Critique Giveaway and a bonus!

MS editor extraordinaire, Aimee Salter, has stopped by today to give away a first chapter critique – yah! She critiqued my manuscript, so speaking from experience, her advice rocks.

Aimee also did interviews with me on my two group blogs YAtopia and Writing Teen Novels, so check them out for some great free advice on making your manuscript sizzle.

So some quick questions before the giveaway. 

Sharon: What’s the best thing about editing other people’s manuscripts? 

Aimee: Without question, the best thing about critiquing is what I learn about my own writing from identifying the problems in others. We writers are always too close to our own work to truly edit effectively. But by identifying structural, phrasing or plot problems in someone else’s manuscript, I’m able to better see where mine has gone wrong.

Sharon: And, what’s the worst thing about editing other people’s manuscripts? 

Aimee: Having to tell people their babies aren’t perfect.

Can I say, in defence of all critiquers / editors: We tell you what we see because we want your story to be even better. Don’t view suggestions for improvements as criticisms of your talent or your story. See them as the rungs on a ladder to making your story shine and revealing your true talent to your readers.

Sharon: So, how did you get into freelance editing? 

Aimee: I learned how to critically analyse a manuscript in a critique group which included published and represented authors. In any “clinic” we’d each give our full manuscript to the Administrator who assigned it to someone else, then gave us another manuscript to read in full. When I saw how much my writing improved as a result of being on both sides of that coin, I knew every writer should do it.  

Once I’d been doing that for a couple years, some of the authors approached me outside of the group structure because they’d found my comments helpful and wanted to start working as partners. I was excited – but I remembered how hard it was to find that group and gain credibility in those circles. I knew there wasn’t enough of that kind of help out there for everyone because most authors with that kind of experience already have a critique group they trust. They aren’t often looking for new blood.  

I also know most fledgling authors can’t afford a full editorial consultant. So I decided to offer critiques at an affordable price (usually in the vicinity of $225-275 for an entire manuscript up to 100,000 words) because I want to see more authors watch their babies grow up like I got to.

Sharon: What advice would you give to other people considering hiring a professional editor, such as yourself?  

Aimee: Do your homework. Make sure the editor can actually help you. Then make sure their style works for you. Everyone works differently and you need to make sure you can accept the tone and structure of any given editor’s work. 

Don’t pay money to anyone who can’t provide an editorial sample (and by that I mean a portion of an actual manuscript with their notes / marks on it as they would present to you in your work), or who hasn’t been recommended by someone you know personally.  

Keep in mind that online recommendations (especially Twitter / Facebook) could easily be dummy accounts set up by editors trying to drum up business. Don’t pay any money until you know what you’re paying for. 

If you can’t afford a super-reputable editor who freelances outside of a traditional publishing career, read self-published books until you find one whose prose and plot make you wish you’d written it, then find out who edited it. Hire that person – or someone they recommend.  

And if you weren’t able to anticipate the majority of my answers here, hire me. There are samples of my critique work on my website. I’m a lot cheaper than a qualified editor, and when we’re done, I guarantee your manuscript will be noticeably improved (if I can’t improve it, I won’t let you hire me).  

Most importantly, because I’ve worked with published authors, I know what a “submissible manuscript” looks like. And because I don’t believe in critiquing the same manuscript more than once, I won’t lie to you about how close (or far away) yours is.

Thanks Aimee!!

So, you can enter the competition below to win a first chapter critique from Aimee, and I've also thrown in a $15 B&N voucher. You've got until September 3, 2012 to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway