Note: Hstgirl, please don't think I'm being sharp with you; that isn't my intent.
I'm an editor who's been asked to not only edit a novel, but to do all the work involved in selling the manuscript to an agent or publisher.
Manuscripts are not "sold" to agents, and agents are the people who sell manuscripts to publishers. You're being asked to act as either a submission service or an agent, or both.
Is there an actual title for something like this? The closest I could find is an Acquisition Editor, but I don't work for a publisher, nor do I have any connections to agents or publishing houses.
Why is your editing client asking you to do this? It's not part of a freelance editor's job, at all. As you said, Acquisitions Editors work for publishers, as in are employed and paid by them and acquire for that particular house.
The problem is that compensation for editorial services is cut and dry, but I have no idea what kind of compensation I should ask for for doing the rest.
Honestly? I wouldn't ask for compensation for the rest, because I wouldn't do it. As you said, you have no connections to sell to publishers, and an agent getting a communication from you on behalf of your editing client is going to eye you both askance and reject the query.
I'll be continually revising the novel; creating the cover letters, queries, synopses, etc; researching agents and publishers and other marketing information; formatting and submitting the manuscript, including printing hard copies to those requiring it;
None of that is the job of an editor. It's the job of a writer and/or an agent. Revising the novel is NOT your job, it's the writer's job. So is creating cover letters/queries (I'm not sure where in the world you are or will be submitting, or what sort of book it is, but those aren't generally used together).
Do you know what to look for in an agent, how to research one? Or publishers? What sort of "marketing information" is this writer expecting you to research (again, if it's NF that might make more sense, but most fiction mss don't need market research from the writer). Formatting and submitting is the writer's job. Many agents have said that queries coming from people not the writer of the mss are automatic rejects.
then acting as agent between the author and lit. agent or publisher through-out the entire process.
There is no go-between for an agent and a writer. The agent is the go-between--to some degree--between the writer and the publisher. The agent-writer relationship is a partnership which involves trust; go-betweens there are really, really nonstandard and I don't know of any agents who would agree to represent a writer who feels the need for a buffer between them (which doesn't mean there aren't any, but I certainly don't know of any).
How familiar are you with the agent/client relationship and how it works, or the publishing process? What qualifies you to help shepherd a writer through the publishing process? (Again, this is totally not meant to sound as a dig at YOU, it's a comment about why the writer would ask you to do this.)
This is a lot of work.
Are there people out there that do this as a service?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
People who submit mss to publishers are literary agents. It's not an entry-level job. It requires contacts and a lot of specialized knowledge.
I'm aware of a few people who claim to match up agents and writers, and who charge exorbitant fees for it. I'm not aware of verifiable credentials on any of them or verifiable "matches" made.
Your client needs to do the work him- or herself. What happens when his/her acquiring editor sends the editorial letter? Are you expected to then rewrite the book by yourself? Without credit? While the writer who can't write gets the money etc.?
This is a terrible idea, which I think you know. I appreciate that you're trying to help your client, but being a writer isn't something you pay someone else to do for you. I'd tell your client quite frankly that you're an editor, not an agent or writer, and your job ends with your editorial suggestions. It's up to them now.
If they're just asking you to research agents and publishers for them, direct them here. If they really want YOU to do the research because they're just that lazy and rich, I'd look up how much a research assistant gets paid and charge them accordingly.
But seriously, don't submit on their behalf, and if they expect you to be a go-between between themselves and their agent or editor, tell them honestly that that's not how it works.
Best of luck to you! Again, I sincerely hope I haven't seemed harsh to you personally and haven't upset you. I'm just trying to explain as clearly as I can why this is a really bad idea for everyone involved.
