Editors: What should I add in a job post?

[e_luneborg]

Hello editors!

I will soon need an editor, and my question is what kind of information I should add in the job post?

Amount of pages/words and category of the content I get, but what else? Also, what is a normal rate per page/word? (I know this would vary a lot, but I just want some kind of guideline for what to add as a budget. I would assume it's a bit lower than for writers?)

I don't want to leave information out so that no one would like to apply for the job... So what kind of information would you want in a perfect job post?

Thanks in advance for your input! 

[researchediting · Accepted solution]

Eve,

• Word count, word count, and word count.
• Type of editing: copyediting (light or heavy), line/substantive, or developmental.

On the latter point, if you're not familiar with these terms, you can look them up, as well as hourly rates and their relationship to word count, and/or your candidates can guide you through sorting out this issue. My rates range upward and downward from $65/hour or 6¢/word, depending both on the type of editing needed and the kind and quality of the manuscript. I cannot place a firm quote without reviewing a substantive (e.g., not from the introduction) portion of the manuscript.

Page counts are pretty useless, because there's a disjunct between the standard 250-word typewriter manuscript page that is the basis for determining rates, and the more common 350- to 400-word page produced by most word processing programs.

Thanks for asking, and hope this helps!

Best,

Michael

[e_luneborg]

Yes, this helped a lot!

Did a quick editor serch on Wikipedia, and now I know what I'm looking for, I think...

It's funny, as a writer myself I have never thought about what happens after I submit my work. Hope I'm not creating too much trouble for the copyeditors my clients are using... 

[researchediting]

Great, happy to help!

Academic editing is essentially restricted to copyediting. And the relationship between an author and a copyeditor can be a beautiful thing.

By the way, don't be surprised if you find excellent editors with lower rates than the ones I quoted. As I said, that's a midrange for me; I work for less as well as (occasionally) more. My rates may also skew high because of the academic/medical niche I work, and because working with non-native speakers of English nudges copyediting toward the "heavy" side.

[ravi_iitian]

Hi Eve,

In addition to what Michael has said, do also mention the style guide: CMOS, APA, …

[colettelewis]

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@Ravindra B wrote:

Hi Eve,

In addition to what Michael has said, do also mention the style guide: CMOS, APA, …

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Ravindra,

I agree up to a point and while CMOS, APA and OSM are my main editing bibles, there are other styles that are more appropriate to content writing and editing.

CMOS and OSM are very similar except for certain details and of course, UK/US spelling differences - both are quite formal. APA is not necessarily the greatest style guide for more informal writing, or for web content, as the latter particularly, tends to be more journalistic. So possibly, AP would be the most suitable.

I think it depends on the type of content the OP needs to have edited. Although grammar and spelling are very important, I would have thought text for a gaming site, for example, would require clarity, consistency, and a lighter touch rather than a more formal academic, cut-in-stone approach. 

[ravi_iitian]

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@Nichola L wrote:

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@Ravindra B wrote:

Hi Eve,

In addition to what Michael has said, do also mention the style guide: CMOS, APA, …

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Ravindra,

I agree up to a point and while CMOS, APA and OSM are my main editing bibles, there are other styles that are more appropriate to content writing and editing.

CMOS and OSM are very similar except for certain details and of course, UK/US spelling differences - both are quite formal. APA is not necessarily the greatest style guide for more informal writing, or for web content, as the latter particularly, tends to be more journalistic. So possibly, AP would be the most suitable.

I think it depends on the type of content the OP needs to have edited. Although grammar and spelling are very important, I would have thought text for a gaming site, for example, would require clarity, consistency, and a lighter touch rather than a more formal academic, cut-in-stone approach. 

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Nichola,

My suggestion was that when posting an editing job, the style guide should be mentioned.

I was in no way suggesting that those two are the only relevant style guides; there are tons of them (as you know, as you are an editor). 

[thebookdoc]

Some background on your experience as a writer can be helpful (e.g., "I've published 20 books" is different from "I am a new writer"). Genre, page count/word count (I judge that @ 325 to 350 words per page). Where you are with the manuscript is also helpful ("it is 80% complete and I am stuck...").

Many newer writers think they should go directly to a proofreading without ever having someone read the manuscript. In my humble opinion, that's a mistake. You can't really do a good development edit and line edit at the same time. Publishers I have published with have had as many as five editorial passes.