Yo, question, im self publishing a short story but how the actual f do i go up to editors and be like, hey so heres my finished manuscript can u check my spelling and stuff without making me wanna chuck it in the river and never write again??? Im extremely anxious about it but i dont want to just have friends proofread my manuscript. đ˘đ˘đ˘
Depends on what you want to hire them for, is it copy of proofing or both? (Copy being they are checking for consistency and plot holes and may recommend restructures or suggested edits to improve the text, proofing being âyep your spelling and grammar are correct, here you go!â)Â
Usually when people want to hire me they want both, they just donât know how to word it. Which is why I will always ask them âwhat do you want from this editing experienceâ. Do you want me to pick apart the story to make sure it all fits back together again, or do you just want me to make sure itâs well punctuated and spelled correctly? Sometimes theyâll start out with âoh just grammar and spelling is fine, I think Iâve got everything pretty down, but yâknow if you have any suggestionsâ which is when I have to very gently tell them they actually want a copy edit, and this will be a lengthier process than me going through it on a speed run basis. So also allowing yourself ample time to have it edited before a deadline, is a good idea. I canât tell you how many times Iâve agreed to a project, asked them when they want it by and the email I get back says âwell the deadline for open submissions ends tomorrow so if you could justâ and I have to tell them no, this is not a thing that will be happening.
You may also want to ask your editor to do a read through first (offer to pay, even if they donât want payment for it, itâs still the polite thing to do) to see if they have any suggestions as to what you can fix before they start combing through it with a fine tooth comb. This will also give you a vague idea of how they work as an editor and their approach to criticism.Â
Some editors only ever leave the negative feedback, short little sentences at the side like âThis doesnât work, fix it.â which to my mind, is one of the least helpful comments you can leave at the side of something. But Iâve also worked with editors who do that and shrug when you tell them that and say âitâs not my place to spoon feed them, if they canât figure it out they shouldnât be writingâ which I mean, thatâs one way to get your coffee spiked I suppose.
Personally I like to let the author know I am enjoying their work. It helps boost their morale a little bit, and means when you do need to tell them âhey this doesnât really workâ, it can soften the blow because I know, I know itâs so easy to look at something and hear âthis is shit, why did you even write thisâ, when what I am actually trying to tell you is âyouâve written something really good here but this part lets it down, why not try rewriting this or consider cutting it entirelyâ. I have actively squeed in the comments section of manuscripts when I have figured something out or when the characterization is on point, and part of this is because I am expressive, but another part is because I just love words, I love seeing the clever ways people fit them together and I really donât see the point in not telling someone they did a good job.Â
So, how do you approach an editor? Send them an email.
âHi, my name is XYZ and I was hoping to engage your services for a final draft of my manuscript which I hope to self publish/submit to a magazine/competition/open submissions call/pitch to an agent*. Itâs a sci-fi/fantasy/literary/romance/contemporary piece and Iâm primarily looking for copy/proofing work, and was wondering about your rates. I have an open timeline/approaching deadline so a rough estimate of how long you think it would take would also be welcome. If youâd like to review the manuscript first I would be amenable to paying a reading fee for your time.Thank you, I hope to hear from you and look forward to working with you,Best, XYZ.â
Or as some people do on here â @ joy I need help lmao how much money do I need to throw at you to fix this???â which has also worked :P
(*these are important distinctions to make, it helps us to tweak your work)
