NaNoWriMo Is Back!

 

Nanowrimo is back!

Are you going to join in?

I'm tackling a couple of projects myself during it. I find it's helpful to get motivated and stay motivated if you're in a group with some other writers. It's fun to share updates with your little pack. There are tools on the Nanowrimo website that can help you reach your goals. 

Don't forget that once you're finished writing your manuscript, you can contact us to help you with editing or proofreading.

Happy Writing!

Happy New Year from Scarlett Editorial Services

Happy New Year from Scarlett Editorial Services!

We are here to serve you seven days a week.

If you have a question or concern about editing, drop us a line!

Now Accepting Clients!
Currently, we are booking clients for January and February. Reserve your spot early so that you don't miss out.

We never take on more clients than we can service properly so don't delay when booking your spot.

If you have a deadline, let us know.

If you don't know what kind of service you need, send us an email describing what you need and we'll help you out.  This is an easy breakdown of some of the types of editing we offer: Editorial Services

When asking for a quote, please give us a word count, genre, and if you have to meet any specific deadline.

We offer discounts when you use a combination of services such as developmental editing and copy editing. Members of the Horror Writers Association always enjoy deep discounts!

It is recommended that you hire a proofreader who isn't your developmental editor or copy editor in order to have as many eyes as possible to catch any mistakes.

Hire an Editor
There are many articles about self-publishing these days with people trying to figure out the best shortcuts and advantages. Some offer great advice, some offer not so great advice. The best advice is to hire at least one professional editor. After all, a traditional publisher would hire four or five editors to work on your book before it's released into the world. Yes, they do! There's the acquisitions editor who bought your book, a line editor, a copy editor, and a proofreader at the very least. That's not including input from the publisher, the marketing team, or even the cover artist who might have something unofficial to offer. And that's just one round. Many authors working with a publishing house go back and forth with various editors in different stages of the process several times until each word is perfect. And even then, mistakes happen, as we've all seen.

As a self-publisher, you need to provide the same professional attention to your own book. Never skimp on editing. You are competing with companies who sink thousands of dollars into a product; you need to do the same. If you can't afford to pay an editor, get a job and save up until you can.

I just read an article about someone offering to edit entire books for five bucks because she thinks it's fun and books need to be edited. Do not take this offer.What professional offers any service at all for five bucks? I'm not even talking about Fiverr, that's something different. People who offer to edit your book for free or five bucks or even fifty bucks will likely not give it the professional workout that you need. Sure a book worm can offer great advice, this is your audience and you should at least listen. However, there are things that happen under the hood that bookworms or your mom or your beta readers won't know or understand as they are not professional editors.

Real editors have to pay rent like everyone else and charge accordingly. Real editors edit for a living and therefore charge professional rates. Google the rates, real rates for real editors. Editors, like us at Scarlett Editing, who have actually taken courses, have a degree, and have years in the trenches as professional, working, good quality editors will charge rates that a lot of writers don't want to pay. However, who likes to pay for the dentist or the cleaning lady or a lawyer? An editor is the same. A professional providing a valuable service that takes years of training to achieve shouldn't give it away for five bucks or fifty.

You will see people offering editorial and proofreading services on Fiverr. On closer inspection, many of them aren't "giving it away" at all. They have figured out how to charge a living wage on Fiverr once you look at the process. Scarlett Editing is also on Fiverr (as Sephera Giron) and our rates on there are the same as when you order directly from us on here except there will never be a sale or combination of services discounts on Fiverr.

Eleven Years in the Business
We have worked with self-published authors for over eleven years and hundreds of books. We have not only watched the evolution of self-publishing but have been working in the trenches for years. We were here before it was "cool" to self-publish. We know what to look for and how to help you create a book that will be professional.

We care about your book, your hard work, and will do our best to make it shine!

Happy New Year from Scarlett Editorial Services!

Please think of us when you are looking for an editor for your next book!

sephgiron @ gmail. com

School Daze

It's back to school time for many people. For others, there is great rejoicing as with the kids away, there is finally time to get to work on your new novel!

Writing a novel, a book, even a story, is great fun but also a lot of hard work.

Many people don't realize how much work is involved in taking a piece of work from your mind and turning it into a published piece that others will buy.

Your best friend can be your editor.

Most books that go through traditional publishing routes will see one to five editors along the way. This is a lot of people who will look at your work, disect it, and "make it good;" good enough to expect others to pay hard-earned money to buy it.

Self-published authors need to think carefully about their own route to the bookstore shelf. The savvy  self-published author will hire a team to "make it good" and it can be daunting to decide who to hire for these many and varied tasks.

A self-published author at the minimum should have the expertise of a professional working editor for at least one draft. This should be someone who isn't related to you and who has experience in editing. Sure, your friends can share if the story is funny or scary or makes sense. An editor will help you understand how and why a scene may or may not work. An editor will help you keep your tenses consistent, and keep "head-hopping" to a minumum. An editor can point out where the tension gets lost or if there are lot of "facts" that simply aren't necessary.

Scarlett Editing offers many services for the self-published author.

We can prepare a book report, which is an overview of your work.

We can do line-editing which is the most detailed and expensive service that we offer.

We can do a variety of edtiorial services that fall in-between.

Scarlett Editing focusses primarily on editiorial services but we are happy to provide leads from our professional network for other services.

You may also need to hire book designer, a cover artist, and publicist and there are a great many talented people who are ready to help you with those services as well at a variety of companies aimed towards the self-published author.

An editor is not a publisher.

An editor is not a publicist.

An editor is not a formatter.

An editor is not a lawyer and can't give you legal advice.

An editor is not a cover artist.

An editor is not an agent.

An editor can not guarantee that your book will ever sell at all but we're going to try our best to give it the best possible chance to fly off the bookshelf.

You can contact Scarlett Editing with any questions: sephgiron@gmail.com

Interview with Editor Sephera Giron

To many authors, the editor is a scary, mysterious beast who holds your fate in his or her hands.

In many ways this is true.

But the editor is your friend as well. Once your work is ready to publish, the editor wants to help you, the author, polish your work to shine the best it can for your readers.

Sèphera Girón talks to The Editor's Desk about different levels of editing and their importance to a project. She also sheds light on why every author, from beginner to the most jaded, needs to work with an editor.

Click here to read an interview with Sèphera Girón What to Expect from a Book Editor

The Editor's Desk provides a wider variety of services than Scarlett Editorial Services including business copy, web copy, screenplay developmental editing services, and one-on-one coaching.

While Scarlett Editorial Services focuses on creative projects, you will find yourself in good hands with The Editor's Desk for your business and corporate needs.

For creative work, Scarlett Editorial Services is happy to schedule your manuscript slot when you contact us at sephgiron @rogers.com. Booking your spot in advance will ensure that your book will be edited when you're ready to proceed. It also will ensure you have a spot when you want it as we are very busy and sometimes may not be able to get to your work exactly when you contact us.

Scarlett Editorial Services has edited over 1000 books, stories, articles, web sites, and poetry.

Don't miss out on receiving high quality, professional service. Book your spot today!

sephgiron@rogers.com

It never hurts to have another set of eyes looking over your work, no matter what you're writing!

Editorial Services Now Include Mentoring

Writing is a very lonely profession. Even if you are a husband or wife with four kids, two dogs, and a cat, you can feel the pangs of isolation as you wrestle with your craft.

You may find friends and family members don't have the tools necessary to help you create a professional manuscript or discuss where possible publishing avenues might be. It is rather rare to have a spouse, parent, or child who truly wants to share your every angst, every agonizing decision over which point of view you should use or how long your book should be.

Don't destroy friendships by prattling on about the craft of your work in progress. Talk to a professional who has been there and is still there. Having a mentor, someone who can show you the ropes, is often a productive experience on both sides. Understanding what is  normal in the business, who might be best to approach about a project, how to write an outline, or even going over notes from an editorial service in more detail are all ideas that a phone conversation with a mentor can cover.

Why talk to Sèphera?

Sèphera Girón has been a full time working writer and editor for over twenty years. Her first love is writing horror fiction but over the years, has been published in a variety of genres under several pen names. She has developed a passion for editing other writers' work as well. She has worked with professional authors for traditional publishing houses to fledging authors who are self-publishing.

Sèphera's first horror novel, Eternal Sunset, came out in 2000, followed quickly by horror novel, House of Pain (Leisure, 2001) and non-fiction book, House Magic: The Good Witch's Guide to Bringing Grace to Your Space by Ariana (Conari/ Red Wheel/Weiser, 2001)  Over the years, she's had over twenty books with traditional publishers and over a dozen more with indie presses. In 2014, she will have two horror novellas, Captured Souls and Flesh Failure published by Samhain Publishing. She will also appear in several anthologies including Axes of Evil.

Sèphera has edited over six hundred manuscripts in pretty much every genre. She has written articles, stories, blogs, magazines, poems, screenplays, video boxes, movie reviews, ad copy, theatre programs, dance programs, brochures, and more.

Sèphera has attended World Horror, HWA Bram Stoker Weekend, Necon, Ad Astra, Eeriecon, and others over the years. She would be happy to discuss con stories such as what to expect and some of her own experiences.

For nearly twenty years, Sèphera has been the Canadian/Ontario/Toronto Chapter Head of the Horror Writers Association. She holds monthly meetings, and helps to organize the events where HWA has a presence in Toronto such as Fan Expo/Festival of Fear, Word on the Street, World Fantasy, Ad Astra and others. She has received the Silver Hammer Award for her volunteer efforts. This year the HWA Toronto Chapter will be holding workshops and readings as well.

Talking about experiences or critiquing a manuscript over the phone can sometimes be a great enhancement to revisions and notes. When you book your editing package, you can add on a Skype call for a reduced rate. You don't need to reserve a Skype call when you book your package unless that's what you want. You are able to book a Skype call at the reduced rate anytime after your full payment for your editorial package up until thirty days after your final editorial revisions were returned.

Sèphera is friendly and talkative. Have your questions ready and learn some of the tips from the pros.

Fees for Skype Calls

Up to one hour on Skype phone $50.00 USD Up to one hour on Skype with Editing Package $30.00 USD