Editorial Services – Frequently Asked Questions

Nowadays, specialty services that support certain industries and fields abound. It had been adopted now by the publishing industry. They are called editorial services and they are run by free lance writers and editors themselves.

For a fee (mostly modest, and some outrageous ones), these companies and groups (and single proprietorships) will edit, proofread, and polish your manuscripts into a more professional-looking, error-free work, and consequently more appealing to publishers.

New writers and other newcomers are somewhat wary as yet to this new setup in the publishing industry. The following are some selected questions and answers for reference.

The questions are mostly consolidated queries from those writers who are curious with the service and are still undecided to try. The answers are also consolidations of opinions from editors.

Do I need a book editor? 

If you intend to submit your work to publishers, you should eliminate all possible reasons for rejection, short of their total dislike of your work. Manuscripts are rejected for the simplest of reasons – a misplaced comma, confusing grammar, etc. You only have one chance to impress a publisher. A professional edit can help. In self-publishing, your book needs a professional polish from experienced editors.

What should I expect from a book editor?

The edit does not guarantee your chances of publication. The quality of your rewrite incorporating the editorial advice will help determine your level of success. You may have to perform a thorough rewrite, too, if instructed to do so.

How does one select a book editor?

Get someone or a company of editors with concrete track records in publishing, or had worked within the industry. Check their credentials. Do not confuse editing with proofreading. Any decent English professor can proofread your manuscript just as good as any. They just are not qualified to address a manuscript through the eyes of the publishing industry.

How long does the entire book editing process take?  

It depends on the length of the material. Articles, reports and the like take shorter turnaround time. Book manuscripts (with regular book lengths) would take around two to three weeks. In each case, editors will tell you the approximate time period of the editing just by knowing the length of your piece.

Are formats that important?

They are very important. Editors at publishing houses would not take a second glance at your manuscript if it does not look the way they expect it. Basic formatting reflects the exacting taste of the industry. Properly formatted manuscripts have enough space for editorial notations and are easier on their (harried) eyes.

Are there dishonest editors – subcontracting jobs, exorbitant fees, sloppy work? 

For your peace of mind and protection as well, verify a prospective editor’s credentials. Also check out Preditors and Editors, a site is devoted to warning everyone on dishonest people in the industry.

There still seems to be a problem with my manuscript that had already been edited. Do I invest in another edit?

If you feel that your manuscript still needs another run-through, go for it. We encountered manuscripts that had been previously edited that looked like they have never been touched at all, what with all the errors and flaws.

There are still so many issues regarding editing and your manuscript and those pertaining to the editorial services groups shouting their wares on the Net. If you are a writer, it is best to get acquainted with this trend in the publishing scene.

Advanced Freelance Editorial Services

If you are a freelance editor, you may target providing basic editorial services like copyediting, line editing, and proofreading. There are clients who require more. That is because many manuscripts may require more work. For such kinds of editing work, authors, publishers, and other clients turn to the more experienced and well-seasoned editors who are very familiar about the industry and the entire genre. Advanced freelance editorial services are necessary to make copies more marketable and publishable.

If you are a seasoned editor, you may offer advanced freelance editorial services. Of course, you may charge higher rates for rendering the following important services.

Acquisitions editing 

This kind of editorial service is usually required by publishing firms. The acquisitions editor should be well educated and trained to cope with the market or industry where he or she would be working. It is important for such a professional to constantly get updates about marketing news, data, and even printed works of competitors. This editor is also responsible for finding publishable materials that could be logically and obviously accepted and patronized in the market. Other responsibilities include reviewing submissions, signing new authors, and recommending several other editorial services in preparation for any publication.

Developmental editing

In general, developmental editing involves evaluation of manuscripts for possible broader inconsistencies. This kind of editor is tasked to closely examine a copy’s content, level of detail, organization, style, and tone. The editing task includes deleting and flagging text that is found to be inaccurate or inappropriate. He should also identify gaps in the content and eventually fill up those gaps. Developmental editors should also move sentences as well as paragraphs in copies to improve overall organization and flow of ideas. There is also the task to rewrite portions of the content of a manuscript for consistency and then recommend other ways to improve readability and effectiveness.

Ghostwriting 

Have you heard of a ghostwriter? Ghostwriting is one of the most popular advanced editorial services provided by freelance editors. The ghostwriter is tasked to write a copy on behalf of an author. He should use the author’s research or original draft to make an article for different purposes. In the end, all the rights to the written piece would be held exclusively by the author instead of the ghostwriter. This is more of a writing task (instead of editing) but it is usually considered as among the advanced freelance editorial services.

Fact checking 

Of all the freelance editorial services rendered by independent editors, this one is the easiest. Fact checking does not require changing any part of a manuscript. It only involves verification of the accuracy of the manuscript’s content before it gets printed. Publishers consider this a very important service specifically for publishing periodicals and nonfictional books. In most cases, publishers consider fact checking as an entry-level service. However, fact checkers who work for large publishing firms are truly paid well. Even freelance fact checkers are compensated attractively. No wonder, many editors openly offer this service to their clients.

What You Should Know about Editorial Services

Editorial services have become in demand these days, thanks to the popularity of the Internet. If you browse the Web, you can find numerous editing firms and freelance editors competing for the attention of potential clients. Aware of the importance of having your written work checked by a professional, you scour the Internet for a reputable editor that can help turn your manuscript from plain to great. But with the many choices available, you will find it a bit tricky to choose the editor that can meet your needs.

Before you begin your hunt for the right editor, you must first know the distinction between copyediting and proofreading. Confusion and misunderstanding often arise between editing firms and clients because the latter often say they need proofreading service when in fact they meant copyediting.

Proofreading is a basic check of a document or manuscript before it goes to publication. The job entails comparing the original and edited versions of a document to make sure that the necessary corrections have been made. A proofreader also changes the grammatical and typographical errors that have been missed out in the copyediting stage. The consistency of fonts, layout, and pagination is also checked in the proofreading phase.

Copyediting, on the other hand, is a broader and more complicated type of editorial service. The job includes proofreading along with other tasks. It involves a more thorough review of a document to spot errors in terms of style, grammar, reference citations, word choice, and textual structure. A copyeditor does the following: give advice to improve grammar and make writing more coherent and logical, fact checking, making text more compelling, making sentences more concise, make style and formatting consistent, among many others.

When you talk to a potential editor, you and the other party must agree to the services that you need to make your writing project effective and of excellent quality.

Now, your next concern is to determine the qualities you must look for in an editor and the services he offers. Keep in mind that a good editor must deliver quality work that is right on target. That means an editor should have a sharp eye for any mistake in terms of typos, grammar errors, and misspellings. A competent editor must be also knowledgeable of how to make a text flow logically and smoothly from start to finish.

The price is also an important factor to consider when choosing an editing firm or a freelance editor. Of course, the rates that your chosen editor charges must fit your budget. If you cannot afford it, then look for others. To lower your expenses, you may also choose only the services that you really need.

You must have a good working relationship with the editor because you will spend a considerable time working with that person and using his editorial services. If there are lots of conflicts between you and the editor, you are less likely to finish your writing project on time. Worse, the quality of your work may suffer.