I just finished a fantasy novel that’s sure to become a giant of the genre. But before I submit it to a publisher, I’d like a pro to look at the first third or so - not just to catch spelling and grammar mistakes, but to point out any major flaws in the story and characterization.
I googled ‘freelance fiction editor’ and found a lot of folks who seem experienced and competent. But if any Dopers have had first-hand contact with one, or with freelance editing in general, I’d be interested to hear about it.
Your best bet is to go to a critiquing group. Most “editing services” are ripoffs. There may be some legitimate ones but they are hard to find, and you’re better off staying away.
I’d suggest you look into joining Critters (http://www.critters.org). You can get a good critique, and it costs nothing.
I’d also recommend a good critique group or Critters.
However, by coincidence, the blog Miss Snark the Literary Agent had an entry on finding a freelance editor less than a week ago. Scroll down to “Finding an Editor,” posted 11/19/2006 08:20:00 PM . Read that entry and read the comment that her readers made about it.
She recommends the Editorial Freelancers Association and Words Into Print. I’ve never used either so I can’t say anything more about them. For that matter I’ve never met anyone who’s used a paid freelance editor, so I don’t know what to suggest you look for.
You do throw out some warning signs in your post though. Why only the first third? A book is only as good as its ending, and the ending is the hardest thing for most writers to nail. You might as well tell doctors that they can only examine a third of your body before telling you if you’re sick.
You should also have run your manuscript through a spell checker before letting anyone see it. And while I generally distrust grammar checkers, if you think you have grammar errors, run it through one of those as well. Why pay others to do something you can do for free?
Finally, with today’s market none of the major fantasy publishers will look at an unsolicited manuscript. You need to approach an agent or try one of the small presses.
From what I recall of your previous posts, I’m surprised and dismayed at this suggestion that a spell checker – and even worse, a grammar checker – is an appropriate substitute for the eye of a human editor. I dearly hope that you left out some sort of elucidation that would explain this somewhat insulting statement.
I didn’t get the sense he was saying that at all. Just thought that he meant to give the spell-checker one quick run-through before handing over a manuscript to an editor. Of course a spell checker is not going to catch everything (especially homophones), but there’s no need to hand over a manuscript with easily caught typos over to an editor, is there?
Yes, this is exactly what I was saying. Turning over a manuscript with obvious spelling or grammar errors to an outsider, even someone in an informal critique group, is a flashing neon sign of a lack of professionalism. This doesn’t mean that an editor’s eye can’t catch some mistakes the author didn’t catch, but it’s far better to let the editor concentrate on the story rather than the typing.
I had one of the best times of my life at Clarion, but I normally don’t recommend it to others unless I know their circumstances well.
Clarion deals only with short story writing and requires a six-week commitment to attend. Nobody there will critique a novel*. Writing a short story a week weeds out a lot of people who prefer to stick to novel lengths.
It’s an exhilerating experience but it’s not for everybody. Just the time commitment alone normally restricts it to younger people in or just out of college or older folks who have a supportive spouse or at thinking of changing careers. It also costs about $3000, plus travel, although there are partial scholarships available
If this is something that the OP wants to pursue, fine. I can certainly recommend the program highly. But you need to investigate Clarion at length to make sure it’s for you before you decide to attend. Or, I should say, decide to apply. Not everybody gets in. Short story writing samples are required.
*You can become a Clarion Circle member for $50/year and be eligible to pay an additional fee to have an Instructor do a critique. I don’t know anything else about the program, however.
Ah. Thanks for clearing that up…I wasn’t aware of all that information. I had just read various authors praising the Clarion experience. I’m glad you weighed in with your info.
OK, fair enough. It was the line “Why pay others to do something you can do for free?” that set me off, implying that the spell/grammar check replaced the entire editing process. Thanks for the clarification.