If you've ever looked for editing services and found the whole thing confusing, you are not the problem. The industry is stupid, not you. Editing services make zero sense. Zippo. Zilch. If you're confused about what type of book editing you need (or might need in the future), I'm not surprised.

Here is a text message I sent my husband recently. Heads-up: adult language. (Although I think that applies to all my blog posts, no?)

 
Confused about editing services? Me too. This text proves it.
 

I don't "technically" offer traditional editing services. I'm a book coach, so I constantly edit within that, but I don't offer plain ol', no-coaching, straightforward editing.

I do edit professionally for a publisher, and I've been editing in other forms for, oh, about twelve little years. But I don't explicitly offer the service on my website.

Yet have had so many people ask for editing lately that I thought it was time to offer this service to anyone who wants it. So... I started researching how other editors charge for and structure their services.

And that's when I discovered that the world of editing is a friggin' gong show.

Every god damn editor on earth charges different rates for different services delivered in different time frames and to different standards.

And to top it off, they all use different names for the same services.


The long list of stupid editing names

Here's a sample of names of editing services that I came across:

  • Developmental edit,

  • Substantive edit,

  • Copy edit,

  • Line edit,

  • Manuscript assessment,

  • Manuscript evaluation,

  • Proofreading,

  • Fact-checking,

  • Sensitivity reading,

  • Beta reading,

  • Book doctoring,

  • Developmental assessment,

  • Rewrite, and

  • Editorial advice.

So. Many. Meaningless. Words. They're meaningless as they have no industry-standard definitions. None. Zippo. Zilch.

Every editor seems to have a different definition for what's included in each service. For an industry specializing in word use, editors suck at naming their services. 

This is what led to my sending my husband this frustrated text message. How the hell can I determine if I'm offering above and beyond the "industry standards" when there are no common standards?

It's stupid.


Why am I ranting about this to you?

This mega rant is ultimately to reassure you.

If you've ever looked for editing services and found the whole thing confusing, you are not the problem. The industry is stupid, not you.

I mean, I've worked in the industry since 2014. I've written (and self-edited) 14 books. I've professionally edited countless others. I've paid editors to fix my words. I pay for a book coach to help with my personal writing, and I coach other writers in their creations. I know this world.

And it still bamboozles my little brain.

 
 

Are you confused?

If you're confused about what type of editing you need (or might need in the future), I'm not surprised.

If you can't get a clear answer on what editing costs, or what type of editing is best, or where to prioritize your limited finds for editing, I get it.

If you don't know the difference between book coaching and editing, that's my bad, and I get that, too.

I'm working on something to help make this whole mess clearer. It's not ready yet, but sign up below with your email address, and you’ll see it before the rest of the world does.

In the meantime, please email me your editing questions. I'd love to answer them (as best as I can, ha!), and I'd love to know what confuses the heck out of you. (All of it?!)

Thanks,

Liz "We're All Bamboozled" Green
Book Coach, Green Goose Writing

 
 

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