Saving Money on Editing & Choosing the Best Editor: Indie Author Guides, #1

By Janell Robisch

So, you’ve finally written that book. You’ve lured in readers with a professional cover and a catchy title. Now, you need them to leave positive reviews and, most importantly, buy more of your books.

Having your book professionally edited can help you give your readers what they want and leave them hungering for more.

However, any editor worth her salt—one that knows story and your genre inside and out—comes with a bill to match. Without the support of a traditional publishing house, indie authors have to pay up if they want their book to sell well. Lucky for you, there are ways to save.

As an indie author and professional editor with over two decades of experience, in this book, I’ll share my secrets on how you can reduce your editing rate without sacrificing professional quality.

Then, in the bonus chapter, I’ll give you tips for finding and vetting the best editor for your money while avoiding the scam artists.  This book will help you if you

     • Just finished the first draft of your novel.

     • Finished your book but aren’t sure which step to take next.

     • Are getting ready to self-publish or submit your book.

     • Want to get the best rates from your freelance editor.

     • Aren’t sure how to find an editor.

     • Can’t afford an editor but want to get your book in tip-top shape before publishing or submitting.

You’ve worked hard on your book. Make sure that when you hit Publish, it shows.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mistweave Press
• Release date: Aug 23, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386987055

Book preview

Copyright Notice

Saving Money on Editing & Choosing the Best Editor: An Indie Author Guide

Copyright © 2017 by Janell E. Robisch

All rights reserved.

A different version of this book is being published in conjunction with the Editorial Freelancers Association under the title An Author’s Guide to Saving Money on Editing. As such, this organization holds joint copyright for all parts of this book that are common to both versions.

This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America

First Edition, 2017

Janell E. Robisch

Mistweave Press/Speculations Editing Services

P.O. Box 691

Luray, VA 22835

speculationsediting.com

Cover design by Janell E. Robisch

Need information on writing and self-publishing? Please sign up for my mailing list. I only send out updates when there is something new (a blog post, book, or new resources) to share!

1. The Value of Patience

Congratulations, you’ve written a book! Now, according to conventional wisdom, whether you are planning to self-publish your book or submit it for publication through a traditional publisher, you need to have your book edited. The editing process, a series of several steps that includes structural editing, copyediting, and proofreading, will transform your book from a rough draft into a polished work that you can send off into the world and be proud of.

The first question that you might have is why an editor such as myself would tell you how to save money on her services. The reasons are many, but here are just a few:

1. I am an author myself. I plan to self-publish my own nonfiction books, novels, and short stories. I understand how big that number can look when you get an estimate from an editor to polish your manuscript. I have no desire to bankrupt writers just so they can publish books that won’t send readers away screaming about errors. However, I also know that most professional editors, myself included, charge reasonable fees with the goal of earning a comfortable living wage, but that’s it. Editing has never been known as a lucrative profession.

2. It’s more enjoyable for me. A big part of saving money on editing is sending your editor the cleanest manuscript possible. As an editor, I enjoy editing books that start out in better shape. If I’m not fixing things that it would have been easy for the author to fix on her own, I get to not only enjoy the story more but also concentrate on using the