WOOT Cheap editing services!

Discussion in 'Works in Progress' started by CheshirePhoenix, Dec 4, 2017.

  1. CheshirePhoenix

    CheshirePhoenix Crazy Hermit on the Hill LitRPG Author Beta Reader Citizen Editor Aspiring Writer

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    So I was sitting here today staring at all of the books in the paid kindle store that I wish I had the extra money to buy, while also wishing I had the extra money to buy a nice thick juicy ribeye steak. Because, let’s be honest here; what kind of obligate omnivore WOULDN’T like a nice thick juicy slab of ribeye with a side of bacon wrapped asparagus and a twice baked potato with sour cream, chives, and cheddar cheese sauce?

    I’ll tell you who - a monster is the only one who wouldn’t enjoy that.

    But alas, I have the same problem that most people have these days. I lack the spare money in my budget to do all of the things I want to do, like buying books in bulk and supporting even more authors, and getting fat off the backs of the cattle farming industry. So I set about racking my brains to find a solution to this problem, and I’ve finally found one that fits me perfectly!

    Better yet, not only can I solve my problem, but I can also solve your problems, too! Because while I was thinking of possible solutions, I remembered something from a couple of weeks ago. @James G Patton told me that I should charge money for my services as a copyeditor and substantive editor (which is what I discovered I just naturally do as a @Beta Reader).

    Genius! Brilliant! Amazing - dare I say it? Yes! Even amazeballs!

    However, as with many things in life, nothing is perfect and every new solution raises a problem. But my problem is your gain. You see, I lack the fundamental requirement to be a professional editor of any sort. I don’t have a degree in English of any kind; I went to school instead, mistakenly, for nursing and modern languages with an emphasis in German and Japanese. So alas, I cannot charge the same prices as a professional editing shop.

    Which means, my dear @Aspiring Writers and @LitRPG Author , you can purchase my services for far more reasonable rates than you would be able to otherwise! Here is a list of services I offer and a rock bottom bargain bin price for each of them*:

    Line editing: $0.003 per word (minimum $150)
    Substantive editing: $0.002 per word (minimum $100)
    Developmental editing: negotiated on a per project basis.

    Absolutely no hidden charges or fees, and my turnaround time is absolutely insane. I won’t even charge extra for the ridiculously fast turnaround on your projects - how awesome is THAT?!

    If you’re interested in my services, drop me a line (PM) here in the forum and I’ll be happy to discuss it with you.

    *All word counts rounded to the nearest thousand.

    Edited to reflect rate increases effective September 1, 2018
     
    Last edited: Aug 31, 2018
  2. CheshirePhoenix

    CheshirePhoenix Crazy Hermit on the Hill LitRPG Author Beta Reader Citizen Editor Aspiring Writer

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    Now, you may be wondering just what in the tarn hell I mean when I say things like “substantive editing” and “developmental editing” so here’s exactly what I mean by the three types of services I’m willing to offer:

    First, line editing. This is where I take the little part of my brain that just loves grammar and considers a toothbrush mustache to be the high point of historical men’s facial hair fashion and let it run wild on your draft, picking up on those niggling issues like typos, grammar glitches, word choices, etc. I am not perfect and I can’t guarantee 100% accuracy, but I can guarantee that you won’t be getting scathing reviews like “wuz dis edited by SPELLCHECK???? U SUX!!!!!”

    A substantive editor is what you think of when you think of an editor. They help a writer improve his or her book by focusing on story elements, plot, characterization, dialogue, order of scenes, point of view, voice, setting, and pace - anything that could improve the strength of the manuscript.

    A developmental editor works with an author from the idea phase to the final draft. They’re the ones that you go to to bounce story ideas off of, and help you flesh out a book from concept all the way through. They don’t write the book for you, but they DO help you write it yourself and have a huge amount of input on every aspect of the story.

    So that should give you an idea of just what to expect from my house of wicked awesomeness. [ed note: change that name already, sheesh!]
     
    Last edited: Feb 14, 2018
  3. Paul Bellow

    Paul Bellow Forum Game Master Staff Member LitRPG Author Shop Owner Citizen Aspiring Writer

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    All hale the bottle of glue!

    (See what I did there?)

    [​IMG]
     
  4. CheshirePhoenix

    CheshirePhoenix Crazy Hermit on the Hill LitRPG Author Beta Reader Citizen Editor Aspiring Writer

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    Hail*

    You filthy animal!
     
  5. Paul Bellow

    Paul Bellow Forum Game Master Staff Member LitRPG Author Shop Owner Citizen Aspiring Writer

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    If only forum gold were real. Haha.

    I'll get you a mobi soon!
     
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  6. CheshirePhoenix

    CheshirePhoenix Crazy Hermit on the Hill LitRPG Author Beta Reader Citizen Editor Aspiring Writer

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    If forum gold were real:[​IMG]
     
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  7. Paul Bellow

    Paul Bellow Forum Game Master Staff Member LitRPG Author Shop Owner Citizen Aspiring Writer

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    The bottle of glue came over too. Sweet.

    Sorry for all the craziness, but I think you've picked the best spot.
     
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  8. CheshirePhoenix

    CheshirePhoenix Crazy Hermit on the Hill LitRPG Author Beta Reader Citizen Editor Aspiring Writer

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    Yeah, and to think you were the one who suggested aspiring writers in the first place, oh ye of bad advice!
     
  9. Paul Bellow

    Paul Bellow Forum Game Master Staff Member LitRPG Author Shop Owner Citizen Aspiring Writer

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    you could also do...

    Code:
    [url=https://litrpgforum.com/threads/cheap-editing-services.1661/ ]editing services[/url]
     
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  10. CheshirePhoenix

    CheshirePhoenix Crazy Hermit on the Hill LitRPG Author Beta Reader Citizen Editor Aspiring Writer

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    I suppose I could, at that. I thought the insert URL function would do that for me.
     
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  11. Paul Bellow

    Paul Bellow Forum Game Master Staff Member LitRPG Author Shop Owner Citizen Aspiring Writer

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    Stupid multi-tasking haha.

    Seriously, though, this place is so much more than me. It's you guys that make it special.

    Been working on a particular scene this afternoon, sanding away and smoothing out.
     
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  12. Paul Bellow

    Paul Bellow Forum Game Master Staff Member LitRPG Author Shop Owner Citizen Aspiring Writer

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    lol sorry naked urls get to me. old web master habits die hard.
     
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  13. Paul Bellow

    Paul Bellow Forum Game Master Staff Member LitRPG Author Shop Owner Citizen Aspiring Writer

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    We're making your thread look super popular, though, with all the posts. Heh.
     
  14. CheshirePhoenix

    CheshirePhoenix Crazy Hermit on the Hill LitRPG Author Beta Reader Citizen Editor Aspiring Writer

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    It damn well SHOULD be! After all, I spent a solid five minutes writing the thing!
     
  15. Tom Gallier

    Tom Gallier Level 15 (Guardian) LitRPG Author Citizen

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    You're rates are damned low. From reading your reviews of books, I suspect you will excel, or be driven mad by the manuscripts sent to you. LOL Occupational hazard, I suspect.

    I didn't see what genres you work with. I know LitRPG and GameLit is including. What about other forms of fantasy? SF? Space opera? Dino erotica? ;)

    BTW, "Tarn Hell" sent me back to the 70s and the John Norman "Gor" novels. The tarns were the absolutely best part of that series.
     
  16. CheshirePhoenix

    CheshirePhoenix Crazy Hermit on the Hill LitRPG Author Beta Reader Citizen Editor Aspiring Writer

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    I wasn’t referencing Gor, heh. It used to be more of a general purpose saying, from way back in the wayback when dinosaurs roamed the earth and “tarnation” (which my phone absolutely insists on autocowreckeding to Tarantino for some odd reason) was a word people used.

    Yeah, I use some obscure slang sometimes. Side note: I really don’t recommend the novels of Gor.

    I don’t have a limit as far as genre is concerned, no, but I do have a difficult time with erotica. It’s not my cuppa, but if I’m being paid to do it then I don’t have much choice, I guess.

    I did recently read a dinosaur “erotica” novel though. It was called Tamer, and I didn’t give it a review. Bog standard Americanized harem LN with some isekai flavoring, as I recall.

    And yeah, I do have low prices. But since I don’t have an English degree, I figure I can’t price myself out of work. Plus, this isn’t a “job” for me that I need for things like paying rent and such; it’s more just for extra cash to support my reading habit and the buying of treats.

    Besides, I’m offering specifically for indie authors. If I charge too much then you could end up *losing* money on your books if they don’t sell well. There are already a number of authors that I love to read who have to write at a glacial pace because they can’t afford to quit their day jobs for lack of book sales.

    So right now, it’s a win/win/win for everyone involved. I get to eat fancy food and buy more books, thus supporting more authors; you as an author get cheap (amateur) editing services; and your audiences get better, more polished books. Maybe in the future I’ll have to revise the price, but for right now I think it’s fair.
     
  17. James G Patton

    James G Patton Horrific Pun Master LitRPG Author Citizen

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    I can attest to his skill level. Its pretty darned good. He caught a ton of stuff that I missed, and even made suggestions on rewording and the like. Gave me some great rough impressions of my beta work, such as pacing, how he perceived my MC, and even pointed out areas that he liked (so its not all negative haha). He was blunt and honest in his assessment and appraisal, so if you have a problem with that, well you should get over it!

    And what I'm about to tell you is key, so pay attention to this: He didn't try to change my style, at least as far as I could tell. He pointed out things that he did not emphasize as wrong, but how he would have done it. Which in my opinion is great, because he wasn't trying to change the way I write or tell the story, just offering a perspective. Some of them I'm using, some I'm not. It just depends on a case by case basis.

    I'm still going through edits on my work and redoing parts (not just based on his feedback, I do have other beta readers), and I feel the story, once I polish it, will be much better off. It's a service I would pay for, especially at that price.
    [​IMG]
     
  18. CheshirePhoenix

    CheshirePhoenix Crazy Hermit on the Hill LitRPG Author Beta Reader Citizen Editor Aspiring Writer

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    [​IMG]
     
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  19. Dustin Tigner

    Dustin Tigner Level 12 (Rogue) LitRPG Author Citizen

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    Are you in the GameLit Society Writer Workshop? There's about 160 authors--last I looked--that may like to hire you. :)

    James brought me here; he really liked your feedback. I'm currently editing my first novel, and will keep you in mind once I finish it. Hope this new endeavor works for you. :)
     
  20. CheshirePhoenix

    CheshirePhoenix Crazy Hermit on the Hill LitRPG Author Beta Reader Citizen Editor Aspiring Writer

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    160 is a bit much, yo! I am but one man adrift in a sea of editors.

    Honestly the reason I can afford to charge hobby prices is because this is a hobby. If it gets too busy then I’ll either have to close up, or start farming out work to people who’d probably not do a good job at the prices I’d be charging.
     




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