Editing Factories vs. Professional Editing Services

Conglomerates are Taking Over. The Urge to Merge

Any writer who has ever searched beyond her own hometown for help in editing a manuscript eventually turns to the Internet for help. There is always Craigslist for everything from apartment rentals to used cars to editorial services. But believe me this is a really scary way to go. And then there are the results one gets from a Google Search, using this or a similar string:

"Book Editing Services"

Go ahead...take a look. Visit a few of the web sites. I'll wait...

Okay, so what did you find?

The first things I saw on my Google search were ads for First Editing.com, Kevin Anderson & Associates, and Grammarly; these ads were followed by Mill City Press that claims it provides editing services you can actually afford, to the tune of basic copyediting at 2¢ per word. That's $2,000.00 for a hundred thousand words. Basic plus services cost 3.5¢ per word with add on prices, and the costs escalate from there. Now, this is not to disparage their services. They're what I call an editing factory. You never get to actually meet and work with your editor, as you would at a traditional publishing company. They and similar editing service companies employ dozens if not hundreds of "freelance" editors. They give tests to prospective editors, and then hold them to strict editing behaviors, usually requiring that editors use various manuals of style, but especially The Chicago Manual of Style, which is currently the 16th edition, which is the trusted source for publishers. You will receive excellent technical editing, but when it comes to developmental editing, these companies depend on rote methods to determine wordiness, passive voice, plot development, etc., and what you get is a kind of artificial-intelligence response to the true style of your writing and story development. Some writers might feel right at home allowing their manuscripts to be edited by unseen hands. But to me such editing service web sites are clinical, white lab-coat antiseptic, and cold to the touch. The problem is that editing factories have taken over the editorial services market, and presumably the "urge to merge" is at work when writers search the Internet for editors. The editing factories are getting bigger and bigger. You get big outfits, corporate in nature, and very lacking in true humanity. Be aware, too, that in-house editing at sites like Author House, iUniverse, CreateSpace, and others have become highly corporate, and the human touch is growing faint.

If you want a truly warm touch from an editor you can actually correspond with and explain why you don't want to do things in a strict, clinical way, you will need to search through the other sites, several pages in on the Google search list. What I would look for if I were trying to get a manuscript edited, evaluated, and get suggestions for substantial revisions would be an individual who has hung out her sign on the Internet, who has taken the time to tell me what her qualifications are and explain how she works. You want an editor who works with you. Expect to pay for services up front, because an edited document returned to the writer can be used by the writer without making payment. Editors don't want to get stiffed. However, choose an editor who will do some preliminary work on your manuscript to show you what kind of editing will be done. This is usually about ten manuscript pages. This should be done for free. This is your opportunity to evaluate the editor. Don't take it lightly, and don't take offense if it appears to have been butchered in red ink.

You might also want to be assured that there's a pull-out clause in your contract. If, before the editing is done, you decide you don't want the services, you should be able to pull out of the service and receive a refund on that portion of the manuscript that has not been edited; since fees are usually charged by word count, the editor should be able to accommodate your cessation of services. But you should also be aware that if you decide to change things in your manuscript before the editing is completed, but AFTER the editor has started work, all hell will break loose, and fees will have to be adjusted—upward. The best advice I can give at this point is be patient. Submit only a manuscript that you can allow to be edited before you start making changes. Many freelance editors will also accommodate follow-up editing for a reduced price, or what we call a second round, which should not be as much as the first round. But expect to pay for services rendered.

Also, go to Preditors & Editors website to see if any publishing service, agent, or editorial services have received complaints.

When editors work on manuscripts and when writers submit their manuscripts to be edited, I cannot stress enough that both the editor and the writer must be professional in their dealings with each other. As both a writer and and editor I have seen issues arise on both sides, and so I have provided an article titled: Freelance Pitfalls "Editors, Beware...Writers, Beware," which you might find helpful.