I want to be a writer. How can I find a qualified editor to read my stories and books to make them better?

Answer 1

Write a really good story. To get a professional editor you have to get a really good story finished then work on trying to get it published, which is how you will get an editor to look at it. Sort of a catch-22 I know. (Sidenote: totally try to get an agent. For listings of agents go to the Writers Market at your local bookstore or online at www.preditorsandeditors.com)

But there are ways to get people with lots of experiance to read your story. You can join a writing group where you write and then others read and give you feedback and you read their stuff and give feedback as well.

You can find a friend who either reads a lot or writes and ask them to read it and give you feedback. The danger in this one is that getting critiqued is not easy. There are some simple rules to follow and this is the case for all writers when someone is editing their book.

1. Do not defend your book or your story. In fact don't say anything. They are reading your book as a reader. If they don't understand something or it is not clear than work on it.

2. Remember they only want your book to be better. They aren't attacking you. They are trying to help you.

3. Before you say anything you might regret, take a step back and a couple of deep breaths. Then thank them for their help and leave. Vent to a spouse, parent or friend. Then realize what they say was true and go and fix your book.

Editors for publishing houses are very hard to have look at your book and offer advice if you don't already have a great book. For adult fiction your editor will take you through one rewrite MAYBE two. So your story has to be awesome for them to even consider it. So your best way is to find someone locally who will help you out and then get an agent (and a good agent will give you edit advice as well but your book has to be great for them to want to represent it) and then hopefully you will find an editor who loves your book and will help you even more.

Good Luck and Happy Writing!

Answer 2

Hi there. I am an editor, proofreader and ghostwriter by trade. I'm also a published author. And I spent ten years as a consultant to America Online judging writing contests for their Writers Club. So, I guess I'm qualified to answer your question.

The bottom line is, good editing costs money but I can tell you from experience, it's WORTH it, provided you find an editor who is qualified. That's not always easy. Some editors try to rewrite your work and put their personal 'touch' to the material. That's just flat wrong, in my opinion. An editor should never change another writer's voice. Proofread, find errors, make suggestions and insure that the material is structurally and grammatically sound--that's what you want your editor to do. And do it quickly, too.

Now, as to cost, that depends a LOT on the condition and format of your material. For example, I no longer work with printed material. It's too cumbersome and time consuming. I ask for a Word 2000 file or a pdf file from my clients. Why? Because Word has a terrific "track changes" function that allows you to see every letter or word that I correct in your original material without cluttering up the final version with a bunch of red marks. Turn on TC and you see the fixes. Turn off TC and you have a submission ready manuscript.

Pricing varies with the quality of the work you submit. If it's sound structurally and your grammar is good, a simple edit can be as little as $2 per page (250 words is a standard manuscript page). If your book is a 100 pages, that's $200 for a basic edit. Advanced editing can run up to $5 per page or more, again, depending on the quality of the work. Advanced edits include detailed notes, suggestions on how the story might be enhanced, weekly email discussions and my personal effort to help you find a publisher when you're ready to start the submission process. Trust me, I earn every penny of that.

I hope this helps put things in perspective. Editing DOES matter. A friend at the library will NOT give you quality, professional editing, nor will a retired school teacher unless they are IN the book business. And you cannot depend solely on a spell checker. Those will not catch misuses of your and you're, it's and its or effect and affect.

If you'd like to discuss this further, email me at [e-mail]. I'll be happy to supply the names of satisfied clients for your reference. Good luck, whatever you decide.

Jon Baxley

Answer 3

Hate to say it, but if you want to be a writer you have to learn to do that yourself!

What you are looking for or will get is a collaborator and if they have credentials then their name goes first.

These are experienced writers and they do books written by never been published people.

You want a "ghost" then you have to pay money. Generally $20,000 for them to review and revise a book.

Part of the secret and process of becoming a successful writer is learning the craft. Best thing to do is learn from what others have to say in interviews and books.

I think Paddy Chayefsky once said the first thing he did in re-write was take out all the adjectives. Try that as an experiment. Of course, you'll need to learn what an adjective is!

Now that was a bad sentenece that sort of worked. You're not supposed to end with IS!

Your sentences need to speak clearly to the reader. They must be tight and concise, saying exactly what you want to say.

You say things for a reason.

I'm working on a non-fiction book now and I've printed out over 100,000 words and slowly but surely I'm going through it finding the goofs, the reduncancies, the errors, the lose stuff and tightening it.

I'll do it again. Print out and 100,000 words and see how that plays.

Remember the reader at the book publisher or magazine has a BA or MA in English or Journalism and down deep inside they want to write, but instead they do administrative work or edit.

They are your worse critic, as they read a book a day or a dozen articles each day. They been doing it for months or years.

They also know what the publisher wants. What will sell. What can be marketed. What needs must be met.

Answer 4

You 'want to be a writer' ?
"Surprise, surprise. If you write things, --books, poetry, stories, articles, essays, journals, fiction, screenplays, or whatever, you already ARE a writer.

If you are reasonably literate, educated, self educated or not,and you pay attention to spelling, grammar, and general structure, you do not need a 'qualified editor' ---who, in some cases, will charge you a huge fee, but not improve your writing at all, but rather diminish the originality of YOUR writing.

Try joining with a few friends, a writer's group or CREATE one yourself; sometimes it does help to have company --and others can critique your work.
Again, they may be far less accomplished than you already are. When someone critiques your work, they are inflicting their own ideas about how that specific work should progress because they use their own writing style as a measuring stick to beat up your work.

Be your OWN best editor, make sure your spelling is correct, make sure your grammar is correct but in YOUR OWN style, and submit your work for publication.

If you are fortunate enough to find an AGENT, the agent will read your work, and if they think it has merit, they will forward it to valid publishers. Since they want to make money from handling your work, they will want to ensure that it is not horrible writing and will tell you one way or the other. Do NOT pay reading fees. When the publisher receives your work, the publisher's editor will work with you to correct any serious deficiencies, and if your work is evaluated as unique, it will remain essentially unchanged.

Be bold. Go for it.

Answer 5

I write and use the Writer's Market. That is the best book that lists all agents, editors, and publisher's. Good luck!!

Answer 6

Write.
write.
write.
Talk to any English teacher at High School, community college, or adult ed.
Get a job at your newspaper.

Answer 7

I'm not sure, but tell when you find out. I want to know too.