Well, it’s been a minute, eight years actually, since I self-published my first title. I am long overdue to release my second title, if I do say so myself. With e-books, tablets, apps, smart phones, and a plethora of other gadgets to help us get out book into the hands of our audience, where does one begin to make decisions on the right avenue for them and their masterpiece?
First and foremost, one must always begin with hiring an editor. An additional set of opticals can never hurt when making the decision to expose our literary soul to the public. Not to say that there are not good editors out there, but nothing beats word of mouth. For my first title, and I will use her services for my second as well, I highly recommend Rebecca Hayes. Her rates are affordable, her turn-around time is quick, she formats text as well as edits, and she is available to do book covers as well.
For editorial services, Hayes charges a standard rate of one cent per word. If your manuscript is fairly clean, meaning she will find few errors, she will reduce her rate to half-cent per word. If it needs more than the standard traditional polishing, she will increase her rates to two cent per word. “If it’s a nightmare, I send it back to you to at least have Word’s spell-checker done before I’ll touch it,” (Hayes). For a 58,000 word manuscript, this calculates to; Light editing – $290, standard editing – $580, heaving editing – $1160. If you’re shopping around, you will discover that other editing companies charge much more than Hayes. With just a few clicks on Google, I was able to gather the following information:
- Edit911.com – $1566 (regardless of the amount of editing the manuscript requires)
- Prof-editing.com – $1856 (for first edit, regardless of the amount of editing the manuscript requires)
- Scribendi.com – $995.45 (regardless of the amount of editing the manuscript requires)
Now, cost isn’t everything. When it comes to sharing your masterpiece with the world, price should not be the only criteria by which you determine who to entrust with your manuscript. Word of mouth should definitely figure into your decision making process. As mentioned before, I used Hayes’ services with my first manuscript and I intend to entrust her with my second. She is friendly, professional, courteous, and quick. But don’t take my word for it, visit Hayes’ website and find out for yourself.
In our next article, we shall discuss the avenues by which you may choose to publish your article.
Remember, if you have a finished manuscript or book that you would like to e-mail me for an editorial review, contact me through e-mail. I am always happy to help a fellow writer achieve their goals of publishing their manuscript.
Also, feel free to e-mail me with any publishing questions you might have.
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