Advice – AnnaProofing

The rationale behind charging for sample edits.

28th November 201728th November 2017Anna JohnstoneNo Comments

The willingness (or reluctance) of an author to pay for a sample edit is a clear indication that they acknowledge that your time is as valuable as the skills they want to employ you for. Many other service industries charge a call out fee to cover the time it takes them to assess the work in question, and a sample edit is no different. Even web developers charge a consultation fee and editorial services are no different. This is why you should not be put off when editors. charge for their samples.

Is your book edit ready?

16th October 201720th October 2018Anna JohnstoneNo Comments

Many new writers have been caught by surprise by the idea that all you have to do once completing your first draft is to find an editor to spruce it up with a proofread. This could not be further from reality.

Basic novel structure

30th September 20179th October 2017Anna JohnstoneNo Comments

With NaNoWriMo fast approaching, there will be many writers embarking on a new writing project this November. With this in mind, I have put this free PDF together to serve as a basic guide for outlining… While the information in this poster is by no means exhaustive, it does offer a sound framework.

A few words on being a good client…

25th September 2017Anna JohnstoneNo Comments

Good customer service does not mean being a doormat or accepting poor treatment just to get the client. Good customer service requires effort on behalf of the client too.

5 good reasons not to trust your spell checker

7th April 201720th September 2017No Comments

Proofreading is more than a manual spell-check.

This is the last stage of editing prior to publication. It’s vital not to leave this stage to chance. It allows you to look for colour variations, layout issues, spacing, typeface consistency, missing items, tense and tone errors, content errors, inconsistent capitalisation, that page numbers are correct, and other formatting problems.

How to be a good client.

26th March 201720th September 2017No Comments

The point is that while we expect to get our money’s worth out of a service, a healthy business relationship is a two-way street. In light of this, here are a few things to bear in mind in order to not be ‘that’ customer.

Ethical practices

9th March 201720th September 2017No Comments

A good editor, treated well could last your entire writing career. Treat them badly and you could end up with a long list of people who simply will not work with you.

Apologies to readers; I promise I have not forgotten you.

9th February 201720th September 2017No Comments

Writing should not be a chore we have to force yourself to do no matter what. If it is, then you are doing it wrong.

Outlining the obvious.

8th February 201720th September 2017No Comments

“Using the outline to figure out the technicalities of your plot gives you the freedom to deeply explore your characters, settings and themes in intimate detail in your first draft.” – K. Weiland | Outlining your Novel: Map your Way to Success – By using brief bullet lists to sketch out the order in which events in our story takes place provides a map. It doesn’t have to be laden with small details and contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t have to take as long as writing the book BUT a succinct outline will help identify and gaping holes in your plot and enable you to fix them before you… Read More

Keeping the red flags flying (so you don't get conned)

20th January 201720th September 2017No Comments

Writer’s First Rule. People pay you for your work. Not the other way around. If someone asks you to pay money, ANY money, in order represent your work you need to do several things: Tell them you are no longer interested Block their number Add their email to your ‘blocked senders’ list Preditors & Editors was an excellent source list of the good, the bad, and the evil in the world of writing services, but unfortunately, it appears to no longer be active. The advance. The sum that the publisher pays you which reflects expected sales. Unless you break the contract that’s yours regardless of how well your book sells Earn-out… Read More