AboutD. Patrick Miller Expertise I am an independent self-publisher who sold three projects to major New York houses before starting my own company. I provide editorial services to a major literary agency in Manhattan and work regularly with authors at all levels of expertise. I can answer questions like these: What does "independent publishing" mean? Should I publish myself or use a service like XLibris? What is "print on demand" publishing? How do I publish myself on the Web? What are the best resources for learning about publishing? How do I find a literary agent? What are my chances of getting published by a major New York firm?
Experience
Past/Present clients Professional literary resume available on request
Question Hi Pat,
It's been a few months since I last asked you a question and at that time you mentioned that you were still researching P.O.D distributors before making a decision on who to go with... Did you decide? Who's working out best for you? I'm still researching as I'm nearing the end of my autobiography but I think I'm going to go with CreateSpace for the P.O.D and Lulu for the Ebook and audio version.
I was wondering, would you have any recommendations as far as copy editors? I'm not sure if I'm coming across the right info but from what I've found so far the prices seem rediculous! Like $0.12 a word... I'm not sure yet but my rough estimation is that my book is going to come in at around 400-450 pages.Doing the math,that would be around $16,000-20,000! Do people really pay such rates?! Do you pay such rates...? I want to make sure my book is error-free but man!
Thanks,
Rico
Answer Rico -- Twelve cents per word sounds a little high, and certainly that overall estimate is high. At any rate, I would recommend working only with an editor who will give you an estimate based on a sample. Different projects offer different degrees of challenge, and a smart editor will want to assess the particular project at hand before suggesting a cost, whether it's an hourly or per-word rate. The .12 rate may be an attempt to cover all degrees of difficulty with a blanket rate, which obviously disadvantages clients with fairly clean work.
I'd recommend checking out Lynda Lotman at www.manuscriptediting.com, to see how she offers estimates. Hers is the kind of approach I would recommend that you look for. Don't miss the link to "Book Editing Associates" on her site, which is a comprehensive list of experienced editors by genre.
best wishes,
D. Patrick Miller
www.fearlessbooks.com
