Good Editor Services

[Kage Kazumi]

I know many writer's say it is good to edit your own stuff, but if truth be told I will not see everything and may skip over it. So I was curious if any one had any recommended sites that offer editing services for a fairly decent price (novels, short stories, articles, essays, non-fiction, etc)?

Thanks in advanced.

v/Respectfully,
Kage Kazumi

[James A. Ritchie]

If you're self-publishing, you may need an editor service. Otherwise, you must be able to edit your own work. It doesn't matter if you miss some little thing here or there. This is why publishers have editors they pay, rather than charging the writer.

I can't suggest a specific site for a number of reasons, but for self-publishing, just make sure the "editor" really has copy editor experience, and you get what you pay for. Don't shop for a decent price, shop for a copy editor with a ton of experience, and professional level recommendations.

[mammamaia]

as one who provides such services, i have to warn you that whatever you pay [and good ones don't come cheap!], it will be money you have little to no chance of recouping...

so be sure you can afford to consider what you pay to be money dropped down a bottomless hole and also that you can accept the fact it will not guarantee your ms will be taken on by an agent or publisher...

i make sure the occasional client i take on can justify the money spent as providing not only the editing/rewriting, but most importantly, as compensation for what the process will teach them, resulting in [hopefully] their becoming better writers by the time we're done...

[DrG2]

as one who provides such services, i have to warn you that whatever you pay [and good ones don't come cheap!], it will be money you have little to no chance of recouping...

That's probably true, for the average case. I have noticed that there is a correlation: the self-published stuff I've looked at has done better if the publication is pretty clean. So, I suspect that for some people, there is a positive financial outcome for editing. I further suspect it would be most influential for writers who are good story-tellers but have some obvious grammar problems that crop up repeatedly.

[mammamaia]

as one who provides such services, i have to warn you that whatever you pay [and good ones don't come cheap!], it will be money you have little to no chance of recouping...

That's probably true, for the average case. I have noticed that there is a correlation: the self-published stuff I've looked at has done better if the publication is pretty clean. So, I suspect that for some people, there is a positive financial outcome for editing. I further suspect it would be most influential for writers who are good story-tellers but have some obvious grammar problems that crop up repeatedly.

...'positive financial outcome' would have to = recouping the editing fees from sales of the book... and few [if any] self-pubbed books will sell enough copies to equal the cost of a good editor...

[gesler0811]

So then the irony of the situation is that the writers who have the greatest need to hire an editor (self-published) also have the least chance of getting the money back that they spend for said editor?

[mammamaia]

yup!... one of the sad facts of life in the writer's world...

[gesler0811]

Just wonderful

Something else I've been wondering about: do all editors look for the same things, or are there different kinds of editors? For instance, I am a bit of a grammar, spelling, and sentence structure nut. Would I be able to offer my experience with editing the work of others from a purely mechanical standpoint? Or do all editors also evaluate the plot, pacing, characterization, etc. ?

[mammamaia]

there is a variety of editing services offered by professionals... you can google for explanations of each level...

https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en&tab= ... 89&bih=366

you'd have to be very good at it, to get people to pay you and to compete with the jillions of existing service providers...

[Alienscifi]

Do you know any services for ghostwriting?