First, if possible, ask for referrals from writers you trust and whose work you consider high quality. Second, ask what style manual or manuals your potential editor works from and what they do if the information is difficult to interpret. (If US, it should be Chicago Manual of Style, 16th. UK is normally Fowler’s, 2nd). Third, ask them what dictionary they use. Compound words, in U.S. fiction, and the way noun phrases are hyphenated or not is decided by dictionary use (Merriam-Webster’s). Fourth, ask for a sample of their work. When he or she suggests changes, *ask why.* Authors often assume a person knows what he or she is doing, and when it comes to grammatical and style issues, they often don’t ask them to back up what they say with outside information. I work from Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition as well as Garner’s, 3rd, and my clients will all tell you that at some point, I quote from these books with reference and/or page numbers . . . well, except for the one I have who knows that I know what I’m doing and just wants me to tell her what to do. Ask if they belong to any editorial associations or groups, online or off. Finally, ask them to explain compound predicates, noun phrases, and restrictive clauses. Ask if mass nouns (a.k.a. noncount nouns) take a singular or plural verb. LOL to self: just ask what a conjunction is. Ask the difference between further and farther, already and all ready, its and it's. Some of these are simple things that some writers know. However, non-editors won’t be able to answer the more complex questions because they have never bothered to ask and answer them for their clients. Any complex grammatical or usage question will throw a non-editor. (If they give what seem to be bogus answers, feel free to e-mail me.) If they don’t know this stuff, run!!! He or she is a pretender. Expect that a true copy editor will charge more,–it takes longer to do it when you know how to do it right–ask more questions of you, and make you work your a$$ off. Some copy editors will also offer proofreading services, and what that includes can vary. If you want a beta reader, don’t pretend you’re working with an editor, but if you’re receiving high-quality advice, I see nothing wrong with paying for a beta reader. But I would only pay about $25 for it, at most. Copy editing is substantial work, and proofing is a bit more intensive as well. Reading and giving an opinion isn’t.
I'm sick of indies receiving horribly low-quality editing from authors who think they understand the rules. Just because someone is an independently-published author, that doesn’t mean they know a darn thing about editing. Beta reading, sure, but editing? Not a chance . . . although some do.
First, if possible, ask for referrals from writers you trust and whose work you consider high quality. Second, ask what style manual or manuals your potential editor works from and what they do if the information is difficult to interpret. (If US, it should be Chicago Manual of Style, 16th. UK is normally Fowler’s, 2nd). Third, ask them what dictionary they use. Compound words, in U.S. fiction, and the way noun phrases are hyphenated or not is decided by dictionary use (Merriam-Webster’s). Fourth, ask for a sample of their work. When he or she suggests changes, *ask why.* Authors often assume a person knows what he or she is doing, and when it comes to grammatical and style issues, they often don’t ask them to back up what they say with outside information. I work from Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition as well as Garner’s, 3rd, and my clients will all tell you that at some point, I quote from these books with reference and/or page numbers . . . well, except for the one I have who knows that I know what I’m doing and just wants me to tell her what to do. Ask if they belong to any editorial associations or groups, online or off. Finally, ask them to explain compound predicates, noun phrases, and restrictive clauses. Ask if mass nouns (a.k.a. noncount nouns) take a singular or plural verb. LOL to self: just ask what a conjunction is. Ask the difference between further and farther, already and all ready, its and it's. Some of these are simple things that some writers know. However, non-editors won’t be able to answer the more complex questions because they have never bothered to ask and answer them for their clients. Any complex grammatical or usage question will throw a non-editor. (If they give what seem to be bogus answers, feel free to e-mail me.) If they don’t know this stuff, run!!! He or she is a pretender. Expect that a true copy editor will charge more,–it takes longer to do it when you know how to do it right–ask more questions of you, and make you work your a$$ off. Some copy editors will also offer proofreading services, and what that includes can vary. If you want a beta reader, don’t pretend you’re working with an editor, but if you’re receiving high-quality advice, I see nothing wrong with paying for a beta reader. But I would only pay about $25 for it, at most. Copy editing is substantial work, and proofing is a bit more intensive as well. Reading and giving an opinion isn’t.
2 Comments
7/28/2013 02:54:18 am
So true. And whew! Because I passed the 3 question test! I've only recently been 'freelance editing' because after years of editing the work of others and getting feedback like 'thanks for explaining why that didn't work' and 'I didn't know you shouldn't use verbs like that' it dawned on me that I had a fairly solid knack for finding issues many authors overlook.
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Chryse
7/28/2013 06:22:35 am
I did the *same thing,* L Avery. I joined an editing forum (that I read and learned/learn from), although I'm now part of two forums, invested in great technical manuals as well as those written for editors (like Copyediting and Proofreading for Dummies) and use my OCD abilities to great advantage. My crit partner started telling me I should charge; then I read a friend's work that was "edited" and found *numerous* errors; then, an author who knows me and my tendency to back up my work offered to pay me to edit her work. I was reluctant, until meeting other editors and realizing I do know what I'm doing LOL. I'm always looking for patterns, too. There are three "authors" I know who have been calling themselves editors, and one of them had the audacity to tell me she thought my client's work should read "further" rather than "farther" because "it sounded right." That's the wonderful thing about backing up what you say. I don't know about you, but that kind of thing just makes my OCD start to go *tic tic tic.* I don't mind if an author chooses another editor, but it does bother me when they pay for a crappy editor.
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AuthorI'm an editor, mom, licensed massage therapist, and writer who has lots of useless information stored in her brain . . . that others seem to find useful. Archives
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