How important is it to hire a freelance editor or book doctor, if you suspect your manuscript isn't ready to be snapped up by a traditional book publisher or to do respectably (or better) as a self-published book? I've pulled together links to articles by several experts that you ought to read before you look for professional help. (PLEASE hire an editor if you are self-publishing; don't join the ranks of the half-baked, error-ridden books that give self-publishing a bad name.)
• The Doctor Will See You Now (interview with Lisa Rojany-Buccieri, who explains the difference between book doctors, editors, and ghostwriters and offers practical insights into what a book doctor can and cannot do)
• Common Rates for Editorial Services (Editorial Freelancers Association)
• Independent Editors and Assessment Services. Writers Beware (SFWA's) excellent articles and sage advice on what editors do, when a fiction writer needs an independent editor, what editing can't buy (a magic fix, bestsellerdom, an agent's interest), and what to watch out for.
• A Professional Critique: What Should You Receive for Your Money? (Margot Finke on what to expect from a professional critique of a children's book or a young adult book)
• Nine Signs of a Scam Book Doctor (Jerry Gross, an old hand in the business, 12-21-11, on Writers, Agents & Editors Network)
• What a Good Editor Will Do for You (Jerry Gross interviews Viking editor Beena Kamlani on what to expect from an editor in a publishing house, Writer's Digest, 2-11-08)
• Book Doctors: The Real Deal (Susan A. Schwartz on what to look for in an editor)
• Frequently Asked Questions about Editors (Tara K. Harper, a science fiction writer who doesn't put much faith in book doctors)
"You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others the fire that is burning inside of you.
And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke."
~ Arthur Plotnik, author of The Elements of Editing (1988)
• The Doctor Will See You Now (interview with Lisa Rojany-Buccieri, who explains the difference between book doctors, editors, and ghostwriters and offers practical insights into what a book doctor can and cannot do)
• Common Rates for Editorial Services (Editorial Freelancers Association)
• Independent Editors and Assessment Services. Writers Beware (SFWA's) excellent articles and sage advice on what editors do, when a fiction writer needs an independent editor, what editing can't buy (a magic fix, bestsellerdom, an agent's interest), and what to watch out for.
• A Professional Critique: What Should You Receive for Your Money? (Margot Finke on what to expect from a professional critique of a children's book or a young adult book)
• Nine Signs of a Scam Book Doctor (Jerry Gross, an old hand in the business, 12-21-11, on Writers, Agents & Editors Network)
• What a Good Editor Will Do for You (Jerry Gross interviews Viking editor Beena Kamlani on what to expect from an editor in a publishing house, Writer's Digest, 2-11-08)
• Book Doctors: The Real Deal (Susan A. Schwartz on what to look for in an editor)
• Frequently Asked Questions about Editors (Tara K. Harper, a science fiction writer who doesn't put much faith in book doctors)
"You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others the fire that is burning inside of you.
And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke."
~ Arthur Plotnik, author of The Elements of Editing (1988)