Jo Field »
New Writers UK - Members - Jo Field
JO lives in North Devon where her roots are. Determined from an early age to be a farmer, she went to the Devon College of Agriculture to learn how and thereafter managed dairy herds in the New Forest and Wales. In 1984, after gaining a first class honours degree as a mature student, Jo went to work for the Open University and helped to write a distance learning course on dairy farming. She moved into project management, scheduling and co-ordinating course production for the Open Business School. Jo trained in copy-editing and proofreading skills at Book House in London and went on to copy-edit training materials for OU Associate Lecturers. She was also one of a team of copy-editors working on course materials for the MBA programme. After ten years at the OU, Jo left to help set up an independent training consultancy, where she led a team of writers and editors producing training materials in HR management. In 2000 Jo returned to Devon to care for her Mum, since which time she has worked as a freelance copy-editor, accepting fiction in a wide variety of genres. Jo has recently completed her own first novel: ‘Rogues & Rebels’, an historical adventure set during the English Civil War, to be published (fingers crossed) this year.
COPY EDITING & PROOFREADING FEES: 2007
I offer two levels of copy-editing as detailed below:
Level 1 - basic copy editing
Firstly, I ask for £50 up front to accompany the manuscript. For this fee I give a brief critique of the work and I copy edit the first 3,000 words using the electronic tracking device in Microsoft Word. This gives me (and the author) a reliable indication as to how much work is involved, how much time it will take and therefore how much it will cost to copy edit the entire book. It also gives the author an opportunity to approve (or not!) the standard and style of my work. In the event that I feel the manuscript is not yet ready for copy editing, I will either advise a Level 2 edit (see below) or suggest that the author re-drafts and polishes the manuscript before returning it to me for copy-editing.
As a guide, my fee usually falls within £4 - £6 per 1,000 words, depending on the quality/complexity of the writing, and is based on an hourly rate of £15.
If the author accepts my quote, I count the pre-paid £50 towards the overall fee. Once my quote is accepted, I ask for 50% of my fee up front and the remainder on completion of the work.
Level 2 – in-depth copy editing
As with Level 1, I ask for £50 up front, which, if my quote is accepted, I count towards the overall fee. However, at this level, I get involved with the writing at second draft stage (if not before), resolving queries, making various suggestions as regards the plot and characterisation, and also doing a limited amount of research, if required. At third draft stage, I do a full copy edit, and finally, included within the overall fee, I read the proofs.
Naturally, this is more costly than Level 1 and usually falls within £8 - £10 per 1,000 words, depending on the quality and complexity of the writing. I ask for half my fee up front and the remainder on completion of the work.
Proofreading:
I also offer a proofreading service for publishing-ready manuscript, for £2.50 per £1,000 words, payable in advance.
Generally speaking, I work on electronic copy in Microsoft Word, but can, of course, mark up hard copy for the author’s input if that is preferred.