Ask the Prez

The Ask The Prez questions are trickling in and I'd love to have more! This is your chance to ask the president of Pikes Peak Writers any question about our organization, our conference, The Zebulon writing contest, or anything else related to writing. I enjoy answering these questions, so let's have them. See the bottom of the post for more details on how to contact me.

Speaking of a questions related to writing, our next set comes from Ann:

Can you suggest a way to find a good editor for a reasonable price? Some of them charge up to $4 a page. How do I justify the expense?

J.T. Evans's Answer:

First off, a reputable editor is going to work off of word count, not pages. This is because formatting can drastically change the page count. Yes, "standard manuscript format" reduces the variance, but even a swap between Times New Roman (acceptable in standard manuscript format) and Courier (also acceptable) will boost your page count. By way of example, a 208-page manuscript in Times New Roman will turn into 272 pages in Courier. That difference could cost you (at $4 per page) a whopping $256 extra! Honestly, there are two groups of people who care about number of pages: Readers and layout experts.

Paying someone to focus on your manuscript, read through it, give you feedback and edits, and ideally improve the work is a perfectly acceptable approach before sending it out in the world. If you're going the self-published route, I would say a freelance editor is necessary. This will allow you to produce the best possible manuscript before the public sees it.

Finding a freelance editor can be tricky because you want someone who knows your genre, can work with you in a friendly, yet businesslike manner, and knows what they are doing when it comes to edits. Finding someone who fits these criteria can be rough, but it can be done.

In my case, I met Stuart Horwitz through a Pikes Peak Writers Write Brain. I interacted with him in social media, read his books on writing, checked out his web site, and felt comfortable handing over the money I did for the edits. Not everyone gets lucky like that, and they have to do a "cold search." Join social media groups/forums for writers and see who has hired editors. Yes, you could Google for "freelance editors for hire" and see what bubbles to the top. That’s probably going to be time-consuming, and if you’re not careful, a waste of time and money. I would start at http://www.the-efa.org/ and see who you can find. Always vet them on your own. Google their name. Use review sites. Ask for a past client list with contact information and reach out to them.

If you get recommendations from fellow writers, keep in mind that not all editors will make all clients happy. If I were to send my urban fantasy novel to a highly respected and recommended romance short story editor… it probably wouldn’t work out so well. You have to find an editor who ideally should be a partner with you. Someone that meshes well with what you write.

As far as justifying the expense goes, you want to make sure you measure the return on investment. Will spending the money (potentially thousands of dollars) result in a novel that will pay back that expense? Unfortunately, that's not really something I can answer for you. In my case, I wanted to put my best foot forward when approaching agents and publishing houses. I needed the cleanest copy, the best ideas, the smoothest storyline, and the most intriguing characters I could produce. I'd done a good job of it already, but I needed to elevate the novel to greatness.

Good luck, Ann!

Ask me questions!

I want to learn more about what's on your mind in the PPW universe. Quite a bit goes into what we do to keep the ship running smoothly, and I'm sure many of you out there want to know some things. How do we do what we do? How can I help you keep PPW a great organization? What's the history of PPW? Who does what within the organization?

These are just some sampler questions. I'm certain your immensely creative minds can come up with more (and probably better) questions.

If you have questions for me, please email me at president@pikespeakwriters.com with the subject line of: Ask The Prez

Within the email, let me know your question(s), and if it's okay if I use your first name in the blog post. Also let me know if you want an urgent answer in private email, or if you can wait for me to queue up the question and get it out here on the blog. I expect to answer 1-2 questions a month here in this column.

Please do me a favor, and restrict your questions to the email address given above. I'll lose track of them if you send them via Facebook, Twitter, text message, or some other media.

Now open up your inbox and hit me with some questions!

About the Author:  J.T. Evans writes fantasy novels. He also dabbles with science fiction and horror short stories. He is the president of Pikes Peak Writers. When not writing, he flings code at the Day Job, homebrews great beers, spends time with his family, and plays way too many card/board/role-playing games.

Tips Before Hiring an Editor

By Donnell Ann Bell

(Editor's Note: The following is a reprint of a post that originally appeared in Romance University in March 2013.)

As Indy publishing continues to explode and authors want the best product they can put out there, I’d like to share some tips on what authors should look for when selecting an editor. Remember, you’re not just hiring someone to work on your novel, you’re hiring someone to work on your team—one with your name on it. Never has caveat emptor been so important to an author. Just as anyone can self-publish, anyone can hang up a shingle these days and say, “I’m an editor and I’m open for business.”

Following are some interview questions you might consider when choosing an editor:

1) How long have you been an editor and what is your educational and professional background?
Here I must remind you that while length of time in the business and education are important, this is a foundation question and merely the grout to your first layer before you add bricks to your decision-making.

Ten years, and a Masters in English Literature may sound impressive. But how they have put their editing skills to work must follow. Have they worked in the publishing industry or have they worked in the field of journalism? Have they edited fiction or have they edited newspapers and magazines? There is a difference, you know. (Note: I came from a journalism background—thought it would be a breeze when I turned to fiction. Wrong. In journalism, we’re taught to not editorialize. Fiction is all about emotion and how do your characters feel.)

2) After you’ve become impressed with an editor’s initial background, your second question might be: What genres do you specialize in and what genres do you enjoy reading?
Editing is editing, right? Au contraire! If you’re writing fantasy and your editor specializes in historical fiction, she might be an excellent editor, just not the right editor for you. The second part of this question is important, also. If the genre you’re writing isn’t in your potential editor’s stable of nightstand material, my suggestion is to run, do not walk away from this person, and continue your search.

3) My goal is to submit to Publisher XX. If I hire you, are you familiar with that publisher’s style sheet and guidelines? If not, are you willing to familiarize yourself with its guidelines before I hire you?
The fact that an editor might not be familiar with a publishing house’s guidelines should not be your foremost concern. Whether or not they are willing to do their homework and give your manuscript the best chance of succeeding should entirely be of interest to you.

4) When editing, what do you focus on?
a) Grammar and punctuation.
b) Author follow-through, e.g. threads to the story to ensure continuity.
c) Logic and fact checking. (Is what I’m writing logical in the world I’ve created and will you note passages and text that leave you in doubt?)
d) Pacing, redundancy and repetition.
e) Awkward phrasing.

5) How busy are you? When I give you my work, how soon may I expect to see edits?
Careful here. Just as you want to give your editor polished material to work with, (and you never want to give your editor anything less than what you consider your best) you want your editor to return an even more polished edit. Just as writers miss deadlines, editors do, also. They have emergencies and life can get in the way. This is a great question to ask their references (No. 7 below).

6) Will we sign a contract?
This may seem overcautious, but writers and editors need to protect themselves in the event that one or both fail to meet any or all of the specified agreement(s). However, just as some agents refuse to sign contracts, some editors do as well. What should you do in that event? (No. 7 below. Check their references.)

7) Do you provide references? How many of your references are return clients?
I think the first part of this question speaks for itself, and my advice—check their references.
As for Part two, if an author uses an editor once, but has numerous other work out since that particular release date, I’d want to know why, wouldn’t you? Could be something as innocent as the editor had too many clients at the time of author’s release or maybe he was taking a sabbatical. Still, repeat clients speak volumes.

8) Do you offer examples of the editing you will provide?
Some editors provide a sample of their services, e.g. the first 30 to 60 pages, (paid of course—you don’t want to give away your work for free; an editor doesn’t either). A sample edit ensures to both the author and the editor that they’re likely entering into a compatible working relationship.

9) What are your fees?
Shocked that I asked this question last? It’s up to you of course. You may ask it whenever you wish. But if money is the end-all as to whether you hire this person, you’re in the wrong business. Of course you have a budget and the editor might be out of your reach. You’re free to walk away and look elsewhere at that point. But you truly get what you pay for—particularly in this highly competitive world of publishing.

About the Author: Donnell Ann Bell is the author of The Past Came Hunting, Deadly Recall and Betrayed, all of which have been e-book best sellers. Buried Agendas is her newest release. She is honored that The Past Came Hunting and Betrayed were chosen as part of the Pikes Peak Library book club; further she loves to visit with readers. Along with veteran police officer Wally Lind, Donnell co-owns Crimescenewriters, a Yahoo group putting law enforcement experts together with writers. Like her on Facebook or contact her via her website www.donnellannbell.com   

Writers and Trust

By Karen Albright Lin

In most endeavors we put ourselves out there. We risk trusting someone with our money when we order online, or when we hand our credit card to the Shirt Barn Cashier. We trust that our important personal information will be protected when we do our banking, buy on e-Bay, and make a payment for a writer’s conference through PayPal.

www.thedailymind.com

Trust is a part of everyday life. But writers have additional vulnerabilities. A screenwriter typically waives his rights to sue if a film is made similar to the script he submits for consideration; after all, someone else may have submitted something else substantially the same.

We trust that contest judges won’t run with our entry’s idea, that critique group members have our commercial best interest in mind, and that a conference brings in quality acquiring agents and editors. We assume those editors and agents aren’t attending those conferences only to schmooze with their local clients and each other—while being wined and dined and housed at the base of the Rocky Mountains. I’ve been at a conference when an agent admitted to doing just that after he didn’t turn up to take pitches as his contract required.

Writers are vulnerable in many ways, yet we have to trust. We trust beta readers to give us honest feedback. We throw our work out there in the wind for it to get exposure and be bought. We spend precious time on social networking hoping it will pay off in sales.

We place it in the hands of fate or faith that our long, arduous apprenticeship will net us a career.

But there are times when we shouldn’t simply trust and cross our fingers. Examples would include choosing or not choosing the self-publishing route, determining how to get educated in our search for the Holy Grail (conferences? MFAs? Contests? A stack of books on writing?), as well as determining how and whether to spend money on freelance editors.

Having experience on both ends, I’ll address this last one. Trust is risky business here. Be careful when looking for an editor.

• Trust but know who you can rely on: Get referrals from reliable sources.
• Trust but do background checks: It’s one thing to hear about an editor's happy clients, it’s another to contact one or two to confirm.
• Trust but get a sample: Be willing to pay for a short edit to get an idea of quality and how time is used.
• Trust but hire an attorney: Before handing over a large sum of money, get the contract evaluated.

Trusting can be risky at the other end of those relationships. Editors, pitch consultants, writing coaches, ghostwriters, writers-for-hire, or any service providers also have warnings to heed.

• Trust but put it in writing: It’s a good idea to have a publishing attorney check your contract to be sure you are offering fair provisions in which your self-interest matches and complements the writer's.
• Trust but get a sample: Suggest contracting for a few hours initially to gauge quality and needs of the work. Then take that into consideration when you determine how you’d like to be paid.
• Trust but don’t be a jerk magnet: Look for the signs that someone is a user who will suck your time then not pay you.
• Trust but cut your losses: There are nuts out there who will ask for advice then go about doing the opposite over and over and over. Consider your sanity precious.
• Use your gut instincts: Try to spot the big-name author who wants you to ghostwrite for him, contracts to pay you a percentage of a potentially huge book, then yanks it out from under you without a kill fee. (Sound suspiciously specific? Yes, this happened to me.) Again have an attorney check your contract before you sign. Insist on a kill-fee for ghostwriting if there is big money at stake.

In our challenging field, we have no choice but to trust. But there are ways to mitigate our exposure. Live by the cliché, trust but verify.

About the Writer:  Karen is an editor, ghostwriter, pitch coach, speaker and award-winning author of novels, cookbooks, and screenplays. She’s written over a dozen solo and collaborative scripts (with Janet Fogg, Christian Lyons and director Erich Toll); each has garnered international, national and regional recognition: Moondance Film Festival, BlueCat, All She Wrote, Lighthouse Writers, Boulder Asian Film Festival, SouthWest Writers Contest, and PPW Contest. Find out more at www.karenalbrightlin.com.

Tips When Hiring an Editor

By Donnell Ann Bell

With the publishing doors bursting wide open these days, I, like everyone else, am curious about self-publishing. To that end, I’ve been researching DIY topics, including hiring of an editor. Still, just as anyone can self-publish, anyone can hang up a shingle these days and say, “I’m an editor and I’m open for business.” Never has caveat emptor been so important to an author.   

If you’re considering self-publishing, following are some interview questions you might consider when choosing an editor: 

1)      How long have you been an editor and what is your educational and professional background?

Here I must remind you that while length of time in the business and education are important, this is a foundation question and merely the grout to your first layer before you add bricks to your decision-making. 

Ten years, and a Masters in English Literature may sound impressive, but where have they put their editing skills to work? Have they worked in the publishing industry or have they worked in the field of journalism? Have they edited fiction or have they edited newspapers and magazines? There is a difference, you know. (Note:  I came from a journalism background—thought it would be a breeze when I turned to fiction. Wrong. In journalism, we’re taught to not editorialize. Fiction is all about emotion and how your characters feel.)

2)      After you’ve become impressed with an editor’s initial background, your second question might be: What genres do you specialize in and what genres do you enjoy reading?

Editing is editing, right? Au, contraire! If you’re writing fantasy and your editor specializes in historical fiction, she might be an excellent editor, just not the right editor for you. The second part of this question is important, also. If the genre you’re writing isn’t in your potential editor’s stable of nightstand material, my suggestion is to run, do not walk away from this person, and continue your search. 

3)      My goal is to submit to Publisher XX.  If I hire you, are you familiar with that publisher’s style sheet and guidelines? If not, are you willing to familiarize yourself with its guidelines before I hire you?

The fact that an editor might not be familiar with a publishing house’s guidelines should not be your foremost concern. Whether or not they are willing to do their homework and give your manuscript the best chance of succeeding should entirely be of interest to you.

4)      When editing, what do you focus on?

     a)      Grammar and punctuation

     b)      Author follow-through, e.g. threads to the story to ensure continuity

     c)       Logic and fact checking. (Is what I’m writing logical in the world I’ve created and will you note passages and text that leave you in doubt?)

     d)      Pacing, redundancy and repetition

     e)      Awkward phrasing 

5)       How busy are you? When I give you my work, how soon may I expect to see edits?

Careful here. Just as you want to give your editor polished material to work with, (and you never want to give your editor anything less than what you consider your best ) you want your editor to return an even more polished edit. Just as writers miss deadlines, editors do, also. They have emergencies and life can get in the way. This is a great question to ask their references (No. 7 below).   

6)      Will we sign a contract?

This may seem overcautious, but writers and editors need to protect themselves in the event that one or both fail to meet any or all of the specified agreement(s). However, just as some agents refuse to sign contracts, some editors do as well. What should you do in that event? (No. 7 below. Check their references.)

7)      Do you provide references?  How many of your references are return clients?

I think the first part of this question speaks for itself, and my advice—don’t do it.   

As for Part two, if an author uses an editor once, but has numerous other work out since that particular release date, I’d want to know why, wouldn’t you? Could be something as innocent as the editor had too many clients at the time of author’s release or maybe he was taking a sabbatical. Still, repeat clients speak volumes.

8)       Do you offer examples of the editing you will provide?

Some editors provide a sample of their services, e.g. the first 30 to 60 pages, (paid of course—you don’t want to give away your writing for free; an editor doesn’t either). A sample edit gives clues to both the author and the editor that they’re likely entering into a compatible working relationship. 

9)      What are your fees?

Shocked that I asked this question last? It’s up to you, of course. You may ask it whenever you wish.  But if money is the end-all as to whether you hire this person, you’re in the wrong business. Of course you have a budget and the editor might be out of your reach. You’re free to walk away and look elsewhere at that point. But you truly get what you pay for—particularly in this highly competitive business.

About the Author: Donnell Ann Bell is a two-time Golden Heart® finalist who previously worked for a weekly business newspaper and a parenting magazine. Her debut novel The Past Came Hunting became an Amazon bestseller, reaching as high as #6 on the paid overall list. Her second book, Deadly Recall, brought to you by Bell Bridge Books, reached #1 on Amazon. Learn more about Donnell at www.donnellannbell.com.