US Copy editor needed

[Steve W]

Hi,

Does anyone know of a good, but reasonably priced/cheap copy editor, please? Mine has had a stroke, so I'm desperate for a replacement. It's for a 108,000 word novel, which the first editor said is in really good shape, so doesn't need much work at all.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve

[Gillhoughly]

Your publisher is supposed to provide copy editing.

Or do they do things differently in the UK?

[Stijn Hommes]

Your publisher is supposed to provide copy editing.

Or do they do things differently in the UK? I was under that very same assumption. Why isn't your publisher providing a copy editor; are you self-publishing?

[Maryn]

Same question here.

If you're self-publishing and need someone to go over your manuscript closely with an eye toward mechanics and grammar, you can find rates here (http://www.the-efa.org/res/rates.html).

For a novel that size, you're talking roughly 432 manuscript pages in proper format (108,000/250). Assuming you get the fastest copy editor, 10 pp. an hour, at the cheapest rate, $20 an hour, that's still a lot to pay.

432/10 = 43.2 hours at $20 each = $864.

I have no idea what the custom is in the UK when it comes to copy editing, but if it was a matter of self-publishing, I'd balk at that amount, and distrust anyone who agreed to work substantially cheaper than the cheapest professional rate.

Of course, if your sales make you more than that amount, it might be money well-spent, but that's quite rare in self-publishing.

So can you shed some light on why you're finding your own copy editor?

Maryn, curious