Lower Prices!

We lowered our rates to $4 per 1k words for editing and $3 per 1k words for proofreading. And we still offer a free five-page sample edit so you can try us out!

Valentine's Day Discount

We're offering a 15% discount off your rates starting Valentine's Day through the end of the month! Write if you'd like more information.

Thanks for reading!

Welcome Julie Zimlich to Hazard Editing!

Julie will be taking on proofreading (or rather, second edits) on our projects. She has a degree in professional editing and has been working for small publishers for several years. She catches everything and is pleasant to work with, always keeping in touch with her progress.

Right now, it's just the two of us and our schedules are flexible. We work when we can treat your book with the respect, love and dedication your work deserves. Feel free to write with any questions.

Fall Update

Hazard Editing is reopening for one to two projects a month. We now charge $5 per 1k words for editing and $4 per 1k words for proofreading. Feel free to contact Lisa Hazard at hazardediting@yahoo.com.

Hazard Editing Update

Right now, I'm scheduled out through April and have a few works scheduled throughout the year. My co-editor, Patricia LaBabera, may be able to take projects earlier and she's a wonderful editor.

I'm still open to taking shorts under 10k words over weekends, so drop an email if you have a short you want edited before May.

Thanks to all my clients who are most talented, amazing to work with, and patient with the way I work. I have great appreciation for all of you and enjoy my job immensely.

Also, I'd like to add I help with blurbs or author bios for clients I work with for free if you want this service. Just let me know.

Yet more on commas

When you start a sentence with a phrase like this in sentence, you put a comma after the phrase.

Here are some examples:

After the cat ate dinner, she cleaned her face.

In the living room, the cat claimed the softest chair.

When the kitten realized he was big enough, he began jumping on the counter.

If the cats would stop scratching the furniture, I'd have a nicer-looking house.

Look back over those examples and take the commas out. You'll be able to see how the sentences run together without the commas and make more sense with them.

Taking on New Clients

I've caught up on projects and I'm taking new clients. Feel free to write hazardediting (at) yahoo.com with any questions!

... and em-dashes

When using ellipses and em-dashes, here are a few tips:

Ellipses run into the next word, whether they are in the same sentence or not, unless you're using dialog.

For example:

The cat was sneaky...and persistent when it came to getting the people's dinner.

The cat ate everything he could...He even devoured salad.

The cat talked in a mumble... "Rawl, raaawl..."

Em-dashes are made by typing a letter, then adding two dashes. - and -

Then you simply add another letter.

Something I see a lot with em-dashes is a backward quote. You can fix this by typing the em-dash, then a letter, then the end quote and deleting the letter.

Choosing the Right Editor

This post is for writers trying to figure out how to know if they've found the right editor, and also for me to tell you more about what I do as an editor.

If you're looking for the right fit for your book's editing, here are some things to think about.

1. Do you want mainstream editing or indie editing?

Mainstream editing is more what you'd find in big publishing and bestsellers. The fat is heavily trimmed, adverbs are axed, passive writing is rewritten, and the content of the book is more streamlined into traditional stories. The good side of this kind of editing is that the majority of readers will find your book easy to read and will feel satisfied at the end that everything in the book was as it should be, or wrapped up. The bad side is you might lose your unique voice and some readers might find the book to be an average read.

Indie editing is more voice-centered. An editor who says they edit to the writer's voice will leave adverbs that fit, allow some passive writing if the sentences are effective, and will encourage unusual stories' plots to unwind in a non-traditional manner. The downside to indie editing is many people may not want to read something experimental and could find the language of the book too out of the box for them.

2. How do you know if you can trust the editor you hired?

Ask other writers who they used, what their experiences were and read other books the editor has worked on. See if you like the editor's style. If the editor has a Web site, look over it carefully for mistakes. If you see a lot of errors, the editor might not be the best choice. Also, read forums and message boards on editing subjects. You'll find lots of advice and testimonials from other writers. Make sure your editor knows your genre or area of non-fiction. Don't be afraid to write the editor with questions. Get to know her personality. You're trusting her with your baby, so you should feel like you can without stress.

3. How much can you spend and how much do editors usually cost?

Most editors will cost from $300-$600 for a 75k word book. Watch out for editors who ask for large amounts of money; they are often scammers. As of now, some of the more sought-after and experienced editors may ask for more than the standard going rate, and if you have that kind of money and know the editor is gold, it's probably worth it. If you have a tight budget, look for new editors, ask for a sample edit, which is usually a free 5-page edit, and show it to other people who know editing to see if this newbie is getting her feet wet and trying to get new clients with low prices and is really good, or doesn't know what she's doing.

4. Learn from your editor.

When you get back your first edit, look for common mistakes you make that she corrected. This will make your next book so much better than the last. I suggest you even ask her what she thinks your strengths and weaknesses are. Take what she says with a grain of salt, though. Consider carefully the advice you get and see if you can apply it or if you agree with it. If she says you use too many adverbs, ask her when you think you can use them. I have a post about when to use adverbs, but that's only my opinion. Every editor has a different opinion on this, and on many other areas of style.

5. Don't be scared of your editor, but don't be rude, either.

Editors are often writers. We're all in a creative field. Editing a novel is an extremely creative project. If you have even the smallest question, don't hesitate to ask your editor. If you disagree with her on a certain point, discuss it with her, tell her what you think, and reflect on the conversation.

About my editing style.

I am more of an indie editor than a mainstream editor. I love unique voices in fiction. My opinion is that's the heart of any written tale. I do what I can to keep the voice strong, encourage it in rewrites I suggest, and point out to each writer what part of their voice makes their book unique.

I go for consistency. I look for things plot-wise that should be there. For example, if a little girl's cat attacks the stranger who breaks into the house, somewhere earlier in the book, it must be shown the cat is either oddly attached to the girl, has an irritable personality, or already is known to attack people he isn't familiar with.

I also make the writing consistent. Usually in the editing stage, I leave some things as they are to see how each writer does these things throughout the book. For example, if a writer uses 's instead of "s in places, or does both, in proofreading I'll pick which one I think works best and change it all to be the same. By this, as an example, I mean those phrases where the character is thinking a word.

I didn't like her eyes. They screamed, 'I hate cats.'

Or it would be:

I didn't like her eyes. They screamed, "I hate cats."

I make some style decisions when editing. I take out "that" whenever possible. For example, "He didn't think that the cat would eat the whole chicken."

I like, "He didn't think the cat would eat the whole chicken."

If I see the same word or words used too much, I'll usually take one of them out and replace it with another word like it. I tell my writers I do this and advise them to change any word choices I make to one they like better if they don't like the ones I throw out there.

I love to read. I've enjoyed every book I've worked on, gotten into the plots, the styles, the voices, the characters.

My greatest weakness as an editor is that I'm not always on time, sometimes as much as a few weeks behind. Because I feel editing is a creative job, and I'm working on another person's artistic heart and soul, I only edit when I know I can do my best work. We all have moods and life problems. When I have crazy things going on in my life that keep me from focusing and doing my best work, I will not edit or proofread. I do this because my clients are paying me a lot of money, putting a lot of trust in me, and I want their books to shine, I really do. Money is tough everywhere right now, and I know how hard it is for an author to shell out $500 for editing for a book they don't even know whether or not it will sell. My job is to strengthen your faith in your book, make your story glow in all its uniqueness and have as few distracting errors as possible.

Hazard Editing is not Taking Clients at this Time

Due to a recent death of a friend and traveling for the holidays, I'm not taking clients on at this time. I will work with past clients on books, but request additional time to complete projects. I'm sorry for any inconvenience.

Writers, Check Out this Site!

Kindle 3

They promote indie authors!

More on buts and commas

As I went over in an earlier post, if you have a sentence with but, and then an action or feeling or some kind of response or insight, always put a but, comma.

Times you should not do this are in these examples:

It was but noon when the people gave the heard of cats treats.

Colons:

Colons should not be used as a semicolon or a comma. Most frequently, they are used in listing things. For example:

The cat had four different colored kittens: gray, black, orange and tabby.

NOT:

The kittens were cute: I loved them.

This should be:

The kittens were cute; I loved them.

Colons can also be used as above where I wrote, "This should be:" If not using a comma and quotes, you can put colons in place so that the text reads more easily.

We're Bringing Back Proofreading Services

After talking with Cassie Robertson, we decided to bring back proofreading services for authors who feel that's exactly what they need. Take a look at our Pricing Page on the right for more details.

Really, Very and Just

The cat was frisky.

The cat was really frisky.

The cat was very frisky.

The cat was just frisky.

What do you write? These words are usually used in speaking, really, very and just. If you're writing first person, these words can be gold. However, if you use them too much, they clutter a reading experience.

Also, these words are free-to-use in dialog, especially because they are spoken word comments. If you use them right, they can add character in dialog.

Sometimes, you really want to say really. It adds something. My advice is to use these words sparingly and with intent.

We Have Something for Our Repeat Clients, Too

If you've worked with us before and we know your books, we are open to negotiating prices for services you need.

Changes Have Been Implemented - and We Have a Promotional Opportunity for New Clients!

Please see the Pricing Page and Contract Page for what we've decided to do. In a nutshell, we're not offering proofreading services anymore. We have a $6 per 1k word editing, critiquing, proofreading package now.

The promotion we're running until August 31st is for new clients. For you, we'll do $4 per 1k words on the Standard Editing Package.

We decided to keep our critique service. We just love to read!

I'd like to hear your thoughts on the changes. Our desire is to make better books.

Soon-to-Be Changes in Pricing and Services

I talked to Lynn O'Dell of Red Adept last week and running some new ideas for pricing and services by my editors. All projects we've already contracted will be the same, but new ones will be different. We will continue to offer a critique service, but most likely no proofreading service. It will be included in our editing package and you will probably get a different proofreader than editor for your projects.

More to come as decisions are made.

Enter Red Adept's Contest!

Can you write an infamous worst ending sentence?

Changes in Contract

Cassie brought to my attention that we need something in the contract saying our editors will not share authors' work. Great idea.

I added this:

Editor agrees not to share the author’s work or distribute work.

It's right at the end. I posted it on the contract page, too.