Every book needs editing, good editing by a professional editor.
Not only are books judged but their covers, they are also judged by the writing, not the content, but the writing itself. There should be no typos, misspellings or grammatical mistakes. The content should flow smoothly.
The story structure should be sound. It should flow logically and the style and tone should be the same throughout the book.
Here at Hallard Press we offer three grades or levels of editing.
I. Developmental (Structural) Editing
Developmental editing is the “heaviest,” most comprehensive, in-depth review of a manuscript whether that manuscript is a novel, non-fiction, short story, or other. The editor will examine the story structure and ensure the writing aligns with the expectations of the target genre.
A developmental editor will make suggestions on how to keep the piece focused, taking into consideration the qualities of character development, dialogue, tone/voice, and any pacing concerns, setting issues or plot holes.
The most experienced editors will assess the book’s suitability for the marketplace, and they may assist in pinpointing the book’s correct genre.
When you choose Developmental Editing with Hallard Press, you can be assured your piece of writing will also be edited for Content/Copy and Proofread, as per the two Editing descriptions below.
II. Content/Copy Editing
Content editing takes place after a substantive, development editing but before proofreading. Although there is some overlap between content editing and proofreading, a content editor ensures that statements flow logically, and that style and tone guidelines are followed.
The content editing process will often overlap with proofreading in that spelling and grammatical problems will be fixed as well as poor syntax or word choice.
When you choose Content/Copy Editing with Hallard Press, you can be assured your piece of writing will also be Proofread, as per the Proofreading description below.
III. Proofreading
Proofreading is the last step before a written piece moves on to publication. It’s the final line of defense against typos in spelling and punctuation, and formatting inconsistencies. A proofreader will also verify page counts, the placement of page breaks, and other visuals within the text, header, footer, and more.
Multiple books can become extremely expensive. Have any people associated with the Villages Writing clubs realized the benefit of giving prospective buyers a “BOGO” deal? Two books at a reduced price give the writer a greater incentive to go to an editor. It also increases what the editor makes with one business transaction.
I found a book cover designer that is famous on the West Coast. She is buried with requests not only for her skills but that she keeps her prices below what most of our locals charge.
Think about it: Nationally skilled but low prices and buried with requests or locally skilled with higher prices and fewer requests!
I would rather keep my dollars local as you should be!