TheNextBigWriter Premium → Bookbaby Editing - Or similar services
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Hi All,
I was wondering if anyone has purchased any professional editing from Bookbaby or any comparable service? What has your experience been? These are sizable expenses and I haven't been sold on them yet.
The impossible answer I'd like to know is how they compare to publisher-purchased editing.
Haven't tried them, but yes, they are expensive. Google for book editors for cost comparisons. Also, google 'bookbaby complaints' to see what problems others have had with them. On their own website, they advertise themselves as rating four out of five stars.
Below is a link to another book editor that landed in my lap recently. He charges 2 cents per word for a thorough edit, which equals $2,000 for a 100K book. Her charges more depending on how deep you want the edit to be. If you have a prologue, you may want to steer clear of him. He has a number of rules spelled out on his site, including the fact that "prologues suck". He offers a trial edit for $250 for 5K words. I would definitely recommend a trial edit before going with him.
Also, sign up for Grammarly for a month and run your manuscript through it. It catches many errors. Others prefer ProWritingAid, although I couldn't get it to run on my computer, and the support was lousy (one email reply per day).
Also, sign up for Grammarly for a month and run your manuscript through it. It catches many errors. Others prefer ProWritingAid, although I couldn't get it to run on my computer, and the support was lousy (one email reply per day).
I've tried Grammarly and Autocrit both with varying levels of success. I found neither are good at catching comma splices. They serve their purposes well enough, though.
I'm curious about Reedsy as well. Their setup is interesting.
Hi All,
I was wondering if anyone has purchased any professional editing from Bookbaby or any comparable service? What has your experience been? These are sizable expenses and I haven't been sold on them yet.
The impossible answer I'd like to know is how they compare to publisher-purchased editing.
What is “publisher-purchased editing”?
A potentially useful site: https://kindlepreneur.com/book-editors/
A potentially useful site: https://kindlepreneur.com/book-editors/
I almost added that link here myself.
Can't beat an edit by a real person because they see nuance, style and understand subjective choice. Auto crit apps can never do that. Also, an in person edit will address things like plot, characterization, story arc and pacing...vital elements which nit programs can't handle.
My suggestion for finding an editor is either word of mouth, or see who is offering editing services among your targeted agencies. For example if you really want to be signed by XYZ agency, check and see who in that agency offers freelance editing services. You'd be surprised how many freelancers there are and it's a great way to potentially get your foot in the door.
Can't beat an edit by a real person because they see nuance, style and understand subjective choice. Auto crit apps can never do that. Also, an in person edit will address things like plot, characterization, story arc and pacing...vital elements which nit programs can't handle.
My suggestion for finding an editor is either word of mouth, or see who is offering editing services among your targeted agencies. For example if you really want to be signed by XYZ agency, check and see who in that agency offers freelance editing services. You'd be surprised how many freelancers there are and it's a great way to potentially get your foot in the door.
Great advice Linda, thank you. I hadn't thought about going about it that way.
You can also check out Fiverr for freelance editors. I decided to submit my first two chapters ($100 for 10,000 words) as a trial. Turnaround is approximately 10 days. I'll let you know how it turns out. There are multiple editors on the site with different levels of experience, although not all edit fiction.
In surfing around for editor prices, I found that a comprehensive line edit will cost about $0.02 per word, or $2K for a 100K book. The price is higher or lower depending on the type of editing you need (developmental editing, line editing, or copy editing). Be careful about the definitions of these terms. Line editing is sometimes referred to as copy editing on some sites I visited.
You can also check out Fiverr for freelance editors. I decided to submit my first two chapters ($100 for 10,000 words) as a trial. Turnaround is approximately 10 days. I'll let you know how it turns out. There are multiple editors on the site with different levels of experience, although not all edit fiction.
I did freelance editing for Fiverr for a couple of years. Just make sure you hire someone who speaks English as their native tongue. Many of them are from other countries and aren't familiar with American customs. If you look at their profile, you can learn where they're located and normally what their native language is.
I received my first two trial chapters back from the Fiverr editor. There were virtually no edits, and certainly nothing in depth. Here's what the editor promised on her Fiverr page:
A focus on grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, consistency, pacing, flow, redundancies, tenses, dialog correction, transitions, clarity, general improvement, and readability.
Here's the fine print at the end of her Fiverr page that I missed:
... includes copy editing and proofreading as described above. If you need developmental/project/stylistic/structural editing contact me.
Based on the first description above, I assumed I was buying a line edit, not a copy edit.
Lesson learned.
Dirk
I would use Fiverr again, though. I just need to be clear about what I'm expecting.
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TheNextBigWriter Premium → Bookbaby Editing - Or similar services
