Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Wednesday's Links to Writing & Marketing Blog Posts


By: Katherine Pickett (C.S. Lakin / Live, Write, Thrive)

Finished that novel? Time to get it edited by a professional? For the uninitiated, it is not unusual to experience a bit of sticker shock upon receiving a cost estimate from a potential editor. As the author, you may wonder how this person came up with the astronomical figure you are now contemplating paying. It may seem mysterious, but it’s really a simple formula:

amount of work × rate of pay = the cost of editing

Different editors may charge by the hour, by the word, by the page, or a flat fee. However, all of these metrics translate into an estimate of how much work will be required of them. The other variable in the equation—rate of pay—is based on the service requested and the editor’s level of expertise.

Amount of work

You might come across articles or posts that give an average cost of editing a novel, but keep in mind, there are numerous factors that affect that cost. Length, complexity, schedule, and depth of edit each play a part in determining how much work a particular manuscript will demand.

  1. Very long manuscripts, even the well-written ones, take a lot of time to read and edit.
  2. Very complex manuscripts, such as those with a significant number of references or large amounts of artwork, take a lot of time and even more brain power to keep the details straight.
  3. Short deadlines mean the editor may have to put other projects aside and work nights and weekends to finish on time.
  4. A stiff developmental edit, which covers high-level issues such as thematic strengths and weaknesses, consistency of characters and plot lines, and organization of the book as a whole, requires vision, attention to detail, and an impeccable ability to work with authors at their most vulnerable. 
An editor assesses these factors to estimate the amount of effort it will take to complete the project on time and with the highest quality. Cost estimates based on word count, page count, or a flat fee all attempt to capture this amount of work. Pay by the hour is easiest for most people to understand, and often these other metrics come down to how much of the editor’s time a project will take.

Rate of pay

Two main factors influence rate of pay . . .

Read the full article HERE!

~*~


If you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are again:
  1. Every Other http://ow.ly/AYZ1z  Daily Writing Tips
  2. Confessions of a Serial Novelist (Part 3) by Clara Kensie http://ow.ly/AYZgW NUMBER, LENGTH, AND PRICE OF INSTALLMENTS
  3. Writer's Edit The Five Elements of a Writer's Website - Writer's Edit http://ow.ly/AYZpz
  4. Finding Twitter Chats by guest Kate Tilton (@K8Tilton) http://ow.ly/AYZEd
  5. How to Structure Your Nonfiction Blogged Book http://ow.ly/AYZTO
  6. Submitting Short Stories to Magazines | Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors http://ow.ly/AZ01w
  7. 8 New Blogging Rules for Writers - Social Media Just for Writers http://ow.ly/AZ0bH
  8. Easy Tips to Help You Save Money on That Necessary Edit | Live Write Thrive http://ow.ly/AZ0on
  9. Should All Your Minor Characters Have Arcs? - Helping Writers Become Authors http://ow.ly/AZ1D1
  10. 3 Ways to Sell More (Ideas, Books, Products, etc) | Daniel Decker http://ow.ly/AZ1P8
  11. Author, Jody Hedlund: Describing Characters: Moving Beyond Hair & Eye Color http://ow.ly/AZ23n
  12. Fiction University: Learning to be an Unapologetic “Planster” http://ow.ly/AZ3qZ
  13. Best Websites For Self-Published Authors | Molly Greene: Writer http://ow.ly/AZ3GE
  14. When Do Writers Need a Business Plan? | Jami Gold, Paranormal Author http://ow.ly/AZ3Nr
  15. 9 Blogging Tools Every Blogger Should Be Using | Social Media Examiner http://ow.ly/AZ3T2
  16. Are You Ignoring this Important SEO Strategy? : @ProBlogger http://ow.ly/AZ3Xe
  17. The Marketer's Guide to Using Quizzes to Reach and Engage Your Audience - Copyblogger http://ow.ly/AZ41d
  18. 7 Blogging Tips for Authors http://ow.ly/AZ4o0
  19. Writer Unboxed » The Dozen New Digital Rules Authors Need to Know http://ow.ly/AZ4zH
  20. BookMarketingBuzzBlog: Improve Your Social Media With 11 Resources http://ow.ly/AZ9uo
Happy writing and running, Kathy

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