About Us

Book Editing Associates is a network of professional writers, editors, book designers, and publishing consultants. The freelance editors, proofreaders, and writers in the network are chosen and retained through a rigorous process of screening, testing, and monitoring. Book editor reviews are posted online, linked from each editor's bio.

The book editors and proofreaders who apply to join must have over five years of experience and a track record of editing and proofreading traditionally published books (as opposed to vanity or self-publishing). Applicants take several editing, proofreading, and writing tests. In this network, consultants may offer only the services in which they excel. Only 2% pass the proofreading test, and they alone may offer that service through this site.

"Copyediting" is a term with numerous interpretations. It is often used interchangeably—and incorrectly—with "proofreading." The use of a service agreement, required of every consultant in this network, will clearly define the services offered and the limitations of that consultant (e.g., a developmental editor may not offer "proofreading" services) and will contain a nondisclosure clause.

The network coordinator monitors feedback submitted by clients. Repeated (legitimate) negative feedback results in removal from the network. Due to monitoring, this rarely occurs. Feedback about this network as a whole is posted here.

NOTE: If you do not request contact with specific editors, your submission will be sent to several editors who might be a good match for your project. You receive direct contact from the editors and work directly with the editor you choose. You are never assigned an editor.

FOLLOW OUR SUBMISSION PROCEDURE TO RECEIVE PRICE QUOTES

Contact Us — Price Quote
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***** REMEMBER TO INCLUDE A SAMPLE *****
EDITORS ARE NOT ABLE TO QUOTE PRICES WITHOUT SEEING A SAMPLE OF THE MATERIAL

You've probably heard what you're up against. Publishing houses receive hundreds of submissions each day. The eyes of an in-house editor are trained to crush the weak and champion the strong. If you're an unpublished writer, your manuscript should be polished and presentable before trying to get your foot in the door.

You want the publisher to be captivated by your writing, not assaulted by a litany of mistakes. You may have a terrific story, and even have the talent to tell it, but it's your errors that will stand out to the publishing professional. Literary agents are not book editors, but they appraise your submission with a critical eye and will not submit to any publisher a manuscript that isn't ready. An ethical literary agent will, instead, return it to you and suggest you retain a professional book editor.

Additionally, with the ease of self-publishing, readers are flooded with choices, and the unedited free expression of every wannabe writer gives self-publishing a tarnished reputation. Polishing isn’t just for publishers and agents—it's also for the readers. The solid stories that have been polished with an editor’s expertise will rise to the top through word of mouth and reviews over those that suffer from common writing mistakes.

Many manuscripts need more than error correction. Substantive editing of a fiction manuscript includes structural and organizational editing with regard to character development, plot, exposition, dialogue, and other critical literary elements. Nonfiction books may also need additional levels of reorganization or rewriting for clarity and logical flow, along with other important aspects beyond simple copyediting.

A manuscript should be noticed for its content and quality. Being noticed for wrong word choices, fuzzy thinking, convoluted sentence structure, stiff and unrealistic dialogue, and point of view flip-flops is not the way to win friends and influence people. 

In short, the final part of the writing process is having a professional book editor and proofreader (not your neighbors or your kid's English teacher) polish the manuscript before it's offered to an agent or publisher.**

No editor can guarantee publication, but if you want your work to have the best chance of being read and considered seriously--and if you are open to other opinions about your work--we'll be glad to help you work toward that goal.

Legitimate literary agents often receive more than a hundred submissions each day; top, hot, sought-after agents, even more. With fiction, the query letter and first page of the manuscript (sometimes just the first paragraph) may determine whether an agent proceeds to page 2 and beyond. Grammar and spelling errors (especially misspelling the agent's name!) are likely to result in sudden death for your manuscript.

If you're writing nonfiction, literary agents expect fully developed, completely polished proposals that can be presented to publishers. It's not necessary for the nonfiction book to be fully written at the time of the query; in fact, publishers who show interest in a proposal will often tell an agent or author how they want a book tweaked and buffed to match an imprint’s style or to maximize sales to a specialized target audience or niche.

** Note: The editors in this network will turn down your manuscript if they do not see a way to improve the material. In this case, however, they might offer mentoring as you learn the craft. They will also decline to edit your manuscript if they determine that your work is in such good shape that paying a freelance editor would be a waste of your money. Although they believe that every manuscript should be read and critiqued by someone other than the author, it may not be necessary to pay a professional to find the few flaws and kinks in an excellent manuscript.

Contact Live Support if you need help selecting an editor, proofreader, or writing consultant.

Feedback about our network

“The network returned my E-mail request immediately and informed me that I could expect to hear from several editors within 24 hours.  I did!  Very professional response.  Three editors contacted me within 24 hours.They were each straightforward about the types of service they could provide.  It was easy to find their profiles to sort through their professional writing and editing experience.  I was impressed with each of their profiles in terms of breath of experience, writing skills, and professional involvement in the publishing world. Outstanding sample edits.  It took me two long days of intense deliberation to chose one over the other.  What a blessing to be offered multiple exceptional choices!” - Ralph Vardis

"Great service, quick turnaround, tremendously helpful. Thanks to whomever runs the business, and thanks for hiring Val. Hope you'll do whatever you need to to keep her happy!" (On file with network coordinator)

"As a first time author I was quite aware of the possibility of being taken advantage of, but it was quickly clear that the services provided were not only legitimate, but highly professional. The frightening process of handing my first book over to someone to edit was made much less daunting by finding your network to use, and then by being lucky enough to work with Marlo." (Contact info on request)

"I offer a heartfelt thank you to Book Editing Associates for providing a mix of highly qualified editors. I was thoroughly pleased with Beth’s services." - Michelle Richardson

"I am a novice in the writing/editing/publishing market and this maiden voyage with your network overall was seamless, so much so that I have already recommended you to a colleague who has had nightmare experiences with so-called editors." (Contact info on request)

"To my surprise, the network response was fast, and gave me several excellent options with regards to editorial services from which to choose. After careful consideration, I chose an editor that most closely related to what I wanted to achieve. I can honestly say that his work was both professional and timely. After having used other editorial services, those offered by Book Editing Associates was what I hoped all the others had been. I will use them again." (Contact information on request)

"We will use Madge for all our indexing whenever she is available ... It seems strange to be writing this, since I am a member of the network, too (currently on hiatus to do this work). But I know from experience on both sides of the fence that network members are always the best. We also hired a copyeditor for these books through the network, and she is outstanding, too." Faith Brynie, editorial director, The Healthy Travel Company

"As the network coordinator I wanted to thank you for providing an awesome pool of editors for me to choose from." Ryan D. Eldridge, VP Business Development, Financial Freedom Controls

Additional Feedback

Network coordinator: Lynda Lotman

Lynda Lotman has earned a sterling reputation in the publishing industry—for good reason. Her meticulous attention to detail and unwavering business integrity have won her the respect of her peers and the admiration of scores of contented authors. Lynda rigorously tests all prospective editors seeking to join her networks and closely monitors client feedback so she can confidently assure authors looking for editorial help that they'll find only cream-of-the-crop editors, proofreaders, and writers in her freelance networks.

Writing and Publishing Advice

The Bottom Line

Top-Notch Writing Assistance, Book Editing, Proofreading, Book Design, and Promotional Services at Affordable Prices

Although our quality and ethical standards are among the highest in the business, our prices are not.
Our goal is the best possible service at a reasonable price.

Contact us today for a free, no-obligation
sample edit and estimate