It’s like a stab
through the heart. Just when you thought it was safe to plunge into the
publishing waters, your literary masterpiece—the great work you’ve slaved over
for months—becomes shark bait. In a conscientious effort to produce a polished
manuscript, you’ve become a victim of fraud. Editing fraud.
How did it
happen? The scenario usually goes something like this:
You revise and
proof your book until your eyes glaze over. Your first readers—friends and
relatives—hardly unbiased, praise it. But deep inside is a small niggling of
doubt. Something doesn’t feel right, but you can’t quite put a finger on it. You
need a professional opinion. To avoid submitting “sloppy copy” to an agent or publisher—or
embarrassing yourself with a self-published blooper—you take the next step:
Hiring a private editor who will help polish and perfect your work. You Google
“private” or “independent” editors. Hundreds of names pop up. You narrow your
search to the classifieds of writing magazines. Not so many. You shotgun emails
to a bunch who advertise cheap rates and promise—no, guarantee—your publishing success. Responses pour in. You jump at
the cheapest with the quickest turn-around. Because, after all, how hard can it
be to give your 400-page magnum opus
a quick read-through, fix your typos, and offer a few tweaks? Many weeks later,
after much delay, unhelpful suggestions, and a significant outlay of cash, the
process stalls. Your emails go unanswered. Like a thief in the night, the so-called
editor has cashed in and slithered away. You’re worse off than when you
started. And you’re kicking yourself for being the world’s biggest doofus.
Like any
business, publishing has its share of scammers. How can you protect yourself?
1.
If it sounds too good to be true, it
probably is. It’s been
said a million times but suckers still fall for perceived bargains. Editors
advertising “Cheap rates!” or “Quick turnaround!” or “Publication Guaranteed!”
are yanking your chain.
2.
Don’t fall for ego stroking. Beware of editors who flatter you with
outrageous praise, comparing your book and style to best-selling authors. We
all love to hear compliments about our work, but smooth talk and sucking up are
only tactics to lure you in and take your cash.
3.
Talk about the work first. A legitimate editor is more interested
in what your book is about, the intended audience, word count, and your skill
level. Before taking you on, an editor should ask to see a sample of your
writing, or a synopsis and a few chapters. No professional editor wants to
waste time and energy working with amateur writers who lack basic grammar,
punctuation, and sentence construction skills. No matter how much money is involved.
4.
You get what you pay for. The going rate for a professional
private editor is currently about $40 – 50 per hour. (Copy editors generally
charge per page.) After reviewing the details of your project, the editor will
give you a rough estimate of the amount of time involved. You might be required
to upfront some cash as a “retainer,” as you would when hiring an attorney.
Some editors work with clients on a pay-as-you go plan, with installments
payable at intervals. You should be allowed to terminate the working
relationship at any time. This assures that you will never exceed your budget.
5.
Check out references and edited books. Ask the editor to provide links to edited
book samples. Or ask for a satisfied client’s contact info in order to verify
and discuss their editing experience.
Not all private
editors are out to take advantage of you. But how do you find the good guys?
Your best bet is through a professional writing organization like the Society
of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (www.scbwi.org) which publishes a Freelance Editors
directory. LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) also categorizes freelance editors and
posts their endorsements. Check out names on Preditors and Editors (www.pred-ed.com) for fraud activity and general
bad-mouthing. And you can’t beat writing listserv groups for word of mouth
contact info.
Before you
entrust your masterpiece to a stranger, do your homework. Use reliable sources,
name check, and ask for references. Stop the sharks from taking a chomp out of
your wallet.
Jacqueline
Horsfall is the author of over 20 books, a college-level writing instructor,
and a 15-year freelance editor (not of the shark variety). Visit her booklist
at http://amazon.com/author/jacquelinehorsfallbooks
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Its so sad that there are so many bad people in the world. Thank you for sharing this post. I will post a link to it on my blog.
ReplyDeleteFinding an editor is really difficult to do in my opinion.
ReplyDelete