I got my editor's notes!

[DrMclony]

Well, my copy editor has returned my Starlight manuscript and I am happy with her work. She has provided me with comprehensive notes of suggestions, indexed by page numbers of course. She also has edited the manuscript, providing a digital copy with every correction marked and the original in cross out.

I have already requested her services for my next book, and a pending second revision of my first novel (which she has already read) with any cost to be negotiated when such services are required.

Of course I will do further reading and editing myself, to be sure. It certainly has helped having an independent eye go over the book though! It will have made a massive difference to the professionalism of the final product.

If you are serious about your self published book, get yourself an independent editor. It is well worthwhile and will help you create the best product you can. On rereading my first novel I have to admit that had it been given this same treatment, it would have made a difference (hence the pending revision)

 

[seaside]

Congratulations! It sounds like she's been very helpful. Do you know if agents edit, or if there's still a separate person for that?

 

[Marooned]

Sounds better than my current experience. Nine months, yes, NINE, and my editor in not even half way through yet. It's 67, 000 words too. So I'm now looking for a new editor.

Seaside, I think there are agents that do some editing in order to polish up a MS. It needs to be good enough to submit to editors, or publishers. I reckon many have editing backgrounds.

DrMclony, have you decided on how you're going to print your book?

 

[Anne Lyle]

Congratulations! It sounds like she's been very helpful. Do you know if agents edit, or if there's still a separate person for that?

It depends on the agent. Some have editorial experience and like to work closely with their clients, some (like mine) are more hands-off. Either way, the agent will expect you to have a clean, presentable manuscript ready to submit to acquiring editors (i.e. the people who buy your book on behalf of the publisher). Once the book is acquired, your editor may request further changes, then it goes to a copyeditor and proofreader who catch the nitpicky little errors.

 

[DrMclony]

Marooned: I currently have it set up on CS same as I did my first one so will likely release with them when I am done. When I have the time to do anything about marketing and such I will begin to order a few. I see CS more as a printer/distributor than anything else, though it is kind of nice having my books listed somewhere. I do find the way some forums slam everything CS a bit sad as it is a great service. Content quality assurance would be helpful to readers sometimes, but the ethos is different there. And content quality assurance isn't all that good anywhere else lately! *DUCKS!*

I intend to enter ABNA next year - and have not decided if I will do that with this one or my third novel (I have about 15k words in that one so far). (the first one wouldn't get far in ABNA - it's just not the type of story they go for. Starlight should do well though if it was entered based on reading the previews of what DID get through this year. And yes I know SF traditionally doesn't get much attention in ABNA)

 

[Colbey Frost]

Good to hear that things are going well for you

Based on agents and publishers wanting more polished work to deal with (or so that's the impression I get) do you think as a whole paying someone to go over your work is a must?

I can imagine so many advantages, but then there is cost, BUT then you have to ask yourself "Are you serious about getting published?"

I'm still thinking about this myself as I have a full family and stetched income, but its something I think would be so good for me.

I want to go over my work again and again, then when I think "Yeah, it's done, that's it." That's when I would consider it more.

 

[Anne Lyle]

Based on agents and publishers wanting more polished work to deal with (or so that's the impression I get) do you think as a whole paying someone to go over your work is a must?

It's obviously not a must, since most writers still get picked up without ever having been near a paid edit (me included).

That said, you need to make some kind of investment in editing your own work, whether that's paying an editor, taking a course, participating in a critique group, or buying and reading books to teach yourself. Personally I think learning how to do it yourself is more cost-effective in the long term than paying someone else to do the work for you, but YMMV

 

[Susan Boulton]

It's obviously not a must, since most writers still get picked up without ever having been near a paid edit (me included).

Me too and I am not the best grammar smith out there. I know my manuscripts have missing and misplaced commas, too instead of to, the odd typo and other small errors. No matter how many times I have gone over the work some have slipped through.

BUT I got picked up, so I must have done more things right than wrong

I could not afford an editor, still can't, so I re-learned (or tried too) all the grammar skills I needed and am still adding knowledge.

You don't have to be 100% correct with your grammar, but your story must be a stonkingly good one that catches an agents/publisher's eye.

 

[Boneman]

Based on agents and publishers wanting more polished work to deal with (or so that's the impression I get) do you think as a whole paying someone to go over your work is a must?

QUOTE]

It's not a must, but it can help. Way back when, I did pay for a professional critique and it did help. But honestly, coming here was what did the most for me, and moved me on further than the paid critique ever did. If money's tight, this is the place to (almost) get it for free - all it takes is for you to pay with your time!

Definitely consider Teresa if you go that route - would make a great Birthday/christmas present; leave loads of hints to all concerned... you could ask for Beta readers, and you may get lucky.

 

[slack]

That said, you need to make some kind of investment in editing your own work, whether that's paying an editor, taking a course, participating in a critique group, or buying and reading books to teach yourself. Personally I think learning how to do it yourself is more cost-effective in the long term than paying someone else to do the work for you, but YMMV

Agreed. Browne & King's Self-Editing for Fiction Writers helped sharpen my eye. Doing a random critique of another's work also helps.

 

[Blackrook]

I once paid an editor $300 to review my work. She made a few comments on the side but basically that was about it. I came to realize that she did not put in much effort for my $300. I concluded she was ripping me off and will not be paying anyone to review my work again.

I hope the OP had a better experience than I did.

 

[DrMclony]

It sounds like I definitely had better luck. I got her services free of charge this time, took her about four weeks and the result (indexed notes of suggested changes, comprehensively edited manuscript, with all corrections notified thoroughly - a few hundred of them) I would say had I paid her $300 she would have earned it! Obviously I will be sending her a signed copy when it's all done.

She did not edit " turns of phrase" or style etc, but noted in a seperate list where she would do it different, in order to not jeopardise the writers voice, and that was a nice touch I thought. I wound up adopting most of those suggestions anyway.

The thing is, she has won a future client, and if she had not done this she may never have done so. smart business in a way.

 

[RJM Corbet]

It sounds like I definitely had better luck. I got her services free of charge this time, took her about four weeks and the result (indexed notes of suggested changes, comprehensively edited manuscript, with all corrections notified thoroughly - a few hundred of them) I would say had I paid her $300 she would have earned it! Obviously I will be sending her a signed copy when it's all done.

She did not edit " turns of phrase" or style etc, but noted in a seperate list where she would do it different, in order to not jeopardise the writers voice, and that was a nice touch I thought. I wound up adopting most of those suggestions anyway.

The thing is, she has won a future client, and if she had not done this she may never have done so. smart business in a way.

Yes, well that's the whole thing, not to infringe upon the writer's own particular style and texture. Crispenycate, too, is an extremely good book copy editor. He edits grammar and punctuation minutely, and also points out inconsistencies in the story -- but he is probably a busy man ...