Image courtesy of Flickr via Creative Commons
All writers need editors. If you’re an indie writer, you probably have to hire
your own editor. We all like to think that we write perfect stories with
error-free prose. However, the reality is that we are so close to our stories that we
can’t always find our mistakes. It’s like thinking you have the perfect child
while outsiders may think differently. Editors serve as outsiders. We need
their objective eyes to see the flaws that escape us and affect the quality of our manuscripts.
Like everything else, editing can be expensive. If you are
as broke as I am, this puts the brakes on your work in progress. If you are
lucky, you have a friend who edits manuscripts. If you are incredibly
fortunate, they’ll do it for free. Most of us don’t have that luxury. If you’re
me, you scour your house for things to sell on eBay. I really don’t need my bike right? It’s not
like I ride it very often. I think it’s
worth enough to get the cash I need.
That’s where Hercules Editing & Consulting comes in.
They have a basic editing service that covers spelling and grammar as well as
consistency and details. When Dr. Beth Lynne edits your manuscript, she uses
her sharp eye to weed out any mistakes with historical details. For example, I
described a house as Victorian when it should have been Victorian-style. Such a
small detail might have gone unnoticed by someone else.
The basic editing is $1.00 per page. I’ve seen many editors
charge a minimum of $10.00 per page. I
once thought that that price was standard. Some might even consider it
affordable. It put a big dent in my bank account. Hercules is just as good, if
not better and I don’t have to choose between eating and editing. In addition
to editing, they offer proofreading, formatting, and beta reading. More
information about these services can be found at http://www.bzhercules.com/author_editing_services.html
And yes, I still have my bike. That's not to say I actually ride it though.
