To make these changes visible, I use the Track Changes option. This video shows you how to enable (turn on) the track changes feature, and it also shows you how to accept or reject one or all of the edits made by an editor.
Track Changes Video Shows You How to Use this Feature Step by Step
This “Track Changes” book editing tip was brought to you by Book Editing Services | All About Words Since 1985
Researching, selecting, and hiring the best professional editor for your manuscript can be quite time consuming, but all your research efforts are definitely worth the time. Although All About Words Book Editing Services has been in business since 1985, I know that we’re not the only manuscript editors in the world who are qualified as a professional editor. That’s why, before I wrote this post, I decided to see what others on the Internet had to say about selecting a professional editor and manuscript editor.
What Other Manuscript Editors (or a Professional Editor) Say
I agree with what Rhonda Browning White had to say when I read her article posted at www.eHow.com (shown below). Tell me if you agree that what she’s said resonates with you.
How to Choose the BEST EDITOR for Your Manuscript
Choosing an editor for your manuscript isn’t like choosing a spouse–but it’s nearly as important! The right editor can make a crucial difference in whether or not you land an agent or book publisher. Let this article provide you with guidance as you start your search for your new writing partner. Write on!
Instructions
Things You’ll Need for Selecting a professional editor:
A complete manuscript, or
A manuscript outline, or
A great idea for a book, novel, or article, plus
Time to research
First, determine what sort of editing your manuscript (book, novel, dissertation, chapbook, short story, etc.) needs. Do you need simple proofreading by a qualified professional? Do you need a full edit with feedback on characterization, plot, pacing, and other important story elements? Do you need a more detailed assistance, such as a re-write to restructure or round-out your story, or to act out (show) your scenes that are written in a telling fashion? Do you have a story outline and completed research, but you need a full ghost-write? Do you want post-edit assistance, such as help preparing a query letter or synopsis? Do you simply need a professional read-through analysis, where your editor will read your manuscript and make overall suggestions for improvement work you can do on your own? Professional editing services are offered by ghost writers, copy editors, freelance editors, and proofreaders. Once you know what you need, you can begin searching for the right candidate for the job.
Second, do your research. Look for an editing company or freelance editor with excellent references and testimonials from clients. Make sure the editing company offers the service (or services) you need, as you’ve determined above. Also, check to make sure the editing company has two or more editors. If one has a family emergency, you want to make sure there’s a contingency plan to finish your work before your deadline. Another benefit of a company with multiple editors is that, while one editor may thrive on editing doctorate dissertations, another may detest them, yet love to edit romances, or horror stories. If you’re a technical writer or business writer, choose an editor with experience in that specific area. If you write across various genres, you’d do well to choose a company with multi-talented editors, to ensure you’ll have a long-term relationship with the group, no matter what you write.
Next, ask for a FREE SAMPLE EDIT. Reputable editors will be happy to edit a page or two (250-500 words) of your prose. It’s important to see if the editor can supply the sort of assistance you need, and if you two are compatible as a team. Your relationship with your editor is a marriage, of sorts, so make sure honesty and communication are part of the equation. Can you email your editor and expect a response within one business day? (If your free sample edit is returned within one business day, you can usually expect the same response to your questions and concerns.) Will you editor agree to conference call (telephone) meetings? Will there be any additional fee for such phone meetings?
Now-and this is important-what is the fee for the service provided? Will you be billed by the hour (typically only for ghost-writing or writing that requires research, which can’t always be quantified by a word-count); or will you be charged a per-word fee? Expect to pay less for small services, such as professional proofreading or for a read-through analysis, but more for ghost editing (a service that’s more detailed than a full edit, but less involved than a ghost write). Typical full-edit fees range from three cents per word to ten cents per word, depending on the company and the editor. Make sure you seek value-added services, such as frequent communication, a multi-page written analysis of the work completed on your manuscript, or even your name listed on the editor’s web site, as a free marketing tool for your published book. If someone offers to provide you a full edit of your work with unlimited conferences and support for less than a penny per word, RUN AWAY! Remember, if you pay peanuts, you may end up working with monkeys! Book publishers–whether they be fiction publishers, children’s publisher, non-fiction publishers, or magazine publishers–have no time to correct your grammar errors or spell check your work. Instead, they’ll toss your hard-earned manuscript aside and move on to the next one; one that’s been edited!
Also, it’s important to work with an editor who will edit your work in a fashion that will allow you to accept or deny any changes they’ve made to your manuscript, without putting you through a re-write of your own edited novel. Request that your editor use the Microsoft Word tracking feature, so you can accept or reject their changes and suggestions with a click of your mouse.
Now, LISTEN TO YOUR EDITOR. While your manuscript is just that-it’s YOURS-and you always have the final say on how it’s finished, keep in mind that your editor (copyeditor, ghost writer, proofreader, whatever) is a professional, and she has experience with what agents and publishers want-and don’t want-to see in your story. If you decide to make changes to your story after your editor has completed your edit, consider paying the editor for a final proofread (typically one cent per word) of your work. Or, to save yourself a few bucks, enlist friends in your writing group, English professors, fellow authors, or high school teachers or librarians to review your work for typos and grammatical errors that may have occurred during your, ahem, “tinkering.”
As a final note, before you send your manuscript to literary agents and book publishers, give it a thorough, last-time, proofread. Editors are not perfect-(though we may think we’re mighty close)-and even the best editor may “fall pray to spill chick” now and again, so read through your work, and ensure it’s the best it can be before you send it out the door.
Remember-you and your editor are a TEAM. Choose one who will be with you through many winning manuscripts to come!
I hope you agree that finding a professional manuscript editor is a necessity and not a luxury. When you want to sell your book, you’ll find a professional editor who wants you to succeed.
If you have any questions that you’d like me to answer for you about selecting the best professional editor for your manuscript, please just leave me a comment below.
After Writing Your Book, What’s Next? The first thing you should do is hire an editor who can promise you professional and results-oriented book editing services. Many authors will hand their precious manuscripts to a family member, or a close friend, and ask them to read and edit their book. That might not be in [...]
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