Background

Services

Production Center

 

Contact Us

RJ Communications' Book Editor & Editorial Service

“The book editing work was excellent and extremely professional. The book editor was a bit on the politically correct side for a conservatively oriented piece - but I guess most literary people are libs! (I'm not complaining here - she did a great job). I'll be sending you a lot more work. Super service too.”
— Paul Buff', GoGo Press, LLC

You have finished your manuscript. Your ten best friends plus your mother have told you your book is GREAT. You have made up your mind that there is a market for your book beyond your ten best friends. You have decided to self publish your book and hopefully become the next Tom Clancy. Your Tenth Grade English teacher has read over your manuscript caught a few typos and gave you further encouragement to self publish. Do you really need a book editor? Yes, No and Maybe

Yes

Yes: If you are really serious about publishing (i.e. selling this book to more than family and friends), the above example skips a very important step. That step is utilizing the services of a professional editor. As nice as your friends and English teacher might be, chances are they are not editors. Virtually ALL successful books have been professionally edited and proofread long before they reach the general market. Editing costs vary by the amount of editing that needs to be done. Keep in mind that all editing is based on an hourly rate. Hourly rates may vary from editor to editor but the number of hours to perform a particular type of editing should be comparable from editor to editor.

No

No: If you are on a limited budget and really intend to turn this publishing venture into a hobby and not a second job, you might be OK. Between the spell checker in MS Word and maybe your English teacher, your work will more than likely be readable. It may even be saleable. You have a good attitude and realize that the worst that’s going to happen is you’ll have presents to give out until you run out.

Maybe

Maybe: You might want to try a combination of the above. Start off with a few hundred using the spellchecker/English teacher editing combo. Aggressively market these books as “Unedited Galleys” or “Reader Proofs”. Get your reviews, sell to your friends, set up your website, set up distribution and if the groundswell of demand starts, know that you are going to need to spend the money for a professional editor before your main print run.