So, I Read This Book Today . . .
Editing Fees and Guidelines
As my editing jobs have become more numerous, I have updated my Editing Fees and Guidelines. My editing and proofreading includes checking for grammar, sentence structure, misspellings, and pointing out plot inconsistencies, etc. At this time, my base charge is $0.008/word, with a minimum of $50, payable via PayPal. Editing jobs I am currently working on, received before May 1, 2014, will continue to be edited at the old rate.
If your manuscript is less than 5,000 words please let me know and we can work out pricing. I prefer to set up appointments for your manuscript, but please, send your manuscripts to me as early as possible. I can often work them in sooner than they are scheduled, but advance notice is much easier.
I use Microsoft Word 2013. I use the Track Changes application while I edit and leave the decision as to whether or not to accept those changes to you. I also tend to leave extensive notes outlining the reason for specific changes, noting uneven or awkward sentence or paragraph flow, or even if I noticed something that just doesn’t feel right.
Full editing is completed in one of two ways. The first choice is that I completely edit the book and provide you with a corrected copy, highlighting changes and corrections and making when appropriate extensive notes. Your second choice is full editing. I take the book in hand, do all corrections and changes and provide you with print ready copy. The charge for print ready copy is $0.010/word.
Please note: Books from authors who speak English as a second language, hence requiring a great deal more correction for grammar, or books with extensive re-write may be significantly more. You may send me your book for pricing if you feel there may be extensive work needed on the book. Pricing available upon request.
After I have edited a manuscript, I will send it back to you. Once you have made changes, you can always send it back to me for a second pass at no charge. Please note: If second-pass changes are truly extensive, I will reserve the right to bill a second payment for the second pass. I want to be fair to you, but I also want to be fair to myself. Just as writing is difficult, though rewarding, editing a book in a manner that will make you proud of your final product is a lot of work.
For available books on which I have worked, please see my “i-edited” shelf on Goodreads. You may contact any of the authors with whom I’ve worked for a reference. I am also very willing to provide you a sample of my work to see if we are a comfortable fit. I can be easily contacted through Goodreads or by e-mail at soireadthisbooktoday@centurylink.net
I look forward to working with you!
Odd, Unique and Bloody
“Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like.” - ― Lemony Snicket
“There will be a few times in your life when all your instincts will tell you to do something, something that defies logic, upsets your plans, and may seem crazy to others. When that happens, you do it. Listen to your instincts and ignore everything else. Ignore logic, ignore the odds, ignore the complications, and just go for it.” - ― Judith McNaught, Remember When
Ms. McNaught has it right. Sometimes, you just have to go for it and hope it works. And Scott Hawkins certainly reaches for the stars in The Library at Mount Char. Fantasy, mythology, horror, history, and a crud ton of weird. You can certainly call this book “unique”. And normally ‘unique’ is something I can get into. With this one, however . . . I don’t know. It just didn’t crawl into my mind and make itself at home. Perhaps because the fact that the book opens with a “blood-drenched and barefoot” Carolyn “walked alone down the two-lane stretch of blacktop that the Americans called Highway 79.” Segueing from blood to guacamole, an obsidian knife used to murder a detective for no reason that appears any time soon threw me out of being able to settle into the book. Or maybe, honestly, I am simply not the audience for the book – that could certainly be the case. All of the librarians are weirdness incarnate – from Margaret, who you meet as she sprints out from the shadowy shelves of the library, shrieking and blind with terror, only to be pulled back into the stacks by “Father”, flowing tears streaked with blood, urine running warm down her legs, to David, whose catalog is murder and war. Twelve lost, abused children, forced into viciousness almost beyond bearing.
Demigods, talking lions and barbarism, oh my. The book has lots of very well-written, very positive reviews, and looking at it from a strictly technical standpoint, I can see why. This is some very unique storytelling. It just didn’t grab me. If you like writers more toward the horror side, well, you would probably love this. Sometimes I like horror, sometimes not – this one, not so much.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a realistic review. The review is, of course, based upon my personal tastes. What I didn’t care for could be exactly what you are looking for in a book!
If you like my reviews, I would greatly appreciate it if you would see fit to click "I liked this review" or the equivalent on Amazon, or other book buying sites!
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