proofread, when their manuscript really needs much more than that. It may be lacking in so many important ways that I can’t in good conscience take their money to just proofread it for grammar and spelling. In that case, I usually give the potential client some free recommendations of good books to read on the craft of fiction, as well as links to my articles on specific topics, such as opening, point of view, characterization, dialogue, scene structure, showing instead of telling, etc.
MP:
What are the different levels of editing a novel manuscript could go through with freelance editing?
JR: These lines are fuzzy and vary within editing associations, and each editor has her/his own take on them, but here’s a general description of the various levels of freelance fiction editing in the order that they are carried out, from most extensive and expensive to final polishing touches. These levels are often carried out by different people. Developmental editors rarely do copyediting or final proofreading, and vice-versa.
1. Developmental Editing or a Manuscript Evaluation / Critique / Analysis
Developmental editors look at the big picture and the whole structure of your novel, including whether chapters and scenes should be moved, condensed, or even deleted. A developmental edit or critique / analysis will give general advice on premise, plot, structure, point of view, characterization, character arc, pacing, style, etc., as well as specific fiction techniques such as showing rather than telling, avoiding head-hopping and info dumps, etc.
Some editors like me offer an “initial critique” of the first 10, 20 or 30 pages, which is much easier on the wallet than an evaluation of the whole book, and will catch most weaknesses, such as problems with your opening, point of view, characterization, and dialogue, or recurring style issues.
2. Heavy Copyediting or Stylistic Editing
For fiction, this should include “big-picture” advice on the opening, point of view, characterization, plot holes, dialogue, pacing, and fiction techniques like showing instead of telling, avoiding “info dumps” and style gaffes, etc. May also offer suggestions to improve paragraphing, sentences, and words; cut down on wordiness; smooth awkward phrasing and transitions; comment on discrepancies and inconsistencies; and help with tone and mood—all while striving to keep the author's voice.
3. Medium Copyediting or Line Editing
Generally making the manuscript more readable. A line edit looks at the sentence structure, word choices, continuity and consistency. Often fixes awkward phrasing, smooths out rough or unclear writing, and decreases wordiness to make the writing tighter and more powerful.
4. Light Copyediting / Proofreading
For freelance editing, refers to final editing for grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and other mechanics of style. Puts the final polish on a very well-written story or a manuscript for which all issues have already been addressed and solved.
MP:
Editors seem to have different fee structures and methods of charging for their services. What are some ways we can expect?
JR: Many freelance editors charge by the page, which normally means double-spaced, 12-point, so about 250 words per page. Others charge by the hour. I charge by the word, as to me, a page can end after a paragraph, or have graphics that don’t need to be edited, etc. Be sure to ask whether their rate includes a final proofreading, or whether that’s a separate process with an additional fee.
MP:
How much do editors charge for editing a fiction manuscript?
JR: Rates for editing usually depend on the amount of time and work a manuscript needs, which can vary hugely. No reputable editor will give you a blanket rate for editing 80,000 words, for example, or 300 pages or whatever, without asking to see at least a chapter or two of the manuscript first. Some manuscripts can easily take ten times the amount of work as others, in order to bring them up to current industry standards. Experienced editors know this, so they won’t give you a set rate, sight-unseen. Rates also vary depending on the experience of the editor / copy editor / proofreader. Just as in any kind of services, be wary of rates that are too low.
Generally, a final proofread or light copyedit is much cheaper than content editing, but there’s no point in paying for a final proofread if your manuscript needs bigger issues solved first, before it gets to that stage.
Authors and aspiring authors – Do you have any other questions about the freelance editing process that you’d like clarified? Please ask them in the comments below and Jodie will attempt to answer them all. Also, see Jodie’s interview of another freelance editor, Robb Grindstaff, on Jodie’s blog at
http://jodierennerediting.blogspot.ca/2012/05/interview-with-robb-grindstaff.html
So the next time you run into your neighborhood midwife, show a little respect. She could be on her way to deliver a child, but she also may be unraveling a series of brutal murders, or trying to keep you safe from Satan’s machinations. It’s a busy job, but someone’s got to do it.
conversation with one of the people who inspired you.