Welcome to a new lesson, writers. I’m Janice Thompson, full-time freelance author and speaker. Our lesson on editing should be of interest to those of you wanting to beef up your own manuscripts or earn money editing for others. There are so many possibilities for money-making in the editing world, so hang on for the ride!
Let’s start with a disclaimer: This lesson is NOT for everyone. We’re not all called to be editors. Some of us are simply happy that they exist and can help us with our projects. This lesson was written for those who’ve been feeling the “tug” to edit and want more information on the subject.
SO, WHEN IS IT TIME TO THINK ABOUT EDITING PROFESSIONALLY?
When we first start out in the writing biz, so many things elude us. We’re like tadpoles who’ve just started to morph into frogs. We’re not quite there yet. And every painful step is just that. . .painful. We hand over our carefully thought-out chapters to critique partners and/or editors, only to have them return to us covered in red ink. “Why?” we cry. “I thought it was great just like it was!”
Hmm. Likely you’ve uttered those words. Or maybe you’ve heard them from a friend/critique partner who didn’t care for your comments on his/her manuscript. Either way, having someone look over what we’ve written (to ready it for publication) is a good thing. They catch things that we don’t. (And honestly, it’s always better to get a second opinion, anyway. You do it when the doctor gives you a poor diagnosis, right? Why not double-check your manuscript?)
And so you ask yourself the inevitable question:
ME, AN EDITOR? AM I READY FOR THAT? REALLY?
Once you’ve published (whether it’s magazine articles, devotions, non-fiction books or novels), you can begin to think about offering your services as an editor. This isn’t something you want to jump into lightly. You will need to do a lot of prep work if you want to enter the editing world. And remember, you’ll be up against several pros, so make sure you do your homework.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. We’re not all line editors. I can tell you straight up that I don’t have the CMOS (Chicago Manual of Style) memorized. But I own a copy. I also own just about everything Kathy Ide has even written. Kathy is the modern-day guru on editing for the Christian market. If you don’t have her
P.U.G.S. (Punctuation, Usage, Grammar and Spelling) book, you need to hop over to her site and get a copy
Right away.
Here’s my point: If you have a strong leaning toward the left-brained world of editing, you can learn. . .if you put your mind to it. And even if you don’t see yourself as a line editor, you might offer your services as a content editor. Perhaps you’d be a great mentor and could help writers develop their book ideas. “Developmental” editing is a service you might consider offering.
Once you’ve decided to edit, there are several ways to get the word out. The most obvious would be to get a DBA (“Doing Business As”), meaning you give your business a name. You could set up a website and offer your services.
If you’re not wanting to strike out on your own, then consider offering your services to publishing houses as an editor or proofer. You’ll have to take a test, so brush up on your editing skills. Memorize Kathy’s book. (Seriously, that’s the best way to learn the basics and it’s far easier than using the CMOS.)
Here’s a final thought on editing: If you’re “not quite there yet,” (and don’t feel comfortable setting yourself up with a business name and all of that), offer your services to a published author as a personal editor/proofer. I often hire my daughter, Courtney, to proof my manuscripts. She catches things that my critique partners miss. I pay her $1/page to read through the manuscript in search of errors. She’s worth every penny!
After many years in this industry, I’ve discovered it’s tough to go it alone, particularly when you’ve got a manuscript that’s “nearly ready” to be shopped around. I’ve put together a list of reasons why it’s best to have a pro in the industry look over your project before sending it off to that editor or agent. Feel free to share this list with your potential clients. Perhaps hearing these things will cause someone to see their need for your services.
TOP TEN REASONS WRITERS NEED EDITORS
1. The industry is changing all the time. It’s good to hire a mentor or have someone who knows the changing trends.
2. The competition is so stiff right now, and you want your best possible shot. You don’t want a rejection based on grammatical errors or errors such as passive writing.
3. You want those first three chapters to shine.
4. If you’ve never written a proposal that’s been accepted by a house before, you might want to hire someone to help you with the proposal process.
5. If you’re unsure of yourself and need someone to help you fine-tune/target your project and settle genre issues.
6. You might be overlooking little things that you didn’t realize were issues. You might not know, for example, that adverbs are a problem. You might now know that was/were/is/are is a problem. You might not know that extensive narrative (telling, not showing) is a problem.
7. Like taking your car in for a tune-up, you need a second set of eyes to look over your manuscript.
8. The pro is going to be totally honest with you. Your spouse, parents, children, siblings, best friends, critique partners aren’t always completely honest because they are in relationship with you.
9. You’re on a continual learning curve. Always be in a position where you’re growing. “I want my next project to be even better than this one.”
10. It’s not good to walk alone in this industry. If a pro walks alongside you, you’ve got someone to question, bounce ideas off of, etc.
Once you’ve taken on a new client, you’ll want to offer them several editing choices. Give them affordable options, but don’t waver too much on your price. Learning to be firm about the financial is key if you want to do well as an editor. I used to offer a host of editing services to my clients, so I’m going to go through them one-by-one to give you an idea of what you might offer.
First, I offered: MENTORING AND CONSULTING: If you’re business-savvy, you can offer your mentoring and consulting services to other writers. You can lead them through the process of branding, polishing a manuscript, preparing a proposal, querying an editor, conference etiquette and more. You can give your clients a thorough introduction to the world of publishing.
Next, offer a “BRAINSTORMING” option: You can offer your services to authors who want to brainstorm book projects and/or career decisions. You might also talk potential clients through a PR plan for their book. Prior to the visit, you can send a questionnaire (loaded with prompts to help in the discussion), which the client will fill out. One benefit of the brainstorming option is that it can be done by phone.
You might consider offering DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING: This would be a great option for clients who “have an idea” but aren’t sure what to do with it. This service will help them acquire the necessary skills to turn that idea into a well-written book.
Another service I offer is CONTENT EDITING: When I perform a content edit, I do the usual things – clean up grammatical and punctuation errors and so on. But I also check for passive verbs, sentence structure, paragraph structure and flow from scene to scene, chapter to chapter. I make sure the character development is as it should be and watch for POV issues and plot-holes. Checking for the story arc is critical, too. In short, I do a thorough edit of the content of the piece, not just check for typos and the usual stuff.
POV: Sometimes my clients need me to edit a manuscript for POV issues. You’d be surprised at how many people don’t have a solid understanding of the various points of view. Doing a POV edit can be frustrating and difficult, but you can help your client take a seemingly impossible situation and straighten it out. Before you tackle this one, however, make sure you have a solid understanding of first, third, third-person-limited and omniscient POV.
I used to offer a service called BOOK DOCTORING: This is the equivalent of emergency medical assistance for the unhealthy manuscript. If your client has written a book, but has been told it “needs a lot of work,” you can be the “doctor” who sweeps in and saves its life. You will have to charge a significant amount for this service, because the manuscript is going to require a lot of work.
Consider helping your clients with their BOOK PROPOSALS: Together you can create a dazzling proposal, sure to wow acquisition editors.
If you’re not ready to tackle many of the services we’ve already listed, consider PROOFING: Your years as a freelancer have likely qualified you to read a manuscript for spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors.
The final service I offer is something I call “THE PROPOSAL PROFESSOR.” This exciting package offers both a dazzling proposal and a detailed edit of the client’s first three chapters. By the time we’re through, he or she has the best possible proposal to send off to editors or agents. For a small additional fee I will help my client choose specific editors and agents to target.
Here’s a great way to know which service to recommend. Ask the client to send you the first chapter. You’ll know by the end of the third page how much work the project will need. Don’t under-bid. You can’t go back and ask for more money. Give a fair price, but make sure it’s one you can live with. As far as how much to charge, think about charging by the page. For example, you might charge a flat dollar a page for proofing, two dollars a page for content editing, three dollars a page for book doctoring and so on. For services like brainstorming or mentoring, charge an hourly rate. And if you offer a “proposal professor” option, charge a set fee for the edit and proposal. Again, make sure it’s a number you can live with.
That’s if for now, freelancers! There’s money to be made in the world of editing, so go after it!
