Author: Aiden Brinkman
Date:   05-07-05 08:19

Hello Everyone.
For the last few months I have been working with a new publisher on making changes to my novel. They have offered a great deal of suggestions regarding style and I have made a great deal of headway, in their opinion. However, they have gotten to a point where they are lauching the sales of their first books and have asked me to find, and work with, and editor who can really polish things up.

I just thought that I would go to you that have worked with editors and been successfully published for some recommendations and suggestions for some contacts.

Thanks, in advance for all of your assistance!

Author: Carol O
Date:   05-07-05 13:33

Um, is this publisher suggesting you pay for out-of-house editing? If so, I'd find a new publisher right quick.

Author: Donna Eastman
Date:   05-07-05 18:15

Legit houses have in-house line editors (aka content editors, aka story editors). THEY send the MSS out to free-lance copyeditors at THEIR expense, not yours. Who are these guys, anyway. The in-house editors work directly with the author, one-on-one, to polish the STORY, not the grammar, punctuation, etc.

Author: Mya Bell
Date:   05-07-05 22:47

I'm in agreement with Carol and Donna.

Once my projects have been accepted by the publisher and the first installment of the advance has been paid, my publisher's editors go over the manuscripts, at their expense, and send me suggested changes. I make the changes as I see fit. They go over it again (at their expense) and the book goes to print.

Writers sometimes hire editors before landing a contract but I've never been asked to pay for an editor after landing a contract.

--- Mya Bell

Author: Christine Abrams
Date:   05-08-05 14:43

I'm a very good writer and editor. I've had high praise for my writing and editing skills throughout my career, and colleagues often ask me to edit their writing. I now want to be self-employed and have the freedom to set my own hours and work from anywhere.

I've been looking at web sites that offer to find work for freelance editors. Can anyone help me find legitimate ones? Are there any I should avoid?

I could also use some help from experienced freelancers with regard to how you set your fees.

Thanks!

Author: Anthony Ravenscroft
Date:   05-09-05 17:45

On the other hand, if you engage a good editor yourself, should the publisher decide to drop the project (this seems to be happening increasingly in the small press), the author owns the improvements.

Five years ago, I wouldn't have believed the following, but I've had it attempted on me twice.

A writer send a manuscript. It looks pretty good, though definitely rough. And there's nothing general enough that I can simply fling it back with an editorial bellow of "rewrite!!" But, heck, it's a decent enough handling, & I've got a weekend open, so I figure I'll take it on myself. We exchange contracts, I do the edit, we set up the cover, etc.

Then, as we're about to go to press, the author withdraws it. Since there aren't any warehoused copies, they can do this at no cost (hey, we had a liberal contract).

But then I find out from another publisher that the author subsequently shopped it to them.

With my editing work.

It's a sorta back-handed compliment! At least these people understood that I'm a damn' good editor, & my work drastically increased their marketability.

Our contract now makes explicit that the publisher owns the edit. We also keep a file copy of the original manuscript, in case we have to demonstrate that the new version spontaneously created after contact with us makes so many tiny-but-critical changes that simply happened to be like our version.

Sorry; rant. Anyway, my original point was that, if you get a great edit from a publisher, & the deal falls through, you don't own the changes. In fact, you could be at fault if you like the changes & adopt them yourself. But if you get a great edit on your own tab, then you can move it around freely.