Dear Author,

RE: Editing/Proofing options

If you are not sure what level of editing your book requires (ex: Do I need a copy editor or a proofer?), I recommend hiring Daniel Siuba dannysiuba@gmail.com. Daniel is an academic editor (he edits dissertations for students in masters programs) and someone I hold in high regards. His fees are reasonable and he'll be honest (transparency is a trait I admire in a partner).

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These are editors on the Gold list of the Christian Proofreaders and Editors Network (PEN). In order to be on this list, an editor must have at least two years' experience and pass editing tests (85%+) for the Christian Editor Connection (CEC):

• Linda Nathan
• Dawn Kinzer
• Erin Brown             
• Karen Saari 
• Karen Engle

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Here are some reasonably priced gals I can recommend (who are local to me): http://www.thecrimsonquill.com/meet-the-editors.html (Be sure to ask about their backlog/wait time as that might be a showstopper).

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Another editor I recently connected with on LinkedIn. I haven't sent her any work yet, but plan to.

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Here are 3 more editing services I just found out about that have been around for awhile. Buyer beware - I have no idea of how good these companies are:

• https://postscripting.net/
• https://www.kibin.com/
• https://www.scribendi.com/

When editing work is being outsourced overseas where english is not their first language, it's a red flag.

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While we do a technical proof of the layout as part of the service we offer, we don’t do copy editing/proofing. Here's what I suggest (which is always in flux based on client feedback):

The danger in proofing someone else’s work is that often times, what may appear wrong to me is exactly what the author intended, so as a practice we never change what format/convert.

Writer’s Digest offers a service through their pool of editors at $2/page.

You could also try one of the digital proofing tools like ProWritingAid which also works with MS Word.

You can also check out WhiteSmoke and Grammarly.

Editing is a very subjective role, and I’ve found that one author will love an editor that another author hated. The work can often be impacted based on the workload an editor takes on, as well as the deadline to complete the work will often impact the quality of work.

For this reason, I don’t like to do referrals because editing is subjective, but I’ve had consistently positive feedback for Irene Chambers who you can contact at: irchambersva@gmail.com.

I also recommend Meagan Friberg. She can be reached at meaganfriberg@gmail.com.

Be sure to mention to them I referred you, and let me know how it goes if you hire one of them.

Some final thoughts...

• Proofreading can’t be rushed! If you rush an editor, the quality of work their work will be impacted.
• When you advertise for an editor, often the only responses you get will be people who are available, and you have to ask yourself if they are good, why are they available? Referrals are always the best way to go.
• You can always release a 2nd edition at a later date, but if it's not edited much at all, you will run the risk of a bad review that will stick with the book even after you fix the problem.
• I always recommend an author get a printed proof because so many errors don't become evident until you see it in print.
• You could let us drop your manuscript into PubWriter so you could have it read to you in AI voice. Here's a sample.
• If you want to be sure an editor is actually reading your manuscript and not just running it through one of the tech tools mentioned above, you can plant a sentence in the sample you send that passes the grammar/spell checkers, but is not coherent english or is totally related to something else. An example: It's clear to me that dogs can be friendly. - stick it in the middle of a paragraph. If they don't say anything to you, then it's unlikely they've read what you've sent them. This also helps reveal if the work is being sent to non-english speakers overseas (which many firms use).

Grammarly

Grammarly is quickly becoming an indispensable technology for all writers - I can’t imagine the hours of rework that we could have avoided if every author used Grammarly BEFORE sending us their manuscript to format!

Here’s a video I made for a client to show it in action:

There's also an MS Word Add-in (if you are on a PC), but only use it when you go into final proofing because it removes the undo function!

If you are on a Mac, you'll need to copy & paste into their web editor.

Hope that helps!