Nothing could be more off-putting for an agent or publisher to receive a manuscript that is full of grammatical errors, bad spelling and plot holes you could drive a truck through.
Let the Tropical Dragon go over the text word by word, comma by comma and full stop by full stop. I will make sure that everything is spelled correctly and makes grammatical sense; that characters don't change name or sex mid-paragraph; that the magic system is used according to its rules (and that it has rules), and that plot holes get plugged!
What do you have? While I specialise in fiction I will work on restaurant menus, websites, annual reports, club newsletters, newspaper or magazine articles or advertisements, résumés… the list is endless.
Be assured, however, that confidentiality is my middle name. Whatever you send to me goes no further. If you send the document to me by email or on disk or CD, I guarantee that once you have confirmed receipt of the corrected text, any copy I may have on my computer will be deleted permanently. Corrected hard copy (paper) will have been returned to you.
It all depends on what you want me to do – assess, edit or proof-read.
Assessment involves reading the work and providing a report. It’s similar to structural editing (see below) only without actually doing any editing. The report will detail any areas that need work, eg character development, language, grammar and plot, while also outlining the work’s strengths.
There are two kinds of editing I can do: Copy or Structural.
Copy editing involves going through the document line by line looking for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, consistent styles for headings, captions etc. A basic copy edit will cover spell-checking, punctuation and grammar. A substantive copy edit is the basic plus checking the formatting.
Structural editing involves getting into the nitty gritty of the manuscript or document. In non-fiction - does the content flow sensibly? Is step B the logical successor to step A or should they be the other way around? In fiction - is the hero travelling a thousand miles across the land in a day on horseback? Is the heroine wearing a blue dress at the beginning of a conversation and a red dress by the end? Do London Underground trains come to a screaming halt when a passenger pulls the emergency brake? (In case you are wondering, the answer is no.)
Then there is proof-reading.
The last person to see the document before final printing is the proof-reader. They receive a “proof” copy of the document, in other words exactly as it’s going to look when printed (including the fancy fonts), and check that all corrections have been made and that no other errors have slipped in during the typesetting process.
I will not rewrite. That is not my job.
My job is to guide you in the right direction to make your story stand out on the slush pile.
I will be using Microsoft Word’s “Track Changes” feature which will highlight the changes in red. You can accept or reject these changes as you wish.
On hard copy I will mark changes in red pen. I will include a list of the proof-reading marks used when I return the document to you.
I will also include a list of notes explaining any changes I have suggested that are not simple spelling or punctuation errors.
Please be aware that any changes other than spelling, grammar or punctuation that I suggest you may ignore at your wish. They are only suggestions.
All the rates quoted below include GST, and any quote I give for other work will include GST.
Business documents; menus, brochures and such
Email or call for a quote
Minimum charge $33.00
All editing work will be quoted based on word count and type of editing required
50,000 words or less
$220.00
50,001 to 75,000
$280.00
75,001 to 100,000
$330.00
Above 100,000
$385.00 plus $0.75/1000 words over 100,000
Please email or write to me in the first instance. This will ensure that we both have a written outline of the work and the quoted price, in case of any disputes. However, if you have a rush job please contact me on my mobile during business hours on 0414 263 318.
In your email please advise your name, phone number and address and what type of work you wish me to do. I will contact you to discuss the work and provide you with a written quote if required.
I will consider international orders but please bear in mind payment should be by either International Money Order or direct deposit into a nominated bank account in Australian dollars. Or you can pay by PayPal.
By email, or on paper, disk or CD by snail mail. For editing or assessment work please use Courier 12 or Times New Roman 12 point (the fancy fonts come later when the work is about to be published) and double-space the text, especially with hard copy. Soft copy (email, disk or CD) should be in either .doc or .rtf format, preferably .rtf. If there are large files they can be compressed into a .zip file. Please ensure you include everything that forms part of the document: graphics, tables, illustrations, glossaries, indices etc.
If you send a hard copy please keep a copy for yourself because I will be marking corrections in red pen.
I will be referring to the Style Manual for Authors, Editors and printers, Sixth edition for grammar, punctuation and style, and the Macquarie Dictionary Third edition for spelling. These are both Australian industry standard reference books for editors and proof-readers. However if there are reference books specific to your writing I will consult these.
By email: tropical_dm@hotmail.com By snail mail: PO Box 125, Edmonton QLD 4869 Australia By phone (business hours only, please): 0414 263 318
I am based in the Cairns area in Far North Queensland (or as I say to the geographically-challenged: on the pointy bit at the top right side of a map of Australia).
Last updated: April 2007 Site design copyright © Barbara J Holten Site hosted by: mbcomms.net.au “Henrietta Dragon” drawn by Andrew McKeirnan of Kephra Design, Sydney, Australia (www.kephra.com.au)