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!
To Murder a Saint: 1 (Saints)
I picked up “To Murder A Saint” as a ‘freebie’ from one of my e-mails of “free and discount books” that I receive on a daily basis. I always appreciate these, as it often leads me to a new author I may not have otherwise discovered. Sometimes I am happy I found the particular book. Sometimes? Not so much.In this case, what caught my eye was the cover. It is beautiful, as you can see. Well, that and the fact that the book was set in Louisiana, a total weakness for me. I can say that the potential is definitely there, hopefully to be fulfilled later. The author, Nicole Loughan, is a recognized journalist and syndicated humour columnist, which offers potential as a writer of fiction. In this first installment of her series, Nicole is writing about my home area, the bayous of southern Louisiana. She does a fairly good job of setting up the novel. My three-star review is based on several issues I had.
Nicole’s writing tries very hard to speak the language of the Bayou. However, with no experience with the area (she went to school in Michigan and lives in Philadelphia) her attempts at Cajun fall flat. She starts ‘Cajun-Speak’ but then falls back into ‘journalism-speak’ within two sentences. Cajun is an extremely unique language, a mixture of French, English, a bit of African and bits of Native American tribal languages (Choctaw, Quapaw, Caddo, etc.). It is also difficult for a northerner to comprehend the cadence and flow of southern speech patterns. Her precise use of language as a journalist makes it difficult, without doubt, to fall into the patois of the south, where ‘can not’ comes out ‘kaint’ and bonjour is much more common than hello, “How’s it going?” is
Comment ça va?” and the best response to that is “Ça va. Et vous-autres?” i.e., “It’s going OK. And ya’ll?” Or, in my case, “Ca va. Ah dah’tse?” i.e., “It’s good. How are you?” (A mix of Cajun with a soupcon of Quapaw.)
Overall, this reads as a first attempt at a novel, somewhat stilted and rough, but with good bones. I have put the next book on my to-read list to see if the roughness inherent in the first novel smoothes out. I would have appreciated more development of the storyline. I felt it was somewhat choppy and not filled out well enough for my tastes. Again, that ‘journalist’ feeling – “Just the facts!” that was sort of off-putting for me, but others seemed to like in their reviews. In my opinion, if I am going to read a novel, I wish to fall into the book and be able to see it in my mind – the characters, the background, the world around the players. Humans are defined by their surroundings, and limiting those surroundings limits the movie that is developed in my mind. If I did not have such a strong connection with bayou country, it would have been very hard for me to feel any connection with the story or its characters.I will check out the second in the series when I get a moment and make a decision from there whether to leave the author on my ‘TBR’ list. I hope I can come back with a great review on that one!