Thoughts At One In The Morning is proud to present a blog post series for unpublished writers on the self-publishing world. I have asked four indie authors to share with you the different steps they have taken on their journey. They will discuss the writing process itself, the steps in between, and publishing itself. Please join us every week for a new topic on the journey to becoming an indie author!
Our Indie Author panel:
Marie Landry, author of Blue Sky Days
You can find her on her blog Ramblings Of A Daydreamer.
A.M. Hargrove, author of The Guardians Of The Vesteron series
You can find her on her blog A.M. Hargrove.
Avery Sawyer, author of Notes To Self
You can find her on her website The Teashop Girls.
Michelle Flick, author of The Owens Legacy: Revelations
You can find her on her blog Oh! For the LOVE of BOOKS!.
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This week on The Journey of Self-Publishing:
Marie Landry: For me it was really just luck. I was put in touch with a girl I went to high school with who had just graduated from college and was looking for work as an editor. She needed a recommendation and the experience for her resume, and I needed an editor. It was win-win for both us.
A.M. Hargrove: I found my first one through Elance. The others through Goodreads. Are you seeing some commonalities here? Can I say Goodreads enough??
Marie Landry: Because we were doing each other a favour, it didn’t cost me anything. From what I’ve heard and the little bit of research I’ve done for my next book, editing services generally seem to start around $300-$400 and can run into the thousands, depending on the editor, how long the book is, and how extensive the edits are. I was incredibly lucky since my budget was next to nothing.
A.M. Hargrove: I pay $500 for typos, grammar, sentence structure, etc.
Marie Landry: I had just one professional editor, but I also had a professional proofreader (also on a ‘favour’ basis - I needed a proofreader, she needed experience on her resume), and one of my beta readers was a teacher who’s fanatical about spelling, grammar, and punctuation, and she went above and beyond ‘beta’ reader, and read the book several times.
Avery Sawyer: One.
~Professional Editors~
Where did you find a professional editor?
Marie Landry: For me it was really just luck. I was put in touch with a girl I went to high school with who had just graduated from college and was looking for work as an editor. She needed a recommendation and the experience for her resume, and I needed an editor. It was win-win for both us.
Avery Sawyer: A friend of my in a professional editor, so I got lucky, but for others looking around, I recommend spending some time at the Writers’ Café on Kindle Boards. If you ask for a reference for an editor, you’ll get lots of suggestions.
A.M. Hargrove: I found my first one through Elance. The others through Goodreads. Are you seeing some commonalities here? Can I say Goodreads enough??
How much did it cost you?
Marie Landry: Because we were doing each other a favour, it didn’t cost me anything. From what I’ve heard and the little bit of research I’ve done for my next book, editing services generally seem to start around $300-$400 and can run into the thousands, depending on the editor, how long the book is, and how extensive the edits are. I was incredibly lucky since my budget was next to nothing.
Avery Sawyer: I’d rather not say. There’s a big range of what it should cost based on the shape your manuscript is in when the editor starts. A good editor will charge between $20 to $50 per hour. It adds up.
A.M. Hargrove: I pay $500 for typos, grammar, sentence structure, etc.
Did you just use one professional editor or more than one?
Marie Landry: I had just one professional editor, but I also had a professional proofreader (also on a ‘favour’ basis - I needed a proofreader, she needed experience on her resume), and one of my beta readers was a teacher who’s fanatical about spelling, grammar, and punctuation, and she went above and beyond ‘beta’ reader, and read the book several times.
Avery Sawyer: One.
A.M. Hargrove: One for each work.
Is there anything you would do differently?
A.M. Hargrove: I would have used Goodreads--LOL--to find my first editor.
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Thank you for the great advice on professional editors!
Join us next week when our Indie Author panel will discuss in more detail Cover Art and how important it is for your novel.
I'm stuck in the throes of editing at the moment and can't wait to turn my MS over to a professional editor. Though I'm a little (lot!) scared about what they'll say. I know going indie means I have to work extra hard at making sure all the mistakes are removed before I published. This post is so informative. I am so looking forward to the next installment though. Covers are so my thing!
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, the editing is one of the biggest concerns of readers. Bad grammar/spelling is so annoying. It's great to have the beta readers and then a professional editor to fix it when it happens. I know! I love covers and the idea of planning one. :)
DeleteGosh, its going to take some time to save up some extra cash for professional editing. Thankfully, it will probably take just as long to edit and revise myself and then have beta readers tear into my works! I can't wait for the covers, thankfully I do have a lot of artistic friends who could help out for this part of the process!
ReplyDeleteIt is a lot, but I think if you have good beta readers, it won't cost as much, since editors charge by the hour. I think I'll be relying on friends to help with covers! I have ideas, but I don't have much Photoshop knowledge. :)
DeleteI just turned a story into my editor - only for proofreading though. I rely on beta readers for in depth editing because my budget doesn't allow much more. Proofing was a must hire though because I am horrible at comma usage. I forget how I found her, but I'm glad I did because she was so enthusiastic about it and did a wonderful job.
ReplyDeleteThat's one thing I worry about is finding the budget for the publishing process. It's great you found someone who does a good job! That's always a plus. :)
DeleteAh, the world of publishing has changed. I think it's cool that editors can work free lance now.
ReplyDeleteIt is nice. If I was more adept at it, I would love to do that for a living. Sadly, as much as I am a grammar freak, I can really lack good grammar some days. Lol. :P
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