You've worked hard to reach this stage. Congratulations!
Thank you for contacting me. If we have not worked together before, I need to tell you that I take on full-length book projects only after editing and critiquing the first 10 consecutive pages of a manuscript.
• For fiction, that means your first 10 pages of story plus a list identifying the characters introduced in those pages.
• For nonfiction, it's the first 10 pages of the earliest text that gets right to your subject — after your preface, introduction, and any other front matter. I'd like to also look at your table of contents.
The cost of editing 10 SMF* pages is $195, which includes return shipping and tracking.
Once I edit, critique, and return your first 10 pages, if you and I mutually agree to proceed with the full manuscript, I will quote a project price to you and credit part of the fee you've already paid toward the rest of that work. I wish I could take on every manuscript that's sent to me, but I'm afraid that's not possible.
That's why I've instituted the following 6 steps:
1. Please be sure you are in agreement with what
I describe on this site about my work ethics and my principles in accepting work (click about me here or on the main menu under book editing). You might also be interested in how I approach a manuscript and other details (click about editing). Also see the editing sidebars.
2. When you have all the information that makes you feel comfortable about having me edit your work, please download the
pdf questionnaire I prepared for you. (The current version shows the date of May 7, 2011, on p. 3.) Your computer most likely contains a copy of Adobe
Acrobat Reader, which should automatically open the pdf. If you have any difficulty, please let me know by emailing: croerden "at" aol "dot" com and putting in the subject line: help with ready?
3.
Please
note that before I edit any fiction, I ask writers to first read either DON'T MURDER YOUR MYSTERY or DON'T SABOTAGE YOUR SUBMISSION — depending on whether your novel is mystery or another genre — and apply as many of the hundreds of tips as match your own needs. The first 4 chapters are the same for both books and can be downloaded, free, from my welcome page, or from my publisher, or by going to http://writersinfo.info/For_All_Genres.pdf
This is not a ploy to sell books. I'd be delighted if you borrowed a copy from your local public library or university library (though if you decide you want your own copy, either title can be special-ordered from any bookstore, or purchased online (Amazon.com; bn.com; and others).
The reason I ask you to read either one of my books for writers, and to apply whatever information fits your own fiction-writing style, is this: if you take care of the common writing habits that you are capable of fixing yourself, you let me focus all of my attention on the developmental issues that are unique to your manuscript. In that way you ensure that you receive the most value from your time, money, and emotional investment in writing.
4. Please print a copy of the questionnaire and fill it out as
completely as you can. The information you provide helps me know how I can best help you reach your goals. Include any questions you have, too. This is the only form I'll ask you for.
Then, whenever you feel ready to take the next step:
5. Please, please prepare your pages according to the specifications I require (see format standards in the sidebar). *SMF stands for standard manuscript formatting. (The only "rule" in writing is to always use the formatting specified by each recipient you submit your writing to.) When you submit to agents and acquiring editors, they read submissions as quickly as possible, so they prefer Times Roman 12 pt. Most hands-on manuscript editors, like me, prefer Courier 12 pt type. I no longer edit manuscripts in any other font. If the standards I prefer cover details that are new to you, you might as well become aware of these now because editors and agents form opinions about writers that separate the professionals from the amateurs. I can't tell you how much amateur-appearing work is circulating these days, and it send a signal before anyone even reads the content.
6.
Finally, verify what you are submitting by using one of the checklists on p. 3 of the questionnaire. Then, please mail what I ask for in one package to the address shown on the questionnaire, using regular mail, not e-mail, fax, or express—and never signature required.
Thank you.
Chris Roerden
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