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Old 12-19-2010, 09:48 AM   #15
rhadin
Literacy = Understanding
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I wish I could say that there is a bright future for copyeditors and proofreaders, but the future isn't bright. I've been providing editorial services for 26 years and because of my specialty have seen steady business. But even in my specialties, publishers are more interested in reducing costs than in receiving quality services. As vaughnmr noted, the boom in editorial services is occurring in India but that won't last. Indians will soon want to be paid a living wage so editing will shift to countries in Africa.

As for independent, self-publishing authors, in discussions with colleagues who try to cater to that market, I have discovered that it is 1% of those authors who are willing to pay for any professional services. When they are quoted a price, the typical response is that their "associations" and fellow indie authors tell them that it is just as good, if not better, to simply ask friends and neighbors to give a review, and that relying on spellcheck and similar automated programs is more than sufficient.

I think there is a split in the population of authors. Those who wish to have a career as an author and earn their livelihood from their writing are significantly more inclined to pay the costs of professional services than are those who look at it more as a hobby. I do believe that most indie authors are realists when it comes to evaluating their own skill levels and thus place themselves appropriately.
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