Freelance editors

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girlyswot

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Aside from the cost, the thing which has put me off hiring a freelance editor for my self-published books has been the difficulty of finding someone suitable. Is there a thread for editors similar to the Bewares and Background Checks for publishers/agents etc?

In particular, I've been looking at The Book Specialist, aka Charlie Wilson. She's in the UK, as am I, and edits in my genre, i.e. romance. But other than that, I've no idea if she's any good. I'd love to find somewhere I could ask people for personal recommendations for editors and get warnings about editors to avoid. I'm mostly looking for developmental/content editing, rather than copy editing or proofreading.

Does anyone have suggestions? And maybe we could have a thread for this somewhere? Or someone could point out the one that already exists which I couldn't find?!
 

girlyswot

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Freelance romance editors

Have posted about this in the self-publishing forum, but I thought I'd ask here too. Has anyone had experience with freelance romance editors who you would recommend? I'm mostly looking for content/developmental editing rather than copy editing or proofreading, so I do want someone with a good understanding of the romance genre.
 

girlyswot

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No, actually I didn't. I'm not looking for a self-promo thread. I'm looking for bewares and background checks. I'd like to hear from authors who have experience working with freelance editors, not editors offering their services.
 

WildScribe

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You seem angry for some reason. (And for the record, that was not my entire response; I sent a PM to her with my details, but since it would be rude to turn this into a promo thread, I did not post them publicly.) I apologize if I've somehow offended you. You asked if anyone knew of a good freelance editor with experience in the romance genre, and I am an experienced romance writer and editor. In the future, if you don't want editors to respond, you might say so, but I did direct you to testimonials as well.

Good luck.
 

Stacia Kane

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No, actually I didn't. I'm not looking for a self-promo thread. I'm looking for bewares and background checks. I'd like to hear from authors who have experience working with freelance editors, not editors offering their services.


Personally, Girlyswot, I didn't get that (the bolded) from your original post, either. Yes, you asked if anyone had experience with an editor, but it was phrased in such a way that I certainly would have expected to see editors volunteering their details as well (i.e. you were looking for editors in general). In fact, when I read it that's exactly what I did expect.

I'm sure any editor worth anything would have a list of clients for you, so you can contact them and ask them to share their experiences.

If you're looking for a list of editors, I'm sure some of our members can direct you to such a list. Once you have names, BR&BC is a good place to get what you're looking for. But I'm afraid I can't see what WildScribe did wrong in assuming you would appreciate her mentioning that she is an editor who handles romance, when you posted asking for exactly that.
 

girlyswot

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Maybe I was unclear, then. I was looking for people who had experience working with editors who they could recommend. I can google for editors, but I'd rather have personal recommendations from authors.
 

Old Hack

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I'm going to merge this thread you started in Self Publishing with the identical thread you started in Romance, girlyswot. In future, just one thread per subject. Thank you.

ETA: There are lots of editorial agencies around, some of which give excellent help. I've heard good things about TLCUK, Cornerstones, and the Writers' Workshop and bad things about a couple of others which I can't name here for various reasons.
 

Ann_Mayburn

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I've used Rie Langdon for self-publishing. She is also one of my editors at one of my pubs and I adore her. That's why when I decided to put some self-pub'd stories out there I hired her because I know her style and work ethic. :) You can see more about her at her website and she's more than happy to give advice or just talk to anyone.

http://rielangdon.com/
 

MaCain

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RWA normally has ads for editors in their monthly magazine. I'm sure these are approved by the RWA like everything else. RWA provides all sorts of resources. I would like to say, since joining in January, I definitely think I've got my money's worth. I'm not sure if the UK has an equivalent to this, but I wouldn't be surprised. It's a great way to get in contact with other writers in your area. Talking to them would be a great way to find the perfect editor for you.
 

dolores haze

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My editor at Carina Press - Alison Dasho - also freelances. She is tough and wonderful at the same time *grin* I highly recommend her.
 

Evangeline

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RWA normally has ads for editors in their monthly magazine. I'm sure these are approved by the RWA like everything else. RWA provides all sorts of resources. I would like to say, since joining in January, I definitely think I've got my money's worth. I'm not sure if the UK has an equivalent to this, but I wouldn't be surprised. It's a great way to get in contact with other writers in your area. Talking to them would be a great way to find the perfect editor for you.

The UK has the Romantic Novelists' Association.

Former NY editors and some e-pub editors do freelance work:

Rhonda Stapleton (editor at Carina Press)
Ruth Homrighaus (editor for Entangled)
Megan Records (former Kensington editor)
Caitlin Alexander (former Bantam Dell editor)
Word Bird Edits (former agents/editors)

Others I've heard good things about:

Anne Victory
Susan Lohrer
Cassandra Marshall
Jennifer Quinlan
 

Old Hack

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RWA normally has ads for editors in their monthly magazine. I'm sure these are approved by the RWA like everything else.

In my experience, publications don't necessarily vet the advertisers which appear in their pages: they just take their money. Don't assume the editors listed in the RWA magazines are any good, or trustworthy, or experienced: check them out very carefully before handing your work or your money over, just as you would with an editor you found anywhere else.
 

LindsayM

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Bev Rosenbaum is good - obviously I haven't used her personally, but I have sent a number of potential clients to her when I've been too booked up, and they've all been very happy.

She's also a member of AW, although I haven't seen her around in a while.

Ducks and covers
 

FCameron

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I recently got "sample edits" from three separate freelance editors. Each edited the same first five pages and it was interesting. I got to see their edits, suggestions, what they offer and the pricing.

I researched online for background information, credibility, etc.
I tried Betsy Thorpe, Susan Hughes and MediaChick. Each came back with very useful comments and I was honest with them...I'm "trying" three sample edits and will make a decision.

Then...an agent asked for my full manuscript, so I've put the idea of hiring a freelance editor on the back burner for now. I wrote each one and all three came back with congratulations and understanding that I'm not hiring an editor right now.

Some editors charge by the hour, others by the page. By reading your sample pages, they will estimate how much work will be required to edit your manuscript. All three of the editors that I sampled will help with plot and character consistency.

Hope this is helpful.
 

adm

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thanks for posting this ?. I may look into a freelance editor if I decide to take the plunge into e-publishing.
 
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