If you are interested in creating information products, you will very likely deal with editors throughout your career. You may need someone to edit a book, review a special report, or tighten up a magazine article. Even if you are a brilliant writer, it always helps to have someone else look at the work with fresh eyes.
Most of these editors will be people you hire on a freelance or project basis. To get the most out of such a relationship, it helps to be clear about what you need and what you can expect.
To start, you should know what kind of editing you are looking for. There are many different levels and varieties of editing. Probably the three you will encounter the most are substantive editing, copyediting and proofreading.
Substantive editing
Sometimes called developmental editing, substantive editing looks at both the content and structure of a manuscript as a cohesive whole. Does the story or argument flow logically? Are there obvious gaps in a certain area? Too much information someplace else? Substantive editing can involve re-ordering large chunks of text, removing text, adding text, and even rewriting.
Copyediting
Probably the most misused of all the terms, copyediting is often used as a catchall phrase for any and all kinds of editing. Strictly speaking, however, copyediting checks for errors in grammar, usage, spelling, punctuation and other mechanics of style, internal consistency, cross-referencing, labeling and so on.
Proofreading
Proofreading is the final review of a fully formatted and typeset manuscript. It is meant only to catch small errors such as the odd spelling mistake or hyphenation snafu that might have been missed at the copyediting stage, or that appeared during the layout process.
The above definitions are fairly standard but there are variations. Not every editor defines editing terms in the same way. It is therefore crucial that you discuss in detail the exact nature of the services your editor will provide.
You will also want to clearly discuss the fee arrangement. Some editors charge by the page or word, while others charge by the hour. Still others charge a flat project fee. One method of charging is not necessarily better than other. Just be sure you know what you will get for your money. If you are being charged by the hour, ask the editor to provide an estimate up front of how long the project will take so there are no surprises when the final invoice arrives.
The best way to avoid misunderstandings is to have a written contract signed before any work begins. A contract will typically include a
Depending on the scope and nature of the project, your contract may also include a number of other considerations. An important clause to include, especially on a book project, is one that deals with copyright. You want to make sure that, as the author, you retain all rights to the material no matter how much editing or rewriting the editor may do on your behalf.
Many editors will supply a contract, but be prepared to create one yourself if they do not.
Here are a few final tips for working with an editor:
About The Author
© 2004 Juiced Consulting.
Juiced Consulting helps business owners package what they know into information products ? such as books, audiotapes and teleclasses ? that they can sell to generate new business revenue. For a free newsletter and other resources, visit www.juicedconsulting.com.
In a previous article I talked about a few similarities... Read More
Quotations are expressions, usually in the spoken form or in... Read More
Get a Good Start for Sales SuccessThe headline to a... Read More
From the early days of search engine optimization, keywords and... Read More
The difference between good copy and great copy is the... Read More
Question: If you were starting out and had no references... Read More
Putting out a high quality product is a given these... Read More
When I show some people my advertisements, I sometimes get... Read More
Ask yourself these questions:Are you an experienced writer?Do you want... Read More
You have a choice. Do you want to be constructive... Read More
Copy is all about words. Or is it?Copy is about... Read More
When you're writing or evaluating copy for a B to... Read More
So you finally built a website for your home-based business.... Read More
We all know that words have the power to persuade,... Read More
People tend to read your ads and sales letters in... Read More
In order to maximize your sales efforts and fully seize... Read More
A subscriber to my newsletter asks: "Got any good pointers... Read More
The art of writing profitable classified adsEverybody wants to make... Read More
It's arguably the most important word in the copywriter's arsenal.... Read More
Whether you're wet-behind-the-ears or a seasoned copywriter, your craft will... Read More
Only about 20% of your copy is going to get... Read More
When I critique, edit or rewrite sales copy, I discover... Read More
Site visitors generally stay with you for as long as... Read More
New to tech-writing, or thinking about starting? The key to... Read More
Persuasive copywriting is what draws the attention of prospective customers.... Read More
Want to know the secret of creating MEMORABLE promotional copy?... Read More
One of the most important priorities of evey online business... Read More
You can turn your $200 fee to write a press... Read More
"Melissa" invaded our computers in late 1999, then "I Love... Read More
If your ad is not generating a lot of sales,... Read More
l. Introduce yourself to the editor of your local newspaper.... Read More
Effective headlines make all the difference in whether your prospect... Read More
It's true, we were all taught in school to express... Read More
If you made it this far, the headline for this... Read More
While traditional marketing can work for the book author or... Read More
All the world's a story. Video games have storylines; newspapers... Read More
When you receive a sales letter with typos or grammar... Read More
Do you want to make $5000, $10,000 or more every... Read More
Are you a freelance copywriter working from home? If so,... Read More
Here's a fundamental difference between copywriting offline and copywriting for... Read More
Anyone who's ever tried marketing IT products or... Read More
When writing direct response copy, there are a few things... Read More
Quotations are expressions, usually in the spoken form or in... Read More
Effective headlines make all the difference in whether your prospect... Read More
So You Want To be A Copywriter?Wannabe copywriters often check... Read More
Putting out a high quality product is a given these... Read More
On the Internet programmers and designers rule, not the writer.... Read More
This is a question that can be answered in a... Read More
Copywriting ChecklistOkay, you know you have your product (or service)... Read More
Whether you're selling a product or service, the 10 tips... Read More
Once a upon a recent time in a galaxy not... Read More
Most of us have seen a heckler at a baseball... Read More
Perhaps the most important benefit in the material that follows... Read More
Hi everyone,Been ruminating on this one for a little while... Read More
If you own a shop in the middle of the... Read More
Freelance writers are a strange group of people when it... Read More
Ask any copywriter what the first commandment of copywriting is... Read More
About 50 years ago, movie serials kept theater crowds coming... Read More
Each weekday during my Red Hot Copywriting Bootcamp, attendees (or... Read More
Chances are that you are making many, if not all,... Read More
I want to tell you how I go about writing... Read More
Copy is all about words. Or is it?Copy is about... Read More
Regardless of how you look at it, the most important... Read More
Your goal is to land a few nice, secure freelance... Read More
Listen, consider this scenario.You have a deadline to honour. Time... Read More
Your definition may differ, but I define a lapsed donor... Read More
Copywriting |