Quote:
Originally Posted by ZGottlieb
I've decided that searching for an editor is equivalent to the search for the Holy Grail. I wish there was a Yelp site that honestly graded the editors.
After 4k my editor said I needed a copy editor. Shame on me for not asking all the right questions.
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I realize that budget is always a consideration, but have you tried the EFA? Editorial Freelancers' Association? They have hundreds, if not thousands, of
qualified people.
"Back in the old days," freelance editors and proofers, etc.,
all had backgrounds from various magazines, publishing houses and so on. Nowadays, the "editors" and "proofreaders"
are people who put up blogs and claim to be such.
It's difficult--when you shop for one, don't mince around,
just ASK THEM.
Ask them what their degree is in, what their work experience is. If they don't have genuine work experience, (working at an actual magazine or publishing house in the editing division/department),
then do NOT hire them.
Someone saying "I've edited X books"
doesn't mean ANYTHING,
unless those were for Random House or an author selling >100K books/annum. Any Tom Dick or Harriet can have "edited" 1,000 Indy books, and that means
nothing, other than s/he is a good salesperson, who could be taking advantage of people with little knowledge of grammar, punctuation, etc.
Don't be afraid to ask about credentials. Period. Don't let a glitzy-looking Wordpress blog fool you. Really, it's that simple.
Don't believe
fancy or purportedly famous credentialling, either. I've never forgotten the alleged "ghost writer" who fooled a former client of mine by saying he'd written X (many) best-selling novels, but that
he couldn't tell him which, due to his contractual provisions. All you had to do was read one page of this Ghost guy's prose to know that was utter BS. But my non-author client didn't know that. Ye olden "I can tell you but then I'd have to kill you" answer is bull. Ghost writers get jobs via agencies and publishers--and while the ghost may not be allowed to say so,
the publisher or his agent can confirm that s/he's written a novel that sold X, or something akin thereto. If you cannot verify the credentials, don't believe them,
PERIOD.
Hitch