BOOK EDITING

Why work with a book editor?

A good editor does more than just read a manuscript for spelling and grammatical errors. A good editor acts as a bridge between you and your readers, reading a book from both perspectives and balancing intent with comprehension so that the writing is as clear and as powerful as possible

Just as there are different genres of books, there are different kinds of editors. An editor with a degree in geology might be just the right person for editing a natural history of the Rocky Mountains…but might not be the best choice for an experimental novel about a small-town production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Editors also have different skill sets. Some editors love substantive and stylistic editing—where they make noticeable, sometimes drastic improvements to a book’s structure or style—while others prefer to leave things more or less as they are, and just make sure every word is spelled correctly and each comma is in its place.

How do I know what kind of book editor I need?

We advise our clients to use our manuscript evaluation service before hiring an editor. A manuscript evaluation will help you determine if you need to do additional work to your book before it is edited. It will also help determine which kind of editor best suits your needs.

We provide the following editing services:

Rewriting

An editor rewrites a manuscript or parts of a manuscript on the basis of the content and research supplied by the author. When needed, a rewrite can also include additional research and writing of original material.

Substantive or Structural Editing

During a substantive edit, an editor reorganizes a manuscript for content and structure. Often, but not always, an editor will combine a substantive edit with a stylistic edit.

Stylistic Editing

During a stylistic edit, an editor strengthens the manuscript by clarifying meaning, eliminating jargon, smoothing language, and generally tweaking the book to make it a more enjoyable read.

Copy Editing

A copy editor edits for grammar, spelling, punctuation and other mechanics of style. The editor will check to make sure the manuscript has consistent formatting, spelling, abbreviations, and other mechanical elements.

Why work with a Black Swan Services editor?

• We’re literary matchmakers. Black Swan Services works with a talented team of freelance editors who have a wide-range of experience and expertise. We match each manuscript we receive to the editor we think is best qualified to work on the project. Whether you’ve written a novel, poetry, a memoir, a guidebook or a cookbook, you can rest assured that your words will be read by someone who is well suited to your needs.
  
  
• You don’t need to commit right away. If you were going on a blind date you wouldn’t want to sign a nuptial agreement, would you? So why commit to having your entire book edited before you’ve had a chance to see whether you’ve found the right editor for your book? We charge an hourly rate to do a sample edit of your book. If you’re satisfied with the work, then you can enter into a formal agreement to complete the project at a fixed rate.
  
  
• No nasty surprises. As long we know the exact length of your manuscript and you give us a representative sample of your work, then the price we quote you for editing the manuscript is the price you can expect to pay.

Rates

Rates vary depending on the scope of the project and the editor’s individual rates. Generally our editors charge between $40 and $50 per hour, depending on the type of editing that is required.

After editing a representative sample of the manuscript at the hourly rate, you will be quoted a fixed rate (based on your final word count) for completion of the manuscript. Please contact us for more details.