Guest guest Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 Hi ,Gee, don’t think I can immediately help here. People like Bill, as a published expert, may have some suggestions. When it came to my own book, Chipmunka the publishers, charged me nothing for the job they did. I was expected to come up with the greater part of the editing and checking. But before they issued the work, they farmed it out to one of their multitude of voluntary editors (around UK), some of whom were getting some sort of credit for it in Uni courses they were engaged in. Good luck. It’s a big big job. Ron. Hi all....Quick question. I thought that the three people who would be editing the chapters in my book would help me. I can understand when people are busy and such, but it's also easy to " talk the talk " and simply go *poof* while I am waiting like forever before anyone gets back to me.Could anyone steer me in the right direction as to where I could find information online about people who are willing to help edit your book for reasonable prices?Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 Ron Hedgcock wrote: > Hi , > > Gee, don’t think I can immediately help here. People like Bill, as a > published expert, may have some suggestions. [ snip ] But I don't. I've never myself published a book per se. For the rest more often than not I " edit " my own stuff. Journal editors most often accept my submissions verbatim. > > Good luck. It’s a big big job. Yes, it is! I've been involved several times with the publishing efforts of others. ...Watched the process and *groaned* right along with the authors. 's prior post: [ snip ] > Could anyone steer me in the right direction as to where I could find > information online about people who are willing to help edit your book > for reasonable prices? - Bill ...AS -- WD " Bill " Loughman - Berkeley, California USA http://home.earthlink.net/~wdloughman/wdl.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 , As someone who's gone through the hassle of manuscript submission and editing at the hands of others, a couple of suggestions. I haven't followed the discussion close enough to remember whether you're self-publishing, and even if you are, there are a variety of such arrangements ranging all the way for sheer vanity publishers who will publish "anything," to serious self-publishers that offer a certain number of printed books as well as print on demand books to authors, and vary greatly in terms of editing help. My own publisher remains Kingsley of the UK and the US, and others' experiences are certainlly different. She uses commissioning editors for new authors or entirely new genres, but otherwise really demands that the authors submit materials that have the look and feel of having been seriously considered by their authors, and run through lots of self-editing. Bill will probably chime in to suggest that submitting "white hot" manuscripts isn't a good idea without having let them cool down a bit. The time delay offers the author an opportunity not only to think about content but also format the the work's organization. For my first book, my "project' was easy because it went from the format of what amounted to essay chapters to chapters in a reader-completed workbook. As I had considerable background in knowing what works for self-help, or self-completed work by readers, I did have an advantage over authors who've never done educational or self-teaching materials. Even given that back ground, Ron's statement that his publisher offered him the help of others in Chipmunka's stable as willing editors reflects a rather unusual arrangement, and that's because Ron's publisher is heavily underwritten by the charitable and business contributions of trusts and UK charities. The average "market-based" publisher doesn't have such a financial cushion, and with the average self-publishing arrangements, most such business operations rarely offer editorial help. If they do, you have to pay for it, and consider such work as part of the cost of being an author. In the instance of my book, I submitted it in one form and , who took a personal interest in it because it was "first in the field" took over a year to finally write back and say that she'd have to turn it over to one of her commissioning editors because her work as the publisher and owner of JKP, Inc., precluded her spending so much time editing even a worthwhile project. I took the hint, and within a marathon re-writing period of two weeks completely re-did the manuscript from cover to cover. I also chased down an electronic artwork illustrator who was proficient in doing artwork in multiple layers for the few illustrations in the book, and paid him big bucks (in terms of paying him with construction equipment and tools I owned from my previous work as a failed general contractor and cabinet shop owner. Without that personal "investment" in direct overhead costs, the book simply wouldn't have been publishable. I was also very clear in why I chose my publisher: she publishes paperbacks that are well-written, affordable, and extremely well distributed. By having developed these three hallmarks of a small but successful publisher and business-person, she's been able to take many books that otherwise wouldn't see the light of day and take risks publishing them, even if their readership isn't expected to be vast. Many of her books have been slow or minimal sellers, but the success of her other business ventures and other booklists has contributed to the way in which those other business successes can bankroll a work that isn't expected to have a huge readership. She also doesn't spend much if any money on author "big splash" book tours or publisher-borne publicity events for her authors, even the old tried and true ones. Instead, she does rely on word of mouth and careful appearances of limited stocks of her books at selected conventions and conferences. She reserves "the big guns" approach at professional publishers' trade shows, which she attends religiously and prepares for with lots of deliberate forethought. She's also gotten much better at putting what she knows may be first in field or anticipated slow sellers into the hands of professional reviewers or appropriate, author-suggested specialty journal editors and practicing experts. She eschews "academic reviews" as such company is elite to start with, and is rearely grateful enough to publishers to really do bang-up reviews that grab the attention of serious broad-publicity reader resources such as the New York Times, the New York Review of Books, or the Guardian (UK). Unfortunately, with the decline of trade in strictly hard print sources, the readership of those resources has also gone to digital dependence on the Internet, Wireless networks, and to personal digital readers. She has managed to keep up with new electronic publishing formats -- and even though she came to some of them late, she's realized just how important they are as well as how tenuous the existence of the business model of traditional hard-print publishing has become. If what you've written so far is of considerable worth as well as novelty, some publishers keep contract editors around, but don't necessarily pay them a regular salary to sit at their desks or their word processors at home. Instead, they may farm out some of the editing of a promising manuscript that requires some gussying up, but even there, they'll want a manuscript that shows promise and considerable hard work, especially from first-time authors. No matter how intriguing one's story is, or take on a topic, the author really has to be a good writer to start with unless their fame and notoriety is such that they'd be willing to have their work essentially ghost-written. Just as an aside, that's been how several books from very well-known figures in the autism industry had their first books brought out. I'm pretty sure Jerry Newport really disliked writing even as he thought about his first book, and his early book bears the marks of considerable help by an acknowledged editor. I'm pretty sure his second book, which he wrote with Meinell, may have seen the same kind of cooperative process. I don't believe that's been the case with the later materials bearing his name. Other authors create books using a cut-and-paste process from presentations, articles, and other materials they've written over time. Some materials have appeared in other formats, and as many first-time presenters and newbies often don't think of copyrighting their early written stuff, there may be no need to acknowledge its earlier issue even by the same author. It's more intellectually honest to do that, but not essential, especially if what comes out at the end really does show the marks of having been re-thought or reformatted. There are few authors who are "naturals" and who need little help with their first published materials in order to have their work read smoothly, or apply to a specialized group of readers. I deliberately targeted late-diagnosed adults as likely first time readers for my workbook, with a secondary market of career and vocational counseling experts. My target readership and marketing strategy has worked, for the most part. I'm also grateful that others have filled in the holes of what I didn't cover in the field I wrote the first book in. That kind of back and front filling has allowed me to move on to other interests without feeling as though I'm the only one minding the store. If what you've written so far has promise, you might consider making contact with independent editors who also work on a contract basis for well-known publishers, but aren't considered "in-house" staff. Kirsten McBride is an excellent editor, and while she has a strong connection with Myles as publisher of Autism-Asperger Publishing, she's also helped authors with materials that may not have published. I can recommend her as someone who is patient and easy to get along with, very diplomatic and is very good in helping people not so much with their content as their style. I don't know whether she's as active an editor as she may have been at one time, but it might be worthwhile to seek her out. Even if she can't help you, she may know someone who can, especially if you have something quite unusual and valuable to say. It might help to know that there are lots of good editors out there, especially in view of what's been happening at newspapers and hard-print magazines all over the country. This doesn't mean that a good, out of work editor would come "cheap" but in view of the glut of laid off professionals, you can be more selective, and so -- with more time on their hands -- can they. Do consider looking at Linked In, which has become a major non-too-puffy marketplace for serious professionals in all kinds of fields, and maybe that's how you could find an editor. Good luck. N. Meyer Re: book editor > >Ron Hedgcock wrote: >> Hi , >> >> Gee, don’t think I can immediately help here. People like Bill, as a >> published expert, may have some suggestions. > [ snip ] > >But I don't. I've never myself published a book per se. For the rest >more often than not I "edit" my own stuff. Journal editors most often >accept my submissions verbatim. > >> >> Good luck. It’s a big big job. > >Yes, it is! I've been involved several times with the publishing >efforts of others. ...Watched the process and *groaned* right along >with the authors. > >'s prior post: > [ snip ] >> Could anyone steer me in the right direction as to where I could find >> information online about people who are willing to help edit your book >> for reasonable prices? > >- Bill ...AS > >-- >WD "Bill" Loughman - Berkeley, California USA >http://home.earthlink.net/~wdloughman/wdl.htm > > > > >------------------------------------ > > "We each have our own way of living in the world, together we are like a symphony. >Some are the melody, some are the rhythm, some are the harmony >It all blends together, we are like a symphony, and each part is crucial. >We all contribute to the song of life." > ...Sondra > > We might not always agree; but TOGETHER we will make a difference. > > ASPIRES is a closed, confidential, moderated list. >Responsibility for posts to ASPIRES lies entirely with the original author. > Do NOT post mail off-list without the author's permission. > When in doubt, please refer to our list rules at: > http://www.aspires-relationships.com/info_rules.htm > ASPIRES ~ Climbing the mountain TOGETHER > http://www.aspires-relationships.com > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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