Consulting Services

My consulting services include book development and editing. I work with authors whose ideas or manuscripts have sufficent potential for commercial success to warrant a significant investment.

Writing is a private act for most of us – but writing for publication involves interaction with readers. As we labor in isolation to place words on the page, we cannot be certain how other people will respond to our work. That's why all book manuscripts require editing before they're published. I never send out a manuscript without first requesting critical comments and suggestions from colleagues.

• Types of editing: A quick introduction
• Doesn't the publisher edit the book?
• What I do - and when I'm appropriate
• A recent project
• Other editorial resources

Types of editing: A quick introduction

The term "editing" covers a wide range of services, from correcting stray typos to completely rewriting a manuscript. Editors often use an analogy with weight – light, medium, heavy – to explain different levels of effort and intervention. In practice, though, these distinctions aren't quite so clear, and some parts of a book may require more editorial work than others.

Light editing involves minor corrections that leave the structure intact. A lightly edited manuscript (assuming the editing is done on a paper copy) might have a few cross-outs or insertions on each page. Examples of light editing:

• Correcting spelling mistakes, typos, and minor inconsistencies or grammatical errors
• Making the manuscript conform to house rules on style – for example, consistently changing "5:00 a.m." to "5:00 AM"; deciding if it's "homemade" or "home-made."
• Marking the manuscript for the printer – for example, making sure that all headings are properly indicated as A-level, B-level, etc.

Medium editing covers the corrections above, but also includes changes to the writing. A manuscript that's been through a medium edit might have changes sufficiently extensive so that some pages must be retyped for legibility; it's often festooned with yellow sticky notes containing questions and comments. Examples of medium editing:

• Rewriting and reorganizing passages to improve clarity or style
• Requesting additional information or illustrative examples from the author
• Questioning content that seems incorrect or incomplete

Heavy editing focuses on structure and substance, significantly changing the manuscript. If working with a paper copy, the editor might use scissors and tape as well as pencil and sticky notes. A heavy edit might include:

• Reorganization of the manuscript; chapters may be moved elsewhere in the book, combined, or even dropped
• Complete rewriting of entire sections, using the original manuscript as notes rather than revising it
• Insertion of new material written by the editor or by the author with the editor's guidance

After a heavy edit, the manuscript receives the finishing polish of light editing.

All editing requires expertise. But in general, the heavier the editorial hand, the more judgment and experience are required – and the higher the compensation the editor can command.

Doesn't the publisher edit the book?

When Bill Clinton was working on his autobiography, his editor at Knopf, Robert Gottlieb, moved into Clinton's home in Chappaqua, New York to help him revise the manuscript. But don't bother to ready your guest room unless your book, like his, received a seven-figure advance.

What about the rest of us? You can expect some measure of editorial support. An editor will be assigned to your book, and will shepherd it through the publication process. You can assume that a copyeditor will provide light (and sometimes medium) editing, proofreading the text and putting it into a consistent house style. Your editor will probably give your manuscript a careful reading and offer helpful suggestions. But remember that he or she has other responsibilities – reading new book proposals, negotiating contracts, and tending to previously published books and their authors – and is not likely to have the time required for extensive assistance. That's why many writers, with the blessing of their editor, seek supplemental help elsewhere.

Consulting editors can assist authors at every stage. Some authors engage an editor to help develop an idea into a plan for a book – this is called developmental editing. Agents and editors at publishing houses occasionally provide authors with similar assistance. But few can devote much time to such activities unless the author is likely to produce a high-profile book.

Once a book is under contract with a publisher, some authors find they need more help than their editor is able to provide. (For an account of one writer's unfortunate experience, see "The Education of Stacy Sullivan: A First-Time Nonfiction Author Learns That Getting Published Is Not Necessarily the Hard Part," by Gal Beckerman, an article from the September/October, 2004 Columbia Journalism Review.) Authors hire consulting editors because they want a sounding board, a reality check, a safety net, or other support not otherwise available.

After a manuscript is submitted, the publisher's editor and the author may agree that it requires heavy editing – but sometimes neither of them has time to complete the task. Consulting editors engaged to fix such a manuscript are sometimes referred to as book doctors.

What I do - and when I'm appropriate

Though most of my work involves collaborations, I'm also available on a consulting basis for developmental editing and book doctoring. Except as part of a book doctoring project, I don't do copyediting or light or medium editing. If your manuscript simply needs polishing, I'm not appropriate. (See below for other editorial resources.)

At the planning stage, I can help authors translate their vision into a commercial book. This might include brainstorming ideas, creating a book outline, defining a target audience, and reviewing or advising on a book proposal.

If a manuscript has been written, but somehow hasn't reached its full potential, I can figure out what's wrong and help the author fix it. If the book already has a publisher, I can work with both the publishing house and the author to make the necessary improvements.

Note: I don't write book proposals unless I'm involved in a collaboration and will coauthor the book. There are two reasons for this. First, I think it's a disservice to the author. Anyone who needs a writer for a book proposal will also require one to complete the book. Collaboration is challenging! The best way for an author and writer to see if they're likely to be an effective team is to write the proposal together - it's like being engaged before getting married. Bringing in a writer just for the proposal deprives the author of this informative experience. Second, I consider it unfair to the publisher. The publisher is making a financial investment based on the proposal - and is entitled to expect that the same people who wrote the proposal will also write the book.

Because my rates are high, my services are most cost-effective for projects with strong potential for commercial success. That usually means a combination of three elements:

• Outstanding and innovative ideas
• A large book-buying audience for those ideas
• An author who already has excellent professional credentials as well as a strong track record indicating that he or she can reach the target audience. Examples: a university appointment; significant professional publications; a leadership position in a major professional association; attention from national media; evidence of being a sought-after speaker.

If you think my services might be useful and appropriate, please contact me via email. It's helpful to explain your book idea briefly and to include a short paragraph about yourself.

A recent project

Other editorial resources

Before you look for a professional editor, I suggest you consider both your needs and your budget. As explained above, editing takes a variety of forms - and comes with a variety of price tags.

Here are three instructive resources for authors who are thinking about hiring an editor:

• The website of the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA), a national professional organization of about 1000 self-employed workers in the publishing and communications industries, offers an article - "Some Common Rates for Editorial Services" - that summarizes the range of rates that EFA members report charging for different services. Though professional editors are unlikely to charge less than the lowest rates here, experienced editors may charge considerably more.
• The website of the National Writers Union, an organization of about 3500 writers in all genres (some of whom are also editors), provides data from a 1999 National survey of freelance and contract writers' rates. As with the EFA report, this does not represent the higher rates charged by highly experienced editors; also, fees have increased since the information was gathered.
• The Editorial Freelancers Association's "Code of Fair Practice" offers guidelines concerning the editor-author relationship, with detailed suggestions concerning contractual arrangements - including a sample contract.

Probably the best way to find an appropriate editor is via a personal referral from someone you know who has worked with that editor on a similar project. If you don't have such a connection, you may find the following websites helpful:

• The American Society of Journalists and Authors helps you connect with their members, many of whom work as editors as well as writers, via Freelance Writer Search.
• The Editorial Freelancers Association has a free job listing service, as well as a searchable online database of its members.
• The National Writers Union offers a free job listing service called the Job Hotline.
• Publishers Marketplace and MediaBistro are organizations whose members include freelance editors. Both sites permit you to browse and search listings posted by their members.
• Three small, elite organizations of experienced freelance editors - most of whom have been staff editors at major publishing houses - have websites that describe their members and the services they offer: Independent Editors Group, Consulting Editors Alliance, and Words into Print.

If you can't afford professional editing services, consider the following options:

• Call the English department of a nearby college or university to see if a talented student might be interested in working on your manuscript; you can inquire about appropriate fees during this call.
• Take a writing course in a local adult education or university extension program that provides opportunities for editorial input from your instructor and fellow students.
• Join - or form - an informal writing group in which members comment on each other's work. You probably can find such groups via local newspapers and writers' organizations. Or join an online group - this list includes numerous possibilities.

Updated January 1, 2007