We will:
Let me keep it simple. Our editors will check over your book and pin point those huge plot holes that, if left unattended, would trip up unwary readers. Not only will we carry out this kind of structural edit, which will help to make your book read better, but we will also check the book flows, assess the readability and look at technical issues such as dialogue.
The single most important aspect of our editing service is that we look at each word of your book, AND then provide the clear and actionable guidance you need to fix your book.
I can’t emphasize this enough. We want to make sure that you learn all the extra skills you need to not make the same mistakes twice. We want you to be a better writer.
OK, getting down to the nitty-gritty…
BubbleCow’s editing service has been designed to provide a ‘publisher’ style edit, which leaves your manuscript as close to ‘print ready’ as possible. This sounds a bit like sales blurb, so let me put it into ‘real person’ speak.
In reality this means that we will be paying attention to the narrative flow, potential plot holes and the overall ‘feel’ of the book in relation to its genre and readership. We also pay close attention to technical issues such as indenting, formatting and dialogue.
In short our edit will make your book the best it can be.
Your final report will be made up of two parts.
The first is the Editor’s Report. This includes our editor’s thoughts on your manuscript, ideas about improving your work and any structural points you should consider. This feedback also includes any points that we feel need particular attention. The aim of this report is to provide a single summary document that you can use as a reference point when applying the feedback. Many writers have told us that they found it very useful to have a summary of the key areas that need attention, especially when the individual comments embedded within the document can number in the high hundreds.
The second part is the in-depth line edit. This is embedded in your original document and can be viewed by opening the document with any good word processing package. Our comments will appear on the right hand side of the text. The editor will have read through your work on a line-by-line basis, and added comments and pointers that will improve your text. Though this is not a proofread, any grammar or spelling mistakes we spot will be corrected. The report is designed to allow you to produce a new and better re-write by systematically working through the comments and implementing their suggestions as you see fit.
Please note that when editing we often use a mixture of tracked changes and comments. The reason for this is that much of the editing process requires the editor to make a judgement call. Our editors will suggest the corrections and changes their experience and training tells them will work best in the context of your book. However, you may wish to overrule their judgement. Tracked changes are only used for minor errors.
It is our belief that the report is as much a teaching aid as it is an assessment of your book. We design our feedback to highlight areas in which you can strengthen your writing. We also structure our comments in such a way that you will be shown how to apply the techniques we are suggesting to improve your book.
How many times have you read over your writing, convinced it was ready to go, only to spot a glaring mistake in what seems like seconds?
We all make mistakes. After all, we’re only human.
Now think of all those words you’ve typed while writing your book. We’re talking at least 50,000, if not double that. It’s almost inevitable that a handful of typos will have slipped through, no matter how careful you are.
The cold hard reality is that an error-ridden manuscript won’t give off the best impression. It’s your duty as a self-publishing writer to make your book the best it can be. This is a golden age for writers and you are a pioneer. If you do this correctly, if you publish with dignity, attention to detail and professionalism, you have a chance to really make a difference. If self-publishing is to become a viable option for future writers we need to get it right now. Only by convincing readers that self-published books can be as good, if not better than, traditionally published books, can you pave the way.
It’s well documented that many agents have rejected books because of typos. But imagine the horror of self-publishing your book, only to find too late that it contains mistakes.
… Worse still, imagine what the reviewers would say.
Worse still, what will readers think? These are the only ones that really matter – the people who have parted with their hard earned cash just to read your book.
Here’s a secret about the people who make their living checking books for errors. They are weird.
I don’t mean dress-up-as-a-bunny-rabbit weird.
See, normal people like you and me will look at a block of text and say, ‘Yeah looks great to me.’
However, proofreaders will look at the same text and ‘feel’ the errors.
I’m not joking…
They have this error-spotting super power thing going on.
So, let me keep it simple. Our proofreaders will check over your book and correct grammar and spelling issues.
Actually, I’m lying. Our proofreaders will not read your book once, but TWICE.
The single most important aspect of our proofreading service is that we look at each word of your book AND then fix any problems.
One question we get asked a lot is how do we know what is right and what is wrong?
The answer – Style Guides.
Style guides are big old books that tell our proofreaders the correct grammar and punctuation.
Depending on the country of publication, the style guide will differ. If you intend to publish in the US, we will use a US style guide. However, if you are preparing your book for the UK, then we will use a UK style guide.
A pdf file is ideal for reading on a computer screen but is rubbish for reading on a Kindle. A mobi file will work great on a Kindle, but you have no chance of getting it to work on the iPad.
Add to this the complexity of ebooks. They are more like websites than Word documents, with css styling dictating how the text flows and is displayed.
It is enough to make your head spin.
But we have the solution.
As part of this service, we will convert your book, by hand, from the original format (Word, Pages etc.) to whichever format you need.
As standard, our professional designer we will return to you a copy of your book in ePub and mobi.
This will allow you to simply upload to all major eReader platforms.
For example, when uploading to Amazon Digital Publishing you just click the button, picked your converted file and BINGO it is all rock and roll.
We charge just $20 per 1000 words.
This price includes: Detailed edit + Line-by-line grammar and spell check + Ebook conversion + All the advice you can handle.
At BubbleCow we understand that each writer’s needs are different, and therefore we have a minimum word count of just 5000 words. This means that you can send a short sample to ‘try out’ our editing service.
We want to make sure that it’s BubbleCow that’s taking all the risk, not you.
Therefore, we make a simple promise: If our edit fails to improve your book we will give you your money back.
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