Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion

I've been on the hunt for a good copyeditor for a few months, and am looking for one with experience in Sci-Fi and offers reasonable prices, and that has decent testimonials and of course a website.

I've queried a few but I feel like I'm getting jipped because they really don't mark up my pages all that much. Any help is appreciated, thank you!

Preston,

I am not an expert on the subject. The following information is based solely on personal research and experience.

A copy editor discovers and corrects technical errors such as misspelled words, wrong punctuation, poor grammar, and improper syntax. He/she usually doesn't point out what has been corrected.

It is the conceptual editor who must and will consult with and discuss any suggestions or recommendations to improve the narration and flow of the story itself with the author. He/she personally makes no changes. They cannot, because the author holds the copyright. The author decides what, if any, changes are appropriate and then makes them.

Hi Preston--

Go to my website--brucearrington.com. Click on the tab for John R Albers. I consider him one of my partners for my books, and he's copyedited three of them. I've also relayed his services to 2 Goodreads Authors who relayed back to me that they appreciated his work. He is reasonable and thorough.

Good luck with your book in any case.

I'm one of two lead editors at a small press which publishes horror, fantasty, sci-fi and children's books. I also do freelance editing for $1 per page. I've worked with Alesha Escobar for the rerelease of her trilogy and Barakat Akinsiku for his book Arkaz. My edits cover grammar, plot and story editing, so I do a good overall edit for the book. You can e-mail me at [email protected] if you'd like to ask any questions.

Hi Preston,

I can recommend my daughter, Kate Spencer. She has a journalism degree and a published magazine writer. She's edited a university textbook, plus she's edited 3 mysteries and 2 romances for me to date. Not only does she do copy editing, but she'll point out plot inconsistencies and things that don't seem right to her. She's reasonable and reliable about deadlines. You can e-mail her at [email protected].

Jim wrote: "Preston,

I am not an expert on the subject. The following information is based solely on personal research and experience.

A copy editor discovers and corrects technical errors such as misspelle..."

Jim,

I think that things are done a bit differently for SPAs who are using freelance editors. In my experience, the editor uses comments to "mark up" the manuscript. The author then decides whether or not to accept each change.

Thanks.

Brian

Brian wrote: "Jim wrote: "Preston,

I am not an expert on the subject. The following information is based solely on personal research and experience.

A copy editor discovers and corrects technical errors such ..."

Yes, this is precisely how it's done now.

Ditto ^

An editor will edit with track changes turned on, in Word. The author then receives a fully marked up document. You then work your way through, one by one to either accept, reject or revise each change. Editors and proof readers for self publishing or working with a publishing house both use the same method (in my experience with both).

The only exception is developmental edits, which are a separate editorial letter.