As authors, we put our hearts and souls on paper, trying to convey those images we see in our minds to our readers. When at last we type those two beautiful words, "The End," we hope we've been able to communicate those deep desires of our hearts and that our audience will experience some of the joy we felt in the creation of the story. However, sometimes we are too close and can't see the mistakes we've made, the plot holes we've left, the logic problems we didn't solve. This is where an editor can make all the difference.
Publishers are busy, and they are looking for manuscripts that are polished and ready to go. If they struggle to understand the storyline, if they find grammatical errors and typos, or if they feel that the characters aren't believable, they will pass and move on to the next submission. Authors who want to publish will strive to submit their very best work, and hiring an editor is an excellent way to give your manuscript a professional edge.
What Does an Editor Do?
The editor's job is to take the material you submit and make it look its best. All grammatical errors should be fixed, typos should be corrected, and word choice should be examined. In addition, the editor should be looking for plot holes, logic errors, character motivation, believability, and pacing.
What the editor should not do is override the author's own voice and style. The editor guides the refining process and makes suggestions that will strengthen the story, but does not rewrite to sound more like himself or stray away from the author's vision. The editor and author should work as a team to come up with something better than either of them could have created on their own.
What the editor should not do is override the author's own voice and style. The editor guides the refining process and makes suggestions that will strengthen the story, but does not rewrite to sound more like himself or stray away from the author's vision. The editor and author should work as a team to come up with something better than either of them could have created on their own.
What Makes Tristi Pinkston Different?
You can choose from any one of thousands of editors currently seeking clients. Why would you want to hire me?
1. My first priority is making sure that my client comes away from the edit feeling good about the experience he just had and more confident in his own ability to write. If I've done my job correctly, the client will feel edified.
2. As I edit, I explain why I've made the changes I have. This does two things. First, it helps the author to feel confident that the change is correct. Then it acts as a tool to educate the author and to strengthen their own understanding of the English language and the nuances that exist within it. My clients often comment that they learn more from one of my edits than they ever did in school.
3. It's important to me that my clients have fun. Grammar and punctuation aren't the most exciting things in the world, and it's always upsetting when someone pulls apart your work and tells you to fix it. But I try to make it as painless as possible.
4. Language is a beautiful thing to me. I'm not only interested in making sure that words are spelled correctly - I look at the connotations of the words and evaluate their usage to see if that particular word is really the one that most suits the author's true intent.
5. I tap into the author's voice and make suggestions that are most in line with the tone and style of the story. An editor should be invisible. The reader should never be able to read a paragraph and know where the author left off and where the editor's suggestion began. My clients often comment that my suggestions "sound like them."
6. I am accessible. If a client has any questions about a comment I've made that didn't quite make sense, or concerns on any other topic, he can e-mail me and I'll respond in a timely manner, always within a day (except for Sundays).
1. My first priority is making sure that my client comes away from the edit feeling good about the experience he just had and more confident in his own ability to write. If I've done my job correctly, the client will feel edified.
2. As I edit, I explain why I've made the changes I have. This does two things. First, it helps the author to feel confident that the change is correct. Then it acts as a tool to educate the author and to strengthen their own understanding of the English language and the nuances that exist within it. My clients often comment that they learn more from one of my edits than they ever did in school.
3. It's important to me that my clients have fun. Grammar and punctuation aren't the most exciting things in the world, and it's always upsetting when someone pulls apart your work and tells you to fix it. But I try to make it as painless as possible.
4. Language is a beautiful thing to me. I'm not only interested in making sure that words are spelled correctly - I look at the connotations of the words and evaluate their usage to see if that particular word is really the one that most suits the author's true intent.
5. I tap into the author's voice and make suggestions that are most in line with the tone and style of the story. An editor should be invisible. The reader should never be able to read a paragraph and know where the author left off and where the editor's suggestion began. My clients often comment that my suggestions "sound like them."
6. I am accessible. If a client has any questions about a comment I've made that didn't quite make sense, or concerns on any other topic, he can e-mail me and I'll respond in a timely manner, always within a day (except for Sundays).
How Does the Editing Process Work?
Every editor has their own system. I'd like to take a minute to explain mine.
As I enter your manuscript and begin to read, I turn on the Word feature called "track changes." This allows me to make visible marks throughout the body of your manuscript, and you'll be able to either accept or reject them. Using this feature, I can also leave comments as to why I've made the changes I have. If you're unfamiliar with how to use the track changes feature, no worries - I attach a document explaining the whole process when I return your edit.
As I go through your manuscript, I'm on the lookout for the following things:
Grammar mistakes
Typos
Capitalization errors
Repetitive words
Logic errors
Plot holes
Character motivation
I'll mark these issues and make suggestions for changes. I'll highlight repetitive words so they stand out in the manuscript, encouraging you to change one of them out to break up the repetition.
As I read, I take notes of issues that seem to be repeated throughout the story. I then write them up into a letter you will receive along with the edit to use as a map to guide you through the rewriting process.
By following the suggestions made in the track changes feature of the software, the notes I leave in the margins of the document, and the overall notes in the letter, you will have a very clear understanding of what your story needs to live up to its full potential. It then becomes up to you to make those changes and create a final draft.
An edit can go as quickly as one day or take as long as three weeks, depending on the length of the project. A really long project could take as long as six weeks, and a ghostwriting project could take even longer. At the time you contact me to discuss your project, we can also discuss the time frame and when you can expect to have your completed edit returned to you.
As I enter your manuscript and begin to read, I turn on the Word feature called "track changes." This allows me to make visible marks throughout the body of your manuscript, and you'll be able to either accept or reject them. Using this feature, I can also leave comments as to why I've made the changes I have. If you're unfamiliar with how to use the track changes feature, no worries - I attach a document explaining the whole process when I return your edit.
As I go through your manuscript, I'm on the lookout for the following things:
Grammar mistakes
Typos
Capitalization errors
Repetitive words
Logic errors
Plot holes
Character motivation
I'll mark these issues and make suggestions for changes. I'll highlight repetitive words so they stand out in the manuscript, encouraging you to change one of them out to break up the repetition.
As I read, I take notes of issues that seem to be repeated throughout the story. I then write them up into a letter you will receive along with the edit to use as a map to guide you through the rewriting process.
By following the suggestions made in the track changes feature of the software, the notes I leave in the margins of the document, and the overall notes in the letter, you will have a very clear understanding of what your story needs to live up to its full potential. It then becomes up to you to make those changes and create a final draft.
An edit can go as quickly as one day or take as long as three weeks, depending on the length of the project. A really long project could take as long as six weeks, and a ghostwriting project could take even longer. At the time you contact me to discuss your project, we can also discuss the time frame and when you can expect to have your completed edit returned to you.
What is a Ghostwriter?
A ghostwriter is someone you hire who takes the ideas you give them and creates a story for you. Your name appears as the author, and the ghostwriter typically gets no credit. No one knows they exist ... hence the term "ghostwriter." A ghostwriter can write the entire manuscript, or he can write portions of it - it all depends on your needs.
It's crucial for the ghostwriter and the client to establish clear terms before beginning the project. An evaluation should be done to determine project length, and an agreement should be reached as to the method of payment. Should the ghostwriter work for a set fee, an hourly fee, a per-page fee, or take a percentage of the royalties? Will the client pay on time and be accessible to provide additional information so the writer can keep working on schedule? Each aspect of the working relationship should be carefully considered before entering such an agreement, as the client and the ghostwriter will be working together extensively (usually through e-mail) and they should be sure they like each other well enough to have a successful, professional relationship.
If you would like to discuss hiring me to act as your ghostwriter, please send me a detailed synopsis of your story, and we'll go from there. I am unable to accept all the ghostwriting bids that come my way, but the more I know about your project to begin with, the better I'll be able to determine if we're a good match.
It's crucial for the ghostwriter and the client to establish clear terms before beginning the project. An evaluation should be done to determine project length, and an agreement should be reached as to the method of payment. Should the ghostwriter work for a set fee, an hourly fee, a per-page fee, or take a percentage of the royalties? Will the client pay on time and be accessible to provide additional information so the writer can keep working on schedule? Each aspect of the working relationship should be carefully considered before entering such an agreement, as the client and the ghostwriter will be working together extensively (usually through e-mail) and they should be sure they like each other well enough to have a successful, professional relationship.
If you would like to discuss hiring me to act as your ghostwriter, please send me a detailed synopsis of your story, and we'll go from there. I am unable to accept all the ghostwriting bids that come my way, but the more I know about your project to begin with, the better I'll be able to determine if we're a good match.
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