Editorial Services recommended by Preditors & Editors
Why
MICHAEL GARRETT should be your book editor of choice:
(1) LOW, AFFORDABLE FEE FOR SUCH IMPRESSIVE CREDENTIALS -- My fee is among the lowest of manuscript editors with comparably strong credentials. And I offer a $2/page credit against future edits for pages that receive no editing marks at all.
(2) TIMELY RESPONSE; I DON'T KEEP YOU GUESSING -- There's none of that maddening waiting for the results when I'm your book doctor. I'll send interim e-mail progress reports, starting immediately, so you'll receive feedback within a day or two of the start of your edit. And turn-around time is typically within a couple of weeks.
(3) VASTLY IMPROVED MANUSCRIPT IMPROVES YOUR CHANCES OF MAKING A SALE -- By incorporating my suggestions into a thorough rewrite, your manuscript will improve dramatically and will compare far more favorably with publisher standards. You'll make a more positive impression on publishers, and your chances of acceptance will increase.
(4) CONCENTRATED EDUCATION, LIKE HAVING YOUR OWN PRIVATE TUTOR -- You'll gain more knowledge about important characteristics of a marketable manuscript than from any course or seminar anywhere. How? Because the focus here is on you and your manuscript. In the classroom, you're one of many students. While I'm editing your manuscript, you're my only client. My focus is entirely on you and your manuscript's strengths and weaknesses. I've been told by many clients that more knowledge was gained from one of my edits than from years of study.
(5) IMPROVED CREDIBILITY TO MAKE PUBLISHERS AND LITERARY AGENTS TAKE NOTICE -- When you inform a publisher or literary agent that your manuscript has been professionally edited, they'll view you from a more positive perspective. The fact that you were willing to invest in an edit of your manuscript indicates that you're more serious about your work than most other writers, and that can only work in your favor.
(6) PEACE OF MIND IN KNOWING YOU'VE MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE -- My credentials are easy to verify. There's no guesswork involved in determining my qualifications. You won't be left wondering if you hired the right person. Stephen King mentions me by name in his non-fiction book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Also, a quick search of www.amazon.com and a review of this web site will assure you that I've worked with major New York publishers and with major authors, and that my edited books have been published around the world. If you can find a verifiably more qualified book doctor who'll work for a lower fee, stop your search now and send your manuscript to that editor!
(7) A COURTEOUS BUT HONEST RESPONSE -- Some book doctors love the "power trip" of being excessively critical of a manuscript, essentially ripping it to shreds. My job as your manuscript editor is to be honest, but not brutal. I want you to succeed as a result of my edit. I want you to be published so that you'll send me a copy of your published book. It will hold a special place in my library of other published clients.
When it's time to get
professional feedback,
please keep me in mind.
CLICK
HERE to request a free editing quote!
ALTERNATE
E-MAIL LINK
Michael
Garrett's editorial services are listed
in THE
LITERARY MARKETPLACE,
the publishing industry's official directory
of professional resources.
Manuscript editing at unbelievably low rates that could even begin today!
What does a manuscript edit cost?
My fee is simply ONE-CENT per word (per software word count) plus $20.00 for return shipping. This averages about $2.50 per page in a properly formatted manuscript. I require no minimum number of pages, but major problems may remain undetected when a manuscript is edited piecemeal.
Higher rates apply for electronic files
NOTE: While my fee is lower than that of most editors with comparable editing experience, the scope of my edit will be the same as theirs. You'll receive a marked-up manuscript and an extensive report explaining your errors and suggesting ways to improve your novel. Why are my fees lower? I don't have enormous advertising costs that must be recovered through increasing my fee. Neither do I pay someone else to maintain my web site. I do it myself. Also, I don't want everyone's business. I'm selective in what I choose to edit. I'm an honest man who charges what I feel is a fair price. Feel free to pay someone else more, but you won't get a better edit. Satisfaction guaranteed.
What
to expect from manuscript editing--Many manuscript editors offer
a confusing list of editorial options while I offer my complete area of
expertise at one low reasonable 
fee. As I examine your manuscript, I'll clearly mark examples of errors
and explain them in an accompanying report. Rarely does a page get past
me without receiving at least one mark. My report upon completion will
explain the minor problems, but more important, will expand upon the major
issues. The length of my written evaluation depends entirely on the number
of problems I've detected and their complexity. I've completed reports
of as many as fifteen single-spaced pages for authors in the past.
I explain various issues in my report. For instance, point of view violations are a common reason for fiction manuscript rejection. I don't just point out that there's a viewpoint problem; I thoroughly explain the concept and offer easy to understand examples. My edit clearly provides an education in addition to manuscript mark-up, enabling you to produce a more marketable rewrite.
I also forward e-mail progress reports to you as I proceed through the process; thereby, you don't have to wait until completion to know what's going on.
Contact me; let's see if we're a good fit
If
your manuscript falls within my area of expertise, I'd like to work with
you. I don't want your money if I feel someone else could do a better
job for you. Simply send a brief e-mail description of your manuscript
and we'll proceed from there.
I prefer to work with serious writers whose intent is to make their manuscript
the very best it can be by performing a meticulous line-by-line rewrite
following receipt of their edited manuscript. If you intend to only make
absent-minded corrections from the marked-up manuscript that I return
to you, find someone else to edit your manuscript. I want clients who
wish to succeed; after all, your success is a reflection of my expertise.
You'll not likely succeed if you're unwilling to learn from this process
and condition yourself to spot your own errors, thereby reducing your
future dependency upon book doctors.
MANUSCRIPT
SPECIFICATIONS:
Unfortunately you'll face conflicting information as to publisher format
specifications. If you want a decent chance to be published, format your
manuscript for easy readability. Most publishers will automatically reject
submissions that look pretty, but are difficult to read. Regardless of
what you might have heard elsewhere, 12 pt courier is easiest on the eyes.
Publishers don't want your manuscript to look like a published book page;
they want submissions that are easy to read and evaluate, with plenty
of white space for notations. I feel the same way.
I prefer manuscripts with one-inch margins on all sides, double-spaced,
with courier or new courier font no smaller than twelve-pitch, and no
more than 26 lines per page. This is what the majority of publishers
prefer as well.
This format provides optimum space for notations on your manuscript
so it will be easier for you to read my handwritten comments.
It's to your advantage to prepare your manuscript this way. Sure,
Times Roman looks prettier, but Courier will open more doors for you.
I'll print your manuscript for you and possibly start your edit today!
Depending
upon my schedule at the time, I can often begin an edit immediately under
the following arrangement:
(1) Send your complete manuscript as an e-mail attachment and I will give
you an exact fee quote.
(2) For an addition ten-cents per page I will format your manuscript to
basic publisher specifications and print it. (Example: For a 300 page
manuscript, this service costs an additional $30 but it saves you shipping
costs and gets your manuscript into my hands faster.)
(3) Process your payment through the PayPal option:
The
facts about manuscript editors
and book
doctors
Just as there are good literary agents and bad literary agents, the same applies to book doctors. Don't make a crucial mistake. Take your time to find the right manuscript editor for your work.
BEWARE OF SAMPLE EDITS -- Don't judge a potential editor's effectiveness on the basis of marks on a few manuscript pages. Even an elementary school English teacher with no knowledge of the publishing industry could impress you with a sample edit. Do you want an in-depth evaluation of your work or only a surface-level analysis of grammar and punctuation? A few marks offered in a sample edit is no indication that the editor is capable of identifying the deeper issues--those most likely to cause rejection. There is simply no accurate way to assess the depth of a potential editor's skill based upon the results of a few pages alone. Evaluate an editor's expertise through his or her verifiable professional work experience. When an editor can easily prove an association with major publishers and/or successful authors, shouldn't that be the safest basis upon which to evaluate his/her capability?
SHOULD A MANUSCRIPT EDITOR PERFORM A COMPLETE READING FIRST BEFORE STARTING AN EDIT? Your success as a published author depends extensively on the first impression you make on a publisher. As a result, issues are best addressed as they initially occur in an edit, not after a complete reading. For example, an editor who reads through a manuscript first, then edits, will likely leave an issue alone if he/she feels that you cleared the matter up further into the text. My position is this: your manuscript is likely to be rejected by publishers when the issue first surfaces. Expecting publishers to continue reading after identifying an issue of concern is impractical. Publishers are bombarded with submissions and simply don't have time to read every word of every manuscript submitted. In the overwhelming majority of cases, manuscripts are rejected at the first occurrence of an issue of concern. I suppose I would call myself a "first impression editor," as I feel it is essential for new writers to make an unblemished first impression.
CRITICISM
OF COMPETITORS -- Professionals
of any kind should sell their services based upon their own verifiable
credentials and not any supposed shortcomings of their competitors, which
could easily be unwarranted or altogether untrue.
FALSE / MISLEADING CREDENTIALS -- Don't take anyone's
word for his or her credentials. Verify it in black-and-white.
To
verify my credentials, go to AMAZON.COM
and search for Michael Garrett. I'm not the only editor/ author by
that name, but you'll readily find the internationally published HOT BLOOD
anthologies that I've edited for Pocket Books and Kensington Publishing.
(I'm credited as co-editor right on the covers.) You'll also find my written
works, KEEPER, my novel, as well as my non-fiction book on the writing
profession, THE PROSE PROFESSIONAL.
ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS
-- Academic background carries little weight in the editing of manuscripts
intended for commercial publication. For instance, a high school or college
English professor could examine the grammar and spelling of your manuscript,
but entirely miss commercial issues important to the publisher. If academic
credentials were essential to commercial publication, most English teachers
would be best-selling authors. Successful authors instead generally come
from an entirely different background, such as John Grisham's academic
education as an attorney.
MISREPRESENTATION -- Watch out editors who attract business based upon their own impressive credentials, but then sub-contract the actual editing to less qualified manuscript editors. I edit every word of every manuscript myself. I'm not affiliated in any way with other book doctors.
HEAVY-HANDED
REFERRALS -- It's not unusual for an in-house editor or
literary agent to recommend that you 
seek
the help of a book doctor; however, if this same person insists that you
work with one particular book doctor, there could be a kick-back
arrangement going on, the result of which could mean that the recommended
book doctor isn't the best/most qualified professional to edit your manuscript.
Use caution; it's typically best to find your own book doctor.
I receive no referral fees from any source.
Likewise, publishers are in the business of publishing and agents are in the business of agenting. If either urges you to pay for their editorial services, go elsewhere to someone who specializes in editing.
UNIVERSAL QUALIFICATIONS -- As is the case with all other professions, book doctors typically specialize within a few specific categories. No one is qualified to professionally edit everything. I often turn business away when I don't feel that I'm the best editor for someone's manuscript. In such cases I urge potential clients to investigate other editors before deciding on me.
EDITING ELECTRONIC FILES -- Hiring an editor to work directly with your electronic file actually excludes you from the valuable learning experience you would otherwise gain by making the corrections to the manuscript yourself. If you're serious about a career as a professional writer, you should take the time to learn what your editor points out to you so that you won't make those same mistakes in the future. I will work with electronic files, but must charge a higher fee.
COPYRIGHT ISSUES -- If you're concerned about the security of your manuscript during the editing process, visit the U.S. Copyright Office's FAQ page. You'll find that your work is protected by law even without formal registration. It's highly unlikely that your manuscript will be plagiarized by anyone.
Could an unscrupulous book doctor steal your idea? It's possible, but highly unlikely. Serious writers rarely want to write someone else's idea; in fact, all writers whom I know have more ideas of their own than they'll ever have time to write. The theft of an idea is basically a needless fear. Hire an editor / book doctor whom you trust!
HOW CAN I TRUST SOMEONE WHOM I KNOW SO LITTLE ABOUT? Obviously, you can't completely trust a stranger. For your own protection and peace of mind you must verify a prospective editor's credentials and consider methods of recourse should you be treated unfairly. Check Preditors & Editors for any possible complaints lodged against an editor you're considering.
WHY IS TOTAL ADVANCE PAYMENT NECESSARY? When paid half up front and the remainder on completion, editors have a tendency to sugar-coat their comments to assure receipt of the final payment. To get the best, most honest evaluation of your work, an editor can't be at risk for payment in full. Remember, you're paying for criticism. You may not agree with everything your editor says about your work. Sometimes the truth hurts, but only total honesty from your book doctor will prove helpful. Editors who allow payment plans can't be as forthcoming in their comments as those who receive payment up front.
WHY DO WRITERS NEED BOOK DOCTORS? -- In every other profession, common sense tells us to learn what successful people in the same field are doing, do the same thing and we should ultimately be successful, too. But that doesn't work in the publishing industry.If you study best-selling authors and attempt to mimic their approach to writing, you may not be published at all! Why? Because best-selling authors don't play by the same rules as beginners. Best-selling authors get away with disastrous mistakes while newcomers are rejected for only the slightest infractions.
How
many best-selling novels have you read that were poorly written? New
authors are judged far more harshly than best-selling authors. To learn
how new writers are evaluated by the publishing industry, you need extensive
feedback from a reliable, honest, professional book doctor.
A book doctor evaluation of your manuscript will reveal errors that, if
left uncorrected, could lead to instant rejection!
If your errors are identified in advance, you may correct them
prior to submission to publishers. And who would be more qualified to
offer guidance than an actual professional in the publishing industry?
Only professional manuscript editors, people who have actually
rejected manuscripts for real publishers, know for sure why manuscripts
are routinely rejected. Not college English professors and not
even literary agents. It's the people who make the decision to stuff
a rejection slip into an envelope who can best explain why.
Maximize your chances of acceptance! Get advance warning of manuscript problems and correct them prior to submission to publishers. Your chances of acceptance will automatically improve!
Even if you opt for self-publication, you'll want your manuscript to compare favorably with other professionally published work. Investigate all book doctors and manuscript editors and find the one who's best suited for you.
Unsolicited
client endorsements of
Michael Garrett's editorial services :
"More
than I expected for the money.
Your experience shines and I have learned more
about the craft from one edit than from
the myriad of books that I have read.
I will certainly be a repeat customer."
Jeff Alcorn
Milton, FL
"I
can't thank you enough for your hard work on my
behalf. Yes, you got paid, but I think you've
done a superb job. I thank the Lord that I
found you out of the sea of editors."
Martha J. Rigg
Lansing, MI
"I
learned more from the final report than I learned
in a four month college course. I want to sincerely thank you.
I'm eager to transform your suggestions into skill
and utilize that skill in my manuscript and future writing."
Falisha
Purkiss
Reno, NV
"His
ability to find the perfect word, and to separate
wheat from chaff, makes him a terrific editor.
He has a gift for structure and form that most
editors would kill for."
Lori
Speegle
Dayton, NV
"No
page went unmarked. To top
it off, he gave an overall summary of his thoughts
on my book which affirmed my belief in my
work and encouraged me to remain steadfast."
Shandra
Hill
Chattanooga, TN
"Michael
Garrett's insightful critiques
are skillfully done and completed in record time.
Knowledge of the markets enables him to offer solid
guidance aimed at turning out a salable manuscript."
Susan
Parker
Moundsville, WV
"Your
instruction is worth its weight in gold to me.
I am so glad I hired you."
Jeanne Webster
Otto, NC
"
. . . thank you for all of the great advice and
information you're giving me. I'm so glad I
decided to make the decision to get this
professionally edited."
Rick Dunham
Whitman, MA
"Unlike
some who solicit on the net,
you are every bit the professional you advertise."
Richard
Leverone
Milford, MA