I've spoken in the past about the benefits of copyediting. I've talked about how a good copyeditor will make your manuscript so much better, and how it's foolhardy not to get one. That's why I feel like such a hypocrite.
No, I didn't get a copyeditor for Akeldama. I wanted to, but I couldn't afford it. A book the size of Akeldama, I found out, would've cost me over $3,000...and that's just for the first pass. Another pass would've been another couple thousand dollars, and my entire company's budget, for everything I intend to publish, was $6,000. So I scrimped, and some people noticed.
I still feel that some issues with my grammatical "errors" is writing style. Put two grammarians in the same room, and they'll edit the same piece of writing differently. One will say you need the Oxford comma, one will poo poo it away. One will say to never end a sentence with a preposition, while the other will say that's not a hard and fast rule.
So I got some people I know to proofread my work, and they missed some stuff. Not much, but enough for the pickier among us to notice. I plan to submit a couple of corrections, but that'll have to wait for now, for expense is an issue.
Some say you shouldn't publish unless you have the money to do it all. I say that's bullshit since it would stymie so many of us. That means accepting risk. Most of us aren't rich, so copyediting may be out of our reach until we're successful. Unfortunately, we may not be successful if we don't meet all the gates, so it becomes a self-licking ice cream cone.
I'd like to find a good proofer or copyeditor for Salvation Day, but I'd be lying if I didn't say price was an issue. Everything takes money. Am I whining? Maybe a little bit, but I'm also pointing out that we have to put our resources, limited as they are, first into getting published. Beyond that, we prioritize, and sometimes the price of copyediting puts that touch out of reach. I wish it wasn't, but as long as we're wishing, I'd kind of like to have a pony...
No, I didn't get a copyeditor for Akeldama. I wanted to, but I couldn't afford it. A book the size of Akeldama, I found out, would've cost me over $3,000...and that's just for the first pass. Another pass would've been another couple thousand dollars, and my entire company's budget, for everything I intend to publish, was $6,000. So I scrimped, and some people noticed.
I still feel that some issues with my grammatical "errors" is writing style. Put two grammarians in the same room, and they'll edit the same piece of writing differently. One will say you need the Oxford comma, one will poo poo it away. One will say to never end a sentence with a preposition, while the other will say that's not a hard and fast rule.
So I got some people I know to proofread my work, and they missed some stuff. Not much, but enough for the pickier among us to notice. I plan to submit a couple of corrections, but that'll have to wait for now, for expense is an issue.
Some say you shouldn't publish unless you have the money to do it all. I say that's bullshit since it would stymie so many of us. That means accepting risk. Most of us aren't rich, so copyediting may be out of our reach until we're successful. Unfortunately, we may not be successful if we don't meet all the gates, so it becomes a self-licking ice cream cone.
I'd like to find a good proofer or copyeditor for Salvation Day, but I'd be lying if I didn't say price was an issue. Everything takes money. Am I whining? Maybe a little bit, but I'm also pointing out that we have to put our resources, limited as they are, first into getting published. Beyond that, we prioritize, and sometimes the price of copyediting puts that touch out of reach. I wish it wasn't, but as long as we're wishing, I'd kind of like to have a pony...
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