We all know the necessity of producing a manuscript clean of errors in punctuation, spelling and grammar. If we don't, we risk having our work dismissed by agents or editors as too amateurish to consider.
If that's not bad enough, think how terrible it would be to decide on self-publication, only to have the book printed and then realize all the mistakes that never got caught. The only thing worse would be to have our readers point out the errors.
Finding competent copyeditors, however, can be a real trick. The best strategy is to find out who our fellow writers use, then do our own research by checking out the person's website, credentials and price structure. Most legitimate copyeditors will provide a free sample critique of 1 to 10 pages.
Along those lines, I've just connected with Beth Bolwerk of San Diego, CA. I received her name through a fellow writing friend and thought I'd pass along her information:
BETH BOLWERK, Copyeditor
(619) 246-8141
BACKGROUND
Beth has been copyediting professionally for six years. Her early career included stints as an ESL instructional aide, paralegal, librarian, as well as several years working on websites for MSNBC, Microsoft and various Seattle start-ups. More recently, Beth has edited and written for UC San Diego Publications, Rady School of Business at UC San Diego, Sharp HealthCare, The San Diego Foundation, PETCO, and many other companies and individuals. She has edited websites, novels, science textbooks, PhD dissertations, marketing collateral, white papers, annual reports, journals, newsletters, screenplays and television pilot scripts. Beth holds a philosophy degree and a paralegal certificate from UC San Diego.
RATES
Free sample edit of 1,200 words for first-time clients.
Basic Proofreading
Editing for typos, spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, layout.
2.4¢ per word
$6 per pg (at 250 words/pg)
$24 per 1000 words
$60 minimum
Copyediting w/ comments
Includes basic proofreading, plus editing for consistency, dialogue, word choice, verb tense, sentence structure, clarity and overall flow. Comments explaining issues for the author to address will be included.
3¢ per word
$7.50 per pg (at 250 words/pg)
$30 per 1000 words
$75 minimum
# OF WORDS DISCOUNT
10,000-19,999 5%
20,000-49,999 10%
50,000-99,999 15%
100,000+ 20%
Happy writing!
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