Late last week I got a call from a husband and wife asking about vanity publishers. Yes, such predatory companies are still out there, preying on the hopeful.
These nice folks asked me if it sounded legit when a “publisher” offered to put the wife’s book out for a small service fee of $4,000—and they even get ten hard copies of the book for their trouble!
I told them if I were them, I would pass.
Editing, Proofing, and Other Pleasant Work
That conversation segues nicely into today’s blog post. In a recent video, I talked about the challenge facing every independent author: finding reliable, affordable editors and proofreaders.
But I wanted to expand on the subject a little more than I can in a two-minute video. Hence today’s topic.
While I was speaking with these nice people who almost got scammed, I recognized their need for professional guidance. After all, if you don’t go with a vanity press, and then decide to self-publish, you’ll need professional editing and proofreading.
With nearly two decades of experience honing these skills, I offer them today as services to select clients. And I’ve got some available slots on the calendar. Email info@msahno.com for a quote.
The Track Record
Last week’s video—and today’s expansion on the topic—came out of a question from one of my newsletter subscribers. He wanted to know if I’d ever published anything that I later found out had errors in it.
Well, the short answer is yes—fewer errors than the average traditionally-published book.
In 2015, I put out no less than three books on the same day, a total of about 1,000 pages’ worth of material. Each had less than the industry average of six typos per book.
And in 2019, I published my fourth novel, Whizzers, which—to the best of my knowledge—has zero errors. Not too shabby.
So yes, I still offer editing and proofreading services, in addition to freelance writing services.
By the way, that newsletter I mentioned above is free to all subscribers. To get yours—along with an exclusive free ebook short story collection—visit the signup page here.
Thanks for reading, and have a great week!
