| Whenever you correct or make changes in a | | | | You need to discuss this in advance of performing |
| book manuscript, what you're doing is editing that | | | | the work, sounding the client out on his or her |
| manuscript. I've been in the business of helping | | | | budgetary requirements. Also, you must consider |
| people write their books for over the past | | | | the nature of the book you are working on. Is it |
| twenty-five years, and I've helped many a | | | | a major money-maker, or likely to never sell very |
| first-time author put a manuscript together in a | | | | widely? Would you like to charge by the hour, by |
| way that made it more readable, enjoyable, | | | | the completed page, or would you like to ask for |
| saleable and finally -- marketable. You can do this | | | | a percentage of the book's gross or net sales? |
| too, with proper training, some experience and a | | | | You must determine these matters before you |
| solid working knowledge of written language and | | | | decide on your fees, and both you and the book |
| its capabilities. | | | | author must agree to all such terms. You may |
| There are three basic methods of helping an | | | | even need to sign a formal contract. |
| author write or edit a manuscript: ghost writing, | | | | Whenever you receive a manuscript from an |
| rewriting, and copy editing. There is also a lesser | | | | author, or a request to "look at" his or her |
| style of editing called proof reading. The first | | | | material and judge what needs to be done with it, |
| method I will discuss is ghost writing. That is when | | | | review the materials the author is willing to |
| you work from the materials the author gives | | | | release very carefully. Explain to the author that |
| you, but you actually write the book yourself. You | | | | all original material is fully copyrighted under the |
| might be using audio and/or video tapes and | | | | US copyrights law of 1989, and that all nations |
| written materials, making phone calls, taking notes | | | | with copyrights treaties with the US cover this as |
| as you go, or holding meetings and interviews. | | | | well. This is a simpler matter than it may appear |
| You also may be doing some research on related | | | | to be, and there are usually only a few applicable |
| topics or to add more material to the book. Once | | | | laws. You should also explain that the partial or |
| you have what you need, you actually do the job | | | | completed manuscript can be registered with the |
| of writing everything by yourself, but with some | | | | US Copyrights Office. Many potential authors are |
| help from the person hiring you for the job. This | | | | quite relieved when they find out they will always |
| person will usually be listed as the actual author of | | | | own full copyrights to their own original material, |
| the book. | | | | no matter who looks at it, unless they sign any of |
| You may supply new material, new characters, | | | | them away. And unless they sign any such rights |
| fresh nuances, etc. for the book. But ghost writing | | | | over to you, you are releasing all rights you have |
| can also be on the fine edge of rewriting. For | | | | to the material you write for the book, even your |
| example, the ideas laid out by the original author | | | | new or original material, to the actual author. This |
| may fully enter your writing of the book, | | | | is because you are being paid for the single job of |
| sometimes as originally constructed by the author. | | | | writing the book for someone else. |
| You may rewrite major portions of what the | | | | But how do you begin to work? Once you have a |
| original author wrote, or largely rearrange the | | | | good idea of approximately what's needed to turn |
| writing to suit needed purposes. Or you may | | | | the material you will have at your disposal into a |
| simply rewrite a manuscript that was pretty | | | | full-fledged marketable book manuscript, ask the |
| much formally written by the author. This is near | | | | author for a five- to ten-page sample of his or |
| the finer edges of copy editing, where what you | | | | her work. Often, the beginning chapter of the |
| actually do is simply correct the major and minor | | | | book will do. If you are strictly ghost writing, ask |
| mistakes made by the original author. | | | | the author to give you some ideas and create |
| The differences between ghost writing and copy | | | | about ten pages of readable material from them. |
| editing are not always heavily pronounced. They | | | | You will then use this "free sample" to show the |
| can be quite subtle. But usually ghost writing | | | | author your skills and what you can do to craft a |
| involves writing by yourself, and copy editing | | | | terrific book. Also, don't forget to sound out the |
| involves making minor to major structural, syntax | | | | author on his or her total budget and figure out a |
| and grammatical changes in someone else's | | | | decent rate for the work you will be performing. |
| writing. And rewriting usually involves heavily | | | | You might call it "light to medium copy editing" or |
| rearranging or entirely writing over again what | | | | "research and ghost writing" or "simple proof |
| someone else originally wrote. Some people | | | | reading." Then set a schedule of payments and |
| consider it to be ghost writing when you simply | | | | time to complete the manuscript with your client. |
| take an author's ideas and rearrange them into | | | | Whatever you decide, behave professionally by |
| readable material, while other people consider that | | | | your own standards, and get the client to agree |
| to be rewriting. A major job of rewriting might | | | | to a definite plan. This is the best possible course |
| involved adding a new "voice" to the material, or | | | | of action for you to take in regard to working on |
| making changes in the general writing style, which | | | | a book manuscript. Remember, this is a job, and |
| may be superfluous, exaggerative, or simply | | | | you are doing your best to both produce a great |
| downright dull. | | | | book for the client and to be paid what your skills |
| Copy editing or editing, on the other hand, usually | | | | are worth. |
| involves keeping to the style of the original | | | | Finally, you will begin to work on what will be |
| writing, without adding much if any of your own | | | | either your client's own masterpiece, or if an |
| writing "voice" to it. What you're doing is perhaps | | | | agreement is struck, a book co-authored by the |
| comparable to repairing the material to reflect | | | | two of you. This can work quite well, and gives |
| greater consistency in the writing, while trying to | | | | you a lot more credit for your writing. You can |
| keep within the boundaries of what the original | | | | get your name on the book spine and jacket, and |
| author wants. You might be making several | | | | possibly make more money from the book as an |
| changes in grammar, suggesting syntax changes | | | | equal partner of the client. Or if you want to |
| which entail remaking word order, and perhaps | | | | remain "ghostly," you may request the client to |
| you will be adding new words and phrases, | | | | consider you the "editor" of the book, asking only |
| correcting punctuation, and changing some of the | | | | for credit somewhere within its pages. This is |
| sentence structuring. You may be writing some of | | | | often done by listing you on the |
| your own fresh material again here, as when you | | | | acknowledgements page. It might state, "This |
| do ghost writing. But when copy editing and not | | | | book would never have been accomplished |
| ghost writing is involved, there will not usually be | | | | without the help of my editor, So and So." That |
| major additions of new book material. | | | | way you have hard evidence that you actually |
| On the other hand, you can certainly mesh both | | | | worked on the book. But if you feel you did more |
| copy editing and ghost writing, which is largely a | | | | than mere editing, you may request that the |
| lot of what rewriting entails. You might research | | | | client put "Ghostwritten by So and So" |
| additional material and intersperse it where it's | | | | somewhere, so the world will know about the |
| needed in places throughout the manuscript, or | | | | hard work you performed. In the bad old days, |
| you might rewrite the opening "hook" so that it | | | | usually all the byline a ghost writer could hope to |
| "grabs" the readers' attention in a more arresting | | | | receive was "editor," but nowadays it may be |
| manner. You could also possibly create a brand | | | | permissible to use the terms "ghost writer." It is |
| new ending for the book, and spice up the | | | | largely up to the discretion of your client, who |
| closings for its various chapters, to make the | | | | may still want to be viewed as the actual author |
| book more dramatic, give it more "flair," and add | | | | of the book. In that case, remember that you |
| more "spice" and substance to it. All this can be | | | | are being paid to be a ghost, and you are |
| done while still keeping to the original author's | | | | relinquishing all rights to the writing and material in |
| "voice" and maintaining an editing or copy editing | | | | the manuscript because you are being paid to |
| style when it comes to the remainder of the | | | | work for the client. |
| manuscript. | | | | You will also need to make certain assessments |
| Sometimes you will find that a book contains only | | | | when it comes to creating a truly fine, hopefully |
| grammatical errors and doesn't need much actual | | | | best-selling and clearly wonderful fiction or |
| editing, except for grammar and syntax or minor | | | | non-fiction book, and when figuring out what |
| structural errors. Sometimes it might also require | | | | exactly you are going to charge to do the job. Is |
| some fact checking for consistency. Fact checking | | | | this the kind of book that will likely become a best |
| involves making sure that a character's name is | | | | seller, or not? Could you stand to make serious |
| always spelled the same way, that a town | | | | money if instead of payment in advance, you |
| remains to the north and doesn't suddenly slip | | | | accept a percentage of the book's eventual sales |
| down south, and keeping to other such factual | | | | over time? Whether payment is made for the |
| consistencies. This style of editing is called proof | | | | actual construction of the manuscript or you are |
| reading the manuscript, and is also always the last | | | | willing to work "on spec," or you agree with the |
| thing you do before you turn in your final copy of | | | | client to use a combination of both, you will have |
| it to the client, whether you ghost write, rewrite, | | | | to make these arrangements in advance of |
| copy edit or simply end up proof reading it. You | | | | performing the job. As I said before, you may |
| must also try to proof read the manuscript while | | | | even need to sign a multi-party book contract, |
| you are working on it, but you can save some | | | | one which may involve a potential book publisher |
| errors for the final proofing of the copy. | | | | or literary agent. Please remember that the |
| Charges for the above services, as you've | | | | amount of work involved is the greatest |
| probably guessed, vary widely. You would of | | | | determinant when it comes to figuring out what |
| course charge more for greater work involved, | | | | you are going to do and how much time it is |
| especially if you're doing most of the writing. Most | | | | going to take, as well as how much you should |
| ghost writers also charge more for research, | | | | charge. But it can be very important to consider |
| sometimes by the hour. It all depends on how | | | | book sales as well, and you should discuss this |
| much time and effort you feel you need to put | | | | with the client. |
| into the writing. You need to get a good grasp of | | | | Nowadays the writing fields of copy editing, |
| exactly how much work is probably going to be | | | | rewriting and ghost writing are burgeoning and |
| involved, and how much time it is going to take | | | | growing faster than ever, especially with the |
| you. If you are writing the book from scratch, | | | | increasing amount of self-publishing services and |
| using the author's ideas and doing a lot of "side | | | | the ready availability of writer's resources on the |
| research" where you are looking up ideas for new | | | | Internet. Therefore it is imperative that as a |
| material, this would be considered upper level | | | | freelance writer you know which styles of |
| ghost writing, or "ghosting." You should then | | | | "editing" you will be using to create a new book's |
| charge commensurate to the greater amount of | | | | content, and how you are going to arrange your |
| work involved. | | | | particularized work schedule and payments. You |
| However, if all you're doing is proof reading or | | | | must also work in a timely manner and behave |
| "proofing" the manuscript, naturally you would | | | | professionally at all times. By carefully polishing a |
| charge far less money to properly perform such | | | | book manuscript written for someone else to a |
| a service for the would-be book author. And what | | | | gleaming perfection of its beauty and attainment, |
| you would charge for copy editing or rewriting | | | | you will enable the entertainment and information |
| would once again depend largely on the amount | | | | gained from it to become as powerful, readable, |
| of time and work involved. But you also need to | | | | saleable and marketable as both you and the |
| consider the budgetary needs of the client. Some | | | | client want it to be. |
| clients have more money to spend, some less. | | | | |