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Old 12-20-2010, 08:34 AM   #38
rhadin
Literacy = Understanding
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Join Date: Dec 2007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SlowRain View Post
...I just don't want to see ridiculous fees. We already have enough things in this world ridiculously priced. I envison it being a great opportunity for retired high school English teachers. I just don't want an industry that's based out of high-priced Manhattan offices, with plush office furniture etc. If the author isn't living in that situation, the copyeditor shouldn't either. If the author is an average person writing out of a simple home, I don't see why the copyeditor should be above that. The job each does involves a similar process with similar equipment. Adequate remuneration for both is fine.
1. I edit a lot of education material written by teachers -- active and retired -- for teachers, not for the consumer, and it is the rare teacher who has adequate skills to be a competent editor. Most have very rudimentary grammar and spelling skills today, and their prose reflects the Twitter effect, not the skills of a grammarian.

2. Most professional editors do not work in plush Manhattan offices; I haven't for 26 years. Most do work out of their homes in dedicated office spaces. Editorial services are professional services and cost money. It is no different than going to a doctor who has his/her office in his/her home rather than in the medical high-rise down the street. You pay for the doctor's expertise, skill, and knowledge, not for the location of the office. Similarly, a writer pays for editorial services, not for the location of the office.

3. I assume then that you think the editors who work on James Patterson's books should be paid millions of dollars for their services because Patterson earns millions of dollars as an author. Somehow I don't think Patterson -- or any other author -- would agree, believing that their success is largely a result of their creativity.

I wonder if you tell your auto mechanic that you refuse to pay his/her hourly rate because it is higher than yours?
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