Substantive Editing
My greatest strength is substantive editing. It’s also your best value and the most fun.
Substantive editing can include shortening text, pointing out flaws in logic, rearranging the order of text, improving the flow of the story, and even rewriting some material. I will go through your copy, suggesting precise language, removing unnecessary words and phrases, connecting or breaking sentences as needed to create rhythm in your writing, and pointing-out areas that need to be developed further.
If you wish, I will spend time with you on the telephone going through your work line-by-line – word-by-word – if necessary, to give you the reasons behind any suggestion I make. (Free Advice: If you want substantive editing, don’t work with an editor who won’t do this.)
Copy Editing
Copy editing is
less involved than substantive editing.
It usually includes looking for inconsistencies, incorrect grammar
or unwieldy form, words that are misspelled or misused and obvious factual
errors.
Research
I wish I had a dollar for every time I had to tell a writer, “You need to back this up!” Unsupported claims and off-the-cuff opinions just don’t cut it. My journalism training has given me a deep respect for the power of facts. With a graduate degree in public relations, I know how much weight the “third party endorsement” carries. To write in a convincing way, you need to marshal your facts and tell what others have to say about your ideas. That means research.
Haven’t done research since you were in school? Hated it then? If I suggest that you need more facts and you don’t have the time or inclination to do the legwork, I can take the next step for you.
To me, there is nothing more fun than unearthing the perfect quote or finding just the right fact to clinch the argument. (Yes, I know this is seen by some as deeply pathological, but you go with your strengths, right?)
Ghostwriting
I want your work to be your work…usually. However, on special occasions, if I am particularly interested in your subject matter and jazzed about your ideas, I will consider acting as a ghostwriter. Please note: this doesn’t mean no work for you! You will be fully immersed in the process and, for a week or two, you might spend more time with me than you would with a significant other.
Contact me via e-mail or call 708-280-1021 (Chicago area).
####
What not to expect…
I won’t bring back nasty memories of your fourth grade teacher. I will correct your grammar, but there will be no diagramming of sentences or memorizing parts of speech. I’ll even suggest when you need to break the rules. The goal is clarity and understanding, not good grammar.
I will be candid and straightforward – sometimes blunt – but I will never forget that your story is your story, and my job is to help you tell it in the best way possible.
You don’t need me to be your proofreader. I will copy edit your material as I review it. (I can’t read anything printed on paper without a pencil in my hand.) But if all you want is corrected spelling, punctuation and grammar, a sophomore English major with obsessive-compulsive tendencies will do just as well.
Peter Stern
Contact me via e-mail or call 708-280-1021 (Chicago area).
Five Reasons Why You Need an Editor:
- Your reputation is on the line.
- Even the best writer needs an editor. And the best editor needs another editor.
- Publishers won’t give you a reason why your manuscript was rejected. An editor will.
- E-publishing has no safety net to prevent embarrassment.
- Your mother thinks that everything you do is wonderful.
A
Note About Pricing…
Because no two projects are alike, I don’t charge a flat rate per page or per hour. I charge by the project. Please allow me to become familiar with your project and provide you with a quote before we begin.