COPY EDITING, PROOFREADING, AND MANUSCRIPT EVALUATION SERVICES
"What's the best way to proof copy? Get someone
else to do it."
William Safire
Copy Editing Proofreading
Manuscript Evaluations
Free Sample Edits
Have you just completed that special manuscript? Months or even years of research, toil, and roadblocks are finally behind you. Your book is finished—almost.
Every author needs a professional editor before
going to print. Even the most seasoned writers no longer have any objectivity
about their work in the final stages of writing, and for first-time authors, a
highly-skilled copyedit is essential. Staring at a manuscript, day in and day
out over a long period of time, prevents us from seeing our mistakes or
stepping back to ascertain flaws in our plot line and inconsistencies in
characterization.
MY SERVICES
COPY EDITING
Copy editing fixes potentially embarrassing typos, misspellings, run-on sentences, and other grammatical issues, such as misplaced modifiers. It also ensures consistency in capitalizations and identifies sentences that may be unclear or repetitive as well as issues with word usage. My company, Book Magic, will do two rounds of copy editing to deliver a polished and professional manuscript. 1.5 cents per word
PROOFREADING
If your manuscript is in good shape, you may simply need a proofread. Book Magic will check for spelling, grammar, syntax, punctuation, and typos. We will also stylize your manuscript according to The Chicago Manual of Style and ensure that you have consistent Canadian or US spelling. 1 cent per word
MANUSCRIPT EVALUATIONS
An evaluation is a comprehensive assessment of your work, which identifies strengths as well as weaknesses, noting areas where you could enhance your manuscript. The evaluation looks at consistency, clarity, redundancy, readability, and point of view. We also provide feedback on characterization, dialogue, background setting, and plot conflict and resolution for fiction. For nonfiction, we look at structure, organization, flow, clarity, references, and consistency. Evaluations provide concrete and specific recommendations for improving your material. 1.5 cents per word
FREE SAMPLE EDITS
How do you know that our styles will match? Send me five or six pages of
your manuscript. I will do a free sample edit on the first 500 words.
INSTALLMENT PLANS
Editing can be expensive. We make payment easier. You can pay in installments over several months.
INSTALLMENT PLANS
Editing can be expensive. We make payment easier. You can pay in installments over several months.
READ MY TESTIMONIALS
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN SELF-PUBLISHING?
For years, writers felt inferior when they published
their own works. They were told that if their writing were good enough, it would
be accepted by a traditional publisher. Often it was hard to obtain reviews for
self-published books. Fortunately, this stigma is disappearing. Smart people
realize it could take months or years to submit a manuscript to conventional
publishing companies, only to be rejected in the end.
Why not do it yourself? Finish your book and get it
out there. Make higher royalties than you could with a company. Have complete
control over your material, starting with the essential message and moving on to
the cover art and pricing.
Sounds simple, but there is much to know about
navigating the complicated self-publishing highway. Should you use CreateSpace,
iUniverse, Lulu, Author Solutions, Trafford, Smashwords, Blitzprint or a local
printer? How much will you have to pay for shipping? How can you sell your book
on your website? What about ebooks or audiobooks? How do you get reviews? And what price
should you set for your book, both electronically and in print?
I’ve been self-publishing books for myself and
clients for sixteen years, and I've also worked with traditional publishing
houses. I know the ins and outs and can recommend the highest quality, least
expensive self-publishing options. I'll customize a program just for you. I
also have great contacts who can do page formatting, headers and footers, and
create awesome cover art!
COMBINATION AUTHOR AND EDITOR
I’m not only an editor; I’m also an author. I know
what it's like to work for a year or two on a book and feel nervous about
giving it over to a stranger. I’ve written three books—including Be Your Own Editor—and numerous
articles that have been published in periodicals, such as the Women's Freedom Network Newsletter, the Toastmaster, She Unlimited, True North
Perspectives, and the popular American magazine Justice Denied. I've been affiliated with five publishing companies
over the last decade, and I won the blog of the year award for my blog in 2011 on
writing tips.
Consequently, I understand the world of publishing
and marketing. Writing a book is only half the job! Marketing, networking, and
promoting comprise the other half.
WHY HIRE ME?
First, I specialize in copy editing, so I'll polish and
perfect your language and sentence structure, remove redundancies and
repetitions, and eradicate typos and problems with spelling, grammar, or
punctuation.
Second, I offer a comprehensive critique of your manuscript, which will make
it more clear, concise and professional.
Third, I've worked with five publishing houses and edited more than 350 full-length books including fiction
and nonfiction. I've covered a wide range of genres from thrillers to
historical fiction to mysteries to romance to erotica to drama to science
fiction and fantasy. In nonfiction, I have edited and evaluated self-help books,
inspirational material, religious works, political books, and a number of
memoirs. I've also worked with many people who have English as a second language and those with disabilities, such as visual or hearing impairment (yes, you can write a book if you are visually impaired! There are many high-tech programs to help those with difficulty seeing flourish online and in Word). Eighty-nine of my clients started out thinking about self-publishing
but then found traditional publishers.
Third, I have assistants, associates, and a number
of important connections in the publishing field who will provide you with all
the help you need to publish your book. Because I'm part of a team, you won't
be left hanging after I've edited your manuscript. And I know the best
self-publishing companies, which will save you money and aggravation in the
long run.
Start with me and watch your rough manuscript
blossom into a polished book with an engaging story line. It will then morph
into your own baby with a special message; you’ll learn how to deliver it
directly into the hands of the right self-publisher and zoom out onto the
Internet with a specific, targeted marketing plan geared to your intended
audience.
posted by Sigrid Macdonald at
3:29 PM
