Hiring an Editor: The Good, the Bad, and the Ridiculous

the-good-the-bad-and-the-ridiculous

There are certain important things every writer should look for when hiring an editor. Not all editors and editing companies are created equal. So sorting through the editorial slush pile, there are things you can look for that will ensure a professional and positive editing experience.

One thing writers must decide before looking for a book or document editor is whether to pay by the hour or by the project. Both exist in the editorial services field, but there is a powerful argument for writers to choose the latter.

Consider this: Say you hire an editor to edit your book by the hour.

That editor is then going to download your manuscript of 60,000 words, and give you a date he or she expects to have it ready.

Now, let’s say that editor has an emergency during the editing process. What do you do? That’s the challenge of hiring an individual rather than a company. It presents the challenge of how to account for that editor’s hours. Do you pay her anyway and then have to find someone else? What if that editor works a few hours each day, but forgets to write his start and end time?

Now she has to make up an invoice based on memory. As far as price, what if you are on a budget, and the editor comes back to you and tells you it took more hours than planned? Then it comes to more than your desired budget. Last, is there any way to verify the actual time that editor has spent on your book or other project?

The Good, the Bad, and the Ridiculous

As an editor with FirstEditing.com, I know that if the absolute worst happens and I have to abandon a project (it has not happened yet!) another professional, qualified editor can take over. And when I say professional and qualified, let me tell you—the screening process to get hired with FirstEditing was brutal!

There are a lot of benefits for the writer in hiring an editing company rather than an individual, one of which is that we guarantee our work. It means that if after the editing job is complete and you have questions, you can still communicate with your editor about them.

We stand by our work. If something isn’t right, we’ll fix it. We also give you a firm deadline, so you know exactly when to expect your document back. And, importantly, you will know the cost in advance.

So, your best bet as a writer is to hire an editor from an editorial services company that is professional, such as FirstEditing.com. Besides pairing you with a qualified editor, FirstEditing.com offers a guarantee on its work, and gives you a firm price and deadline.

Frequently Asked Questions

First Editing is equipped to edit ANY type of document you can write! Over the past 10 years, we’ve perfected tens of thousands of manuscripts, books, ebooks, theses, dissertations, essays, letters, websites, articles, scripts, business proposals, poetry, and more! Let us transform your draft into a perfectly edited masterpiece! Click HERE for a FREE sample edit and price quote…
Projects less than 50 pages are completed in just 2-3 business days. Longer documents (manuscripts, dissertations, etc.) require 7-10 business days depending on their length. If you order multiple documents totaling 50+ pages, they can all still be completed in the standard 3 day timeframe since each document may be assigned to a different editing team simultaneously. Additionally, 1-2 day rush services are also available. See our order form for more details.
Professional editors of successfully published books, journals, articles, and more are working around the clock to ensure your editing is letter-perfect and delivered according to your deadline. Each editor has a minimum of TEN years worth of professional writing & editing experience. Show us some of YOUR writing and we’ll send YOU a FREE editing sample!
First Editing is one of the very few online editing services that GUARANTEES client satisfaction! If there is ANYTHING about our work with which you are not 100% satisfied, we will correct it at no additional charge. First Editing is also the ONLY service of its kind to GUARANTEE on-time completion. We NEVER miss a deadline…EVER!! Read more about our Editing Satisfaction Guarantee.
Our basic rates vary from just 1 U.S. cent per word to just over 3 U.S. cents per word. Most basic copy editing that does not require rush delivery costs between $0.0097 and $0.013 USD per word (approximately one cent per word). Larger orders often cost even less. Factors influencing your total price are document type, length of manuscript, turnaround time required, & level of editing required. For a free, no-obligation price quote, CLICK HERE.

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