I. WHAT'S ACTUALLY DONE TO MY WORK?

The professional editor you hire works for you and helps you get your work ready for publication. Here is a quick overview of the primary options that different editors make available.

a.

Critiquing gives you a written summary of a work's overall strengths and weaknesses, with suggestions for improvement. You interpret how you want to apply those suggestions to your writing.

b.

Developmental editing guides you in making your work more marketable (i.e., publishable). Nonfiction development covers large-scale issues such as purpose, concept, audience expectations, scope, the need for more information or less, organization, structure, tone, focus, logic. This is sometimes called concept or structural editing. For a work of fiction, developmental editing deals with character and character development, plot, pace, theme, audience, mood, and more. The developmental editor provides insightful queries, observations, recommendations, and suggestions that give an author direction. When performed early, developmental editing can save major rewriting. Content editing is not the same as concept or developmental editing, but is similar to peer review, in which individuals who are uniquely qualified to comment on the topic, or certain parts of it, offer their expert feedback on the accuracy of what is said rather than on how it is said.

c.

Line editing examines your text line by line, dealing with many of the same issues as developmental editing but on a smaller scale, marking the manuscript with specific improvements that sharpen the writing, improve clarity and flow, ensure consistency, improve usage (parallelism, tense, transitions, etc.) and correct "mechanics" (punctuation, grammar, and spelling). Wherever the meaning is unclear, the editor queries you or suggests alternative wording. The experienced editor is also alert to possible infringement issues. In addition, for works of fiction the line editor makes specific recommendations about scene structure, plot, character, point of view, setting, the "hook," building conflict, tightening and sharpening dialogue, and much more.

d.

Copy editing is similar to line editing but deals less with techniques for sharpening the writing and more with correcting errors of style and raising questions. Most people who ask for copy editing actually have line editing in mind. True copy editing occurs late in the editorial production process after the text has been developed and line edited. Often, copy editing catches errors that occur as a result of revision. It also prepares the manuscript for typesetting, applying the art director's specifications for interior design by coding the text for the typesetter. Thus, the cost of copy editing is affected by the complexity of a book's design, format, degree of hierarchical levels (headings and the number and depth of subheadings), and the number and complexity of other elements, such as columns, extracts (blocks of quoted material), illustrations, footnotes, and cross-references.

e.

Proofreading occurs at key steps in the editorial process: before a manuscript is submitted to a publisher, before it is typeset, and before pages are composed. Proofreading that occurs only at the end of the editorial process just before printing usually results in higher production costs. That's because proofreading assumes editing has already taken place. It is not a substitute for editing, even though each leads to clean copy. Both can be done on the same "pass," but it's a mistake to expect two for the price of one, because after corrections are made, proofing is repeated until the editor knows that the quality level specified by the customer has been met.

f.

Rewriting — sometimes to the point of ghostwriting — is considerably more involved. It needs to be discussed separately with your editor. (Note: I no longer offer ghostwriting for nonfiction, and I've never offered it for fiction.)

g.

Coaching, consulting, and assistance in developing a proposal are additional services you can discuss with your editor.

2. WHAT ABOUT MY NEEDS AND FEELINGS?

Editing is much more than technical proficiency. It is a collaboration between editor and author to reach the author's goals. The editor is a go-between or mediator between you and your reader, sensitive to your voice and personality in writing style as well as to nuances of tone, attitude, judgmentalism, bias, and opinion used as fact. The skilled editor improves the work while remaining true to the author's voice.

Whatever level of editing you choose, keep in mind that it produces a series of suggestions and recommendations, which you are free to accept, ignore, or act upon in some other way. The goal is to encourage the best from the author.

An editor with market savvy should be honest about the possibilities for publication. Not everyone who is capable of fixing grammar and punctuation is also knowledgeable about the market for a particular book or capable of recognizing what a manuscript needs to boost its chances for commercial success. An author needs to realize that not every editor can know every market. You want to learn what kind of experience your editor has in your market.

3. HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?

Editors can charge by the project, the page, or the hour. Work is usually scheduled on a first-come basis. Rush work is often billed higher, as is consulting, though the individual editor might not accept any rush work except from an established client. Depending on skill, experience, and workload, an editor might charge an hourly rate of between $90 and $150 for consulting (in person or by phone or email), and between $3.00 and $10.00 a page for the "big three": developmental, line, and copy editing.

Out-of-pocket costs are extra, such as long-distance phone and fax, shipping of the edited manuscript, reformatting a manuscript for editing, and extra printouts.

Cost varies according to an editor's experience, education, publishing credentials, and reputation. Professional editors have healthy workloads as a result of steady referrals, so it's not a good idea to ask an editor to "just take a look at this in your spare time" or to offer an editor a share of hoped-for royalties in lieu of payment. An editor who accepts such offers might be lacking clients. You've heard the adage: "You get what you pay for."

Rates are influenced not only by an editor's experience and reputation, but also by four factors that are under your direct control:

a.

Type of editing. For an explanation of your most common options, see # 1 above. If you are not sure of the type of editing to request, you might submit a sample of your manuscript and ask the editor to recommend the type of editing the manuscript appears to need. Bear in mind, however, that it is not always possible to tell from a sample the extent of work that a manuscript needs.

b.

Length. The longer the manuscript, the more time it takes to edit and the more it costs. If you pay by the hour, the number of pages edited in one hour can range from 5 to 25, depending only partly on the skill of the editor, mostly on the quality of the writing. If you pay by the page or the project, you can calculate your costs in advance.

c.

Content. If the manuscript is excessively wordy, unclear, or disorganized, or if the subject is especially technical, abstract, or complex, editing takes longer and your costs are higher.

d.

Format. There are two advantages to your using standard manuscript format (see SMF in the sidebar):

4. HOW DO I GET STARTED?

a.

Consultation: If you have not yet written your nonfiction book, you might benefit from a consultation with an editor to help you plan your project for greater marketability.

b.

Sample edit: If you've finished the writing but aren't sure about its need for editing, an editor may be willing to start with a chapter or two. A sample edit lets you:

• experience the style of the editor
• control how you want the rest of the editing to be handled (e.g., "Edit more heavily" / "less heavily" / "just as you've been doing" — or "Stop wherever you are, I changed my mind.")
  
  You pay for only the work that's been done.

If you decide to continue, be prepared to do so right away to avoid the editor's having to reread the sample to ensure continuity (and charge for the extra time).

c.

What to send: If you are thinking about working with me as your editor, here is what I require:

5. WHAT ELSE SHOULD THE WRITER CONSIDER?

Now that I've told you some of what influences the cost of editing, let's consider the factors that set one editor apart from another. These include:

provable experience

ability to devote quality time to your work (seldom possible for a part-timer or moonlighter)

demonstrated continuing professional development

ethics and attitude toward writers and their work

a record of happily published authors.

Professional editors are proud of their references and will give you the names and addresses of their clients. Just ask.