An Update #writing #editing

It’s been ages since I have posted on the blog, so I thought an update was in order!

I have been lucky enough to work on lots of wonderful editing projects, and they have kept me incredibly busy. What has been especially lovely this year is that I have taken on lots of new clients who have got in touch because other clients have recommended me. It’s a huge privilege to help writers bring out the best in their manuscripts – manuscripts that mean so much to them – and I am so lucky to have a business that I love.

I have also dipped my toe into a new venture – ghost writing. I am working on a project with a lovely client right now and am enjoying writing again. I’m planning to take on more clients, so if you would be interested in this service, do get in touch. I am offering a discounted rate at the moment as this is a new venture, in exchange for honest reviews. I’ll be adding more information as I work through this initial project and hope to have a new blog for this aspect of the business in the very near future.

On a personal level, the summer was incredibly busy. Both children were home so there was a lot going on (and a lot of washing!). Both have now gone back to London, so the house is very quiet. Scott has gone back to Kings College to start a PhD in Film and Philosophy, and Jess has begun her fourth year at the Royal Veterinary College.

We found ourselves down to our last rescue chicken out of six – so of course decided to take on another five. Sylvia is the last survivor of our original six (she was the smallest and weakest of the bunch, but outlived them all!) and has been joined by Flora, Indigo, Ned, Keith and Lavender. This is what happens when everyone is allowed to choose a name.

We also spent a lot of time building and insulating an outside house for Gus the tortoise. This included having an outside plug socket installed for a heater and a lamp. You might think a tortoise only needs a tortoise table but if you buy a baby tortoise, then please do a lot of research. They have very specific needs if they are to grow properly and be healthy. When I was a child people bought tortoises and left them in the garden to their own devices. But these tortoises would have been imported as fully grown adults, so their needs were completely different to what is required if you have a baby tortoise. Without the right environment, they can suffer from horrible deformities to their shells. When you buy a tortoise, you often aren’t given the right information – so do make sure you research thoroughly. In my opinion, it’s honestly best not to have one as a pet. But now we do have Gus it’s down to us to make sure he has the best life.

We decided that life was too simple with two and a half dogs (Belle the cocker spaniel spends term time in London with Jess), so we decided to offer to foster for Galgos del Sol. Jasper came to us at the end of June. He’s three and a half and has only been in the UK a few months. His new home didn’t work out for him and so we were supposed to foster him until a place come up in rescue kennels. Of course, the inevitable happened, and we fell in love with the great big goofy boy, and he’s staying with us for good.

So it’s hardly surprising I haven’t had much time for the blog – but I have several book reviews going up in the next few days, and will be back to posting editing and writing tips and advice next week.

In the meantime, here’s Jasper.

I am an experienced editor, and have worked on more than five hundred projects in a variety of genres including dystopian, romance, memoir, erotica, YA, fantasy, short stories, poetry and business. I am happy to edit in either UK or US English. 

I have a first degree in English Language and Literature and a master’s degree in creative writing.

Read testimonials from clients

Find out about my editing services

Contact me

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How to Help Your Editor #AmWriting #WritingaNovel #WritingCommunity

An honest, professional yet friendly relationship between editor and client is crucial in order to make your manuscript the best it can be. Your editor wants to help you, to guide you, to advise and to encourage you in your writing journey. To do this, there are some things that your editor needs from you.

Read the FAQs

This may be the first time you’ve worked with an editor. You should have lots of questions and most editors will be more than happy to answer any concerns that you have. But before you send a lengthy email, have a look at your editor’s blog or website and see if they have a Frequently Asked Questions page. You will probably find a lot of the answers to your questions here.

Send your manuscript on time

If you have agreed a date with your editor, then do please make sure you send your manuscript on time. Even a morning’s delay can have an impact on your editor’s schedule. It is probably best to send the manuscript the day before, at the latest.

Read payment terms carefully and adhere to them

Editing can be an expensive business. But it is your editor’s job, their livelihood. They may be relying on the fee that you have agreed to pay bills, for example. Please pay on time – just because you have a sudden extra expense, it doesn’t mean that your editor should have to wait to be paid. You have entered into a professional agreement – be professional about it. And do accept that your editor is investing their time. Don’t expect them to edit for nothing, or for a pittance. I’ve seen editors and proofreaders offering their services for next to nothing. As with most things in life, if a deal seems to be too good to be true, then it probably is. Check your editor’s credentials and do bear in mind that old saying – ‘you get what you pay for’.

Be open to advice

You are paying your editor for their expertise and their knowledge. If they offer you advice take it in the spirit it is intended. It is there to help you.

Keep in contact

Let your editor know how things are going. I care very much about my clients and their books. I want to know how you’re doing, how the book’s doing, if you’ve had positive reviews (or not!).

Check if they want to be acknowledged

As an editor working mainly with independent writers, I have no control over what is eventually published. I can only correct, improve and advise. I cannot force a client to take that advice, make those improvements or even accept the spelling or grammatical corrections that I make. I have, on more than one occasion, advised clients, have had that advice ignored, have seen that client publish the book and then seen reviews making the points I have raised. It is excruciating to have a client ignore your advice and then to see a reviewer say that the book could do with a thorough edit. On the other hand, your book is your book and you are perfectly within your rights to ignore my advice and recommendations. But if you do so, then please don’t thank me for my editing in the acknowledgements. While I appreciate the thought, it makes me look like a terrible editor!

Give feedback

You know how lovely it is when your editor says good things about your writing? How it makes you feel wonderful? Well, it’s lovely when you tell an editor how pleased you are with their work, how you appreciate their help and advice. And it’s also really helpful, if not so lovely, to know if something wasn’t quite right.

Recommend them!

The majority of my clients now come from recommendations – something that makes me incredibly happy! It is a minefield out there. I am a member of a certain reading/writing website and I do belong to editors’ groups on that site. Almost every day I see people advertising their editing and proofreading services. Sometimes I have a look at their websites (it’s good to keep an eye on the competition after all!) and, while there are some fabulous editors, there are also people who set themselves up as editors with absolutely no relevant experience, qualifications or knowledge whatsoever. So what does a writer do? Apart from looking at an editor’s blog/site extremely carefully, I do think it’s a great idea to ask for recommendations from your fellow writers. And if you do work with an editor that you feel did a great job, then please tell everyone else!

 I am an experienced editor, and have worked on more than five hundred projects in a variety of genres including dystopian, romance, memoir, erotica, YA, fantasy, short stories, poetry and business. I am happy to edit in either UK or US English. 

I have a first degree in English Language and Literature and a master’s degree in creative writing.

Read testimonials from clients

Find out about my editing services

Contact me

New Year, New Goals and a Special Offer #writing #editing #NewYear

I’ve taken a break from social media over the holidays because it can be a huge distraction, and I really wanted to enjoy some family time. But the house is now empty, much quieter and very tidy!

A new year, of course, is a time for reflection, and for looking forward. I love making plans, and the feeling of having a fresh start, and I’m looking forward to the year ahead.

This year I am determined to get through my huge TBR list – I really need to read at least one book a week, and post a review a week on the blog. Please do hold me to account if I fail to do so – I sometimes need a kick up the bum!

This is pretty much what my TBR list looks like

I also desperately need to get back to writing. I’m setting aside a day a week this year to do so.

And now I’m fifty I recognise the need to really stay fit and healthy, so I’m going back to running. Luckily I have a husband who is a keen runner and he’s also great at motivating me, as well as putting up with me swearing at him when he makes me go out even when it’s pouring with rain (which is every day in Wales).

To keep me motivated I’m going to sign up for a 10K – I last did one ten years ago (gulp!) and it felt wonderful when it was done. My daughter also wants to do a ‘Tough Mudder’ and I’m definitely considering that.

And of course I want to continue editing – working with wonderful clients. I love my job and one of the shelves in my bookcase is filled with books I’ve edited. It makes me hugely proud to see them and I hope to add many more this year.

To celebrate the New Year and a new decade, I’m offering a 10% discount on any bookings placed before the end of January for February and March. Drop me an email at alisonewilliams@sky.com and I’ll get straight back to you.

You can find out about my editing services here, and read testimonials from very happy clients here.

Wishing all my clients, old and new, and all my lovely blogging and writing friends a very happy and successful New Year!

‘The Cheque’s in the Post’ – how to not annoy your editor! #amwriting #selfpublishing #writingcommunity

I’ve been editing for a while now and the majority of my clients have been an absolute joy to work with – open to advice, professional, and just downright nice. That said, I’ve had a few not so pleasant experiences over the last few months and felt it was time to address some issues that unfortunately seem to be becoming quite common.

So here’s my advice on having a professional and constructive relationship with your editor.

Punctuality

I have many hats. Editor, writer, reviewer are just some of them. I have a full schedule and am usually booked in advance (for which I am very grateful). I have to stick to my schedule to avoid infringing on the time set aside for my next project. So if you agree to get a manuscript to me by a certain date, please make sure you do so. I work hard to stick to deadlines I’ve agreed to, and to make sure I bear my client’s own schedules in mind, so please grant me the same consideration.

Formatting

I’m clear about how I would like you to format your manuscript before sending it to me. Please adhere to this – and if for some reason you can’t, then just let me know. Which leads to my next point.

Communication

I appreciate that sometimes things happen, that there are circumstances beyond our control, and I try to be flexible as much as I can. But please communicate. Send me an email. Call me. Just let me know what’s happening. I recently agreed to a client deferring payment of her deposit. I kept that spot for her. She didn’t pay, ignored all my emails, and I couldn’t fill that space at such short notice, so I had a week where I had no income. Unprofessional and totally unfair. It also means that I’m now wary of being that flexible for other clients. If she had just been honest and emailed me to say that she could no longer use the space I may have been able to reschedule or find another client.

Money matters

This is probably my biggest bugbear. I appreciate that editing costs money. But if you have decided to hire an editor, then please make sure you have the money in place to pay them for the work they do. I ask for a deposit when a client books a place, but I have had several occasions recently where a deposit has been paid, but the client has then either delayed or not paid the balance once the edit is completed. This isn’t because they are unhappy with the edit – in fact on all these occasions the client has been very pleased with my work. On one occasion, the client emailed to say they were very happy with their edit, and then simply ignored every request for payment. Other clients have deferred and deferred. While I appreciate that some circumstances are beyond people’s control, please do remember that your editor may be relying on your payment. It isn’t fair to expect someone to wait for a payment from you because of circumstances that are nothing to do with them. Without naming names, one of my clients didn’t pay because he had to fund repairs to his car. But what if I’d needed to pay for repairs to my car and was relying on his payment to do that? If you’ve booked a service, agreed to a contract, and the other party has fulfilled their obligations, then you should pay what you owe. It really isn’t fair to expect to do otherwise and it’s completely unprofessional – you wouldn’t tell a plumber you couldn’t pay once he’d fixed your tap, so why is it ok to not pay your editor?

Don’t take it personally

I get it. I’m a writer. It hurts to have our work criticised when we’ve put our heart and soul into it. But if you want to be an author, if you want to be taken seriously as an author, then you need to be able to listen to feedback. I’m not out to be nasty or unkind, but I am honest and I will tell you what isn’t working. Please take that criticism and advice in the spirit in which it’s intended. I would be doing you a disservice and wasting your money for you if I just told you your book was wonderful.

Understand the role

A client recently complained that while I had pointed out places where things needed reworking and had provided examples of how he might do this, I hadn’t actually rewritten those parts for him. This is not your editor’s job. Your editor is not there to write your novel for you. I can guide you, advise you, restructure things so that you can see how they might be improved, suggest how you might improve things, tell you what needs developing and where things don’t work – but I cannot, will not and should not rewrite your manuscript. An editor isn’t a ghost writer.

I’m sorry if this feels like a rant – honestly, 99.9% of my clients are lovely, friendly, professional people and I love working with them. I can’t tell you how lovely it is when they take the time to tell me how my work has helped with their book. However, these bad experiences seem to be becoming more commonplace and it’s a worrying trend. But to the clients that do make my work a joy – thank you!

 

Last Minute Editing – discount available #editing #selfpublishing #AmWriting

Need an editor at short notice? I’ve had a last minute cancellation and have some limited availability for the next week. If you can have your manuscript to me by Friday 23rd November, I can offer a heavily discounted rate depending on the editing package you choose. You’ll have your edit back by Friday 30th November at the latest.

Many, many thanks again for your excellent and professional editing services. Your revision notes are meticulous, sensitive and intelligent.

I can’t praise Alison enough. She is extremely helpful and her editing skills are brilliant. Alison’s suggestions are all relevant and positive. Highly recommended.

I thoroughly enjoyed working with her and learned a great deal in the process.

Find out more about my editing services.
Read some more fabulous testimonials.
You can contact me here.
Thanks!

***Bank Holiday Sale – 20% Off*** #editing #selfpublishing

To celebrate a rather windy and rainy August Bank Holiday (at least here in the UK) I am offering clients a special 20% discount for any services booked from an enquiry made before Friday 31^st August for September and October.

Just a typical ‘summer’ bank holiday in the south east of England!

If you’re reading this, the chances are you’re thinking of self-publishing or you might be thinking of sending out your work to agents and publishers. You’ve spent hours writing. You’re proud of your work, but nervous about how it will be received. You’ve spent time revising and polishing when you could have been doing other things. If you’re self-publishing, you may have already paid out for a professionally designed book cover. You really need to start making some money on this project. So you don’t need the extra expense of an editor do you? Well, yes, you probably do.

You’ve written your masterpiece. You’ve had family and friends read it; they’ve pointed out a few typos but have told you it’s wonderful and that you should publish or send it out to agents. So that’s what you do next, right? Well, possibly – if your friends and family are completely impartial and will tell you the honest truth. And if you are completely sure that you’ve managed to catch every typo and grammatical error in your copy. And if you’re one hundred per cent sure that there’s nothing that can be improved, corrected and enhanced by a completely impartial, professional eye – by someone who edits as their job and whose reputation depends on how well they do that job.

You need an editor because not only will you not see all the typos and grammatical errors (and there will be lots of those), but you will be too invested in your work to see it impartially. You know your characters and your plot inside out. You know the sequence of events and why and how things happen. And this is where the problem lies. You can’t ‘un-know’ all of that, so you can’t see the flaws in plot, in structure, in characterisation. You can’t read your book from beginning to end the way a reader will. And if there are flaws and inconsistencies, if there is more than the odd typo, then your readers, if you publish without having had a thorough edit, will be happy to point them out in reviews.

I’ve self-published. I understand how attached you are to your work. I know how horrible it is to send that work to someone else and have them criticise it, however constructively. However, I also know that this process is far less painful than sending your precious work out there, warts and all, to have those warts picked over by readers and reviewers.

So the question is not ‘Can I afford to hire an editor?’ but ‘Can I afford not to?’

And if you’re considering making that step, then do get in touch. My offer means that if you request a quote and a sample edit before this Friday, 31^st August, and you go on to make a booking, then the cost of your edit will be discounted by 20%. So a combined edit/proofread will be £3.60/$4.80 per thousand words. This comprises of an edit for spelling, grammar, sentence structure, flow, characterisation, continuity, plot consistency and style. I will also correct any typos, grammar errors and spellings. I use the track changes facility in Word and will provide you with two copies of the edit: Edit 1 shows all changes made so you can trace what I have done, Edit 2 is a clean copy with all changes accepted – this will show you how the manuscript will read if you accepted all the changes that I’ve made. Having both copies means that you can easily see the difference the changes will make, while still having the option to choose whether or not you want to make those changes. You can go through Edit 1 accepting or rejecting each change as you see fit. As well as the edits, I will write a detailed report focusing on plot, structure, characterisation, pace, setting and style, making suggestions for any changes. An 80,000 word manuscript will now cost £288/$384, a saving of £72.00/$96.00.

If you would like to book an edit followed by a separate proofread, the discounted cost is £4.40/$5.80 per thousand words.

Two edits of your manuscript followed by a separate proofread costs £6.00/$8.00 per thousand words.

Still unsure? Have a look at my testimonials. And you’ll get a free sample edit of your first 1500 words before you commit to anything, so you can be completely sure that my editing services are right for you.

Do get in touch via the contact page, send an email to alisonewilliams@sky.com, or give me a call on 07891 065 012.

Have a lovely weekend!

 

 

Editing services – an update on pricing #amwriting #editing #selfpublishing

A few weeks ago I decided to change the way I charged for editing, moving away from pricing per thousand words to charging by the hour. I did this because I had found over the last few years of editing that there is a sometimes quite a big difference in the amount of time it takes to edit different manuscripts of the same length.

However, I have realised since making that change that this system isn’t working for authors. I have reached out to past and current clients and the feedback I’ve received is that clients prefer to know up front exactly how much an edit will cost. This is understandable – writing and publishing can be an expensive business and I can completely understand how it is better from an author’s point of view for the costs involved to be clear from the outset.

So, after much reflection and consideration, I have decided to return to the previous system of charging per thousand words. My clients are, obviously, the life blood of my business and it makes sense to use a system that works for them.

My editing charges are as follows:

Editing – a note on editing: as I work mainly with authors who are planning to self-publish, or who want to have their work edited prior to seeking representation, my editing service works in a slightly different way to the editing process that happens in traditional publishing, which would usually involve a developmental edit, followed by a line edit and then a proofread. Most writers are on a restricted budget and so would find it difficult to pay for all these different stages of editing. There is also always some overlap in these editing stages.

So, my editing service comprises of an edit for spelling, grammar, sentence structure, flow, characterisation, continuity, plot consistency and style. I will also correct any typos, grammar errors and spellings. I use the track changes facility in Word and will provide you with two copies of the edit: Edit 1 shows all changes made so you can trace what I have done, Edit 2 is a clean copy with all changes accepted – this will show you how the manuscript will read if you accepted all the changes that I’ve made. Having both copies means that you can easily see the difference the changes will make, while still having the option to choose whether or not you want to make those changes. You can go through Edit 1 accepting or rejecting each change as you see fit. As well as the edits, I will write a detailed report focusing on plot, structure, characterisation, pace, setting and style, making suggestions for any changes: £4.50/$6.00 per thousand words.

For manuscripts under 15,000 words I charge a flat rate of £60/$80

If you would like to book an edit followed by a separate proofread, the cost is £5.50/$7.25 per thousand words.

For manuscripts under 15,000 words I charge a flat rate of £80/$100

Two edits of your manuscript followed by a separate proofread costs £7.50/$10.00 per thousand words.

For manuscripts under 15,000 words I charge a flat rate of £100/$130

Proofreading – correction of spelling, grammar and any minor issues with sentence structure and plot inconsistencies: £2.50/$3.25 per thousand words.

For manuscripts under 15,000 words I charge a flat rate of £40/$50

Beta Reading – general feedback on elements such as plot, characterisation, setting, story flow, continuity and any grammar/spelling issues. Please note that this is not a proofread and I will only give general advice on spelling and grammar, not a line-by-line edit. I do not fact check: £1.50/$2.00 per thousand words.

For manuscripts under 30,000 words I charge a flat rate of £40/$50

Evaluation/critique of self-published work: £2.00/$2.50 per thousand words.

For manuscripts under 15,000 words I charge a flat rate of £40/$50

Submission to agents – letter and synopsis: £40/$55

Evaluation of first three chapters for submission: £40/$55

Self-publishing – blurb, author page information: £35/$45

Please note that all prices are in GBP and USD. If you would like a quote in a different currency then do get in touch.

If you would like a quote, a sample edit, or if you have any questions at all, then please do get in touch, either via the contact button, by email at alisonewilliams@sky.com or give me a call on 07891065012.

You can also read some testimonials from current and past clients here.

Editing and proofreading services – new prices #editing #proofreading #writingservices #selfpublishing

Special introductory offer – 20% off bookings made in April and May!

I have been running my editing business for several years now and have just finished my three-hundredth project! I’ve worked with some wonderful authors and writers and have felt extremely privileged to be part of their writing journey.

I have learnt an awful lot too about running a business and a lot about how much time and effort is involved in editing and proofreading and how much this can vary from manuscript to manuscript. I previously charged clients on a rate per thousand words. However, experience has shown me that this isn’t always fair on the client. The time involved can vary enormously and I have had manuscripts of 80,000 words that have taken three to four days to edit and others that have taken twice that.

I’ve decided that it is much fairer to charge an hourly rate. Of course, I’ll provide an estimate so that clients can have an idea of the total cost, and if it looks as though things are going to take a lot longer than expected, then I’ll let clients know as early in the process as possible.

My prices are based on the amount of experience I have, my qualifications (I have a first degree in English, a master’s degree in creative writing and a journalism qualification), and the amount of feedback and advice I provide. My rates are competitive, and I do provide a fast turnaround. I have excellent testimonials – you can read them here. Most of my business comes from word of mouth recommendations and authors who come back to me with subsequent books.

The services I offer are:

Proofreading – correction of spelling, grammar and any minor issues with sentence structure and plot inconsistencies.

Editing – a note on editing: as I work mainly with authors who are planning to self-publish, or who want to have their work edited prior to seeking representation, my editing service works in a slightly different way to the editing process that happens in traditional publishing, which would usually involve a developmental edit, followed by a line edit and then a proofread. Most writers are on a restricted budget and so would find it difficult to pay for all these different stages of editing. There is also always some overlap in these editing stages.
So, my editing service comprises of an edit for spelling, grammar, sentence structure, flow, characterisation, continuity, plot consistency and style. I use the track changes facility in Word and will provide you with two copies of the edit: Edit 1 shows all changes made so you can trace what I have done, Edit 2 is a clean copy with all changes accepted – this will show you how the manuscript will read if you accepted all the changes that I’ve made. Having both copies means that you can easily see the difference the changes will make, while still having the option to choose whether or not you want to make those changes. You can go through Edit 1 accepting or rejecting each change as you see fit. As well as the edits, I will write a detailed report focusing on plot, structure, characterisation, pace, setting and style, making suggestions for any changes.

*** If you book an edit followed by a proofread, then the cost of the proofread will be reduced by 10% ***

Beta Reading – general feedback on elements such as plot, characterisation, setting, story flow, continuity and any grammar/spelling issues. Please note that this is not a proofread and I will only give general advice on spelling and grammar, not a line-by-line edit. I do not fact check.

Help with introductory letters, synopses, evaluation of first chapters for submission, blurbs, evaluation of published work.

When you make a booking, I’ll give you an estimate of cost based on word count. I’ll then ask for a 50% payment based on this figure to secure the booking. When your edit/proofread is complete, I’ll invoice you for the remaining balance due.

If you already have an edit scheduled in with me then the agreed rate still stands.

I’m very excited to be developing my business and working with more fabulous authors and writers. I know it can be an expensive business and I believe that my rates offer excellent value for money.

Please contact me for current rates and special offers via the contact page, drop me an email at alisonewilliams@sky.com or call me on 07891065012.