editorial philosophy
I want your book to feel like your book when I’m done with it. It’s your story, your voice, and that defines you as a writer. That’s the reason I maintain a “light touch” when it comes to your use of language. Many editors immediately attack adjectives and adverbs, as if that’s all it takes to turn a manuscript into a bestseller. But English offers so many possibilities in terms of tone, rhythm, and mood that to eliminate important rhetorical tools out of the gate is to deprive yourself of depth and texture that can become your calling card as a writer. My rule of thumb? Use adverbs wisely.
This isn’t to say I’ll turn a blind eye to awkward writing. You’re paying for a manuscript that’s as good as we can make it -- together. I’ll always tell you what I think, and you’re free to reject my suggestions, but what you’ll get from Indie-Scribable is a clean, high-quality manuscript that is ready to publish on your platform of choice.
I’ve now published four novels as an indie writer, so I know the process well.
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The Way I Like to Work
Before I get started, we'll exchange a couple of emails to determine your needs. I'll want to know your quirks as a writer (and I'll generally ask for a short sample of your book to see for myself) as well as what you think your own strengths and weaknesses are. That way I'll approach the manuscript with your style in mind, and I won't touch your trademarks.
The best way to handle longer form material such as novels is for you to email the .doc or .docx file to me. (I can also work with Apple .pages documents.) I will edit the manuscript with track changes on so you’ll be able to see what I’ve done. In addition, I'll send you a copy with the changes accepted for easier review.
You can either accept the changes all at once or go through the manuscript and accept them individually. Occasionally, we’ll disagree, but it’s your book, and I’ll always find a way to accommodate your preferences.
Alternatively, with shorter pieces, Google Docs offers an efficient way for us to work on the manuscript together. You will share the document with me, giving me editing capabilities, then, using Google’s version of track changes, I’ll edit the piece online.
If you’re more the old-school type, you can mail me a hard copy to edit, or I can print one out on my end. If printing and mailing are involved, I’ll charge you my costs.
We can also arrange any kind of hybrid back-and-forth that works for you. I want this experience to be as convenient for you as possible, always with an eye on getting to a manuscript that’s ready to publish.
This isn’t to say I’ll turn a blind eye to awkward writing. You’re paying for a manuscript that’s as good as we can make it -- together. I’ll always tell you what I think, and you’re free to reject my suggestions, but what you’ll get from Indie-Scribable is a clean, high-quality manuscript that is ready to publish on your platform of choice.
I’ve now published four novels as an indie writer, so I know the process well.
∷
The Way I Like to Work
Before I get started, we'll exchange a couple of emails to determine your needs. I'll want to know your quirks as a writer (and I'll generally ask for a short sample of your book to see for myself) as well as what you think your own strengths and weaknesses are. That way I'll approach the manuscript with your style in mind, and I won't touch your trademarks.
The best way to handle longer form material such as novels is for you to email the .doc or .docx file to me. (I can also work with Apple .pages documents.) I will edit the manuscript with track changes on so you’ll be able to see what I’ve done. In addition, I'll send you a copy with the changes accepted for easier review.
You can either accept the changes all at once or go through the manuscript and accept them individually. Occasionally, we’ll disagree, but it’s your book, and I’ll always find a way to accommodate your preferences.
Alternatively, with shorter pieces, Google Docs offers an efficient way for us to work on the manuscript together. You will share the document with me, giving me editing capabilities, then, using Google’s version of track changes, I’ll edit the piece online.
If you’re more the old-school type, you can mail me a hard copy to edit, or I can print one out on my end. If printing and mailing are involved, I’ll charge you my costs.
We can also arrange any kind of hybrid back-and-forth that works for you. I want this experience to be as convenient for you as possible, always with an eye on getting to a manuscript that’s ready to publish.
