Literary Editors

---http://www.scribendi.com/---

Scribendi are first and formost a business, as can be seen by the nature of their website. All submissions, including that for the free sample are handled by an online form, which takes the personalising out of the initial contact. Sample edits are offered on single page of text (which can be single spaced).

The sample edit arrived within a day in the form of an edited doc, with edits marked using Word's tracking system. Also in the e-mail was a short comment from the editor "EM103". For me, personaly, this lack of direct communication was somewhat off-putting.

The editing itself was good, but it lacked the helpful comments I had particularly liked with Lynda's sample. In addition some of the changes, although perfectly legitimate, were not for me.

Also be aware that unless you directly request it, you will not necissarily get the same editor for the manuscript as you recieved for the sample edit.

Scribendi charge by the word with the highest fee being 0.9c per word. However, you have to choose which service you require in advance, rather than having the editor recommened the level of editing you need.

---Summary---

Editing is a worthwhile step in the road to publishing. Even a piece of work you consider near perfect can benefit from the attention of the right editor.

Take your time chosing your editor. Narrow the list down until you have a shortlist of editors that you would be comfortable with. Try and get a sample edit if you can - at the very least ensure you've seen an example of the editor's work. Choose a company or indiviual that uses a method that is right for you. Persoanlly, I prefer the personal service Lynda offers over the more businesslike structure of the likes of Scribendi. You, on the other hand, may prefer the opposite.

Most important off all - make sure you TRUST your editor. If you don't trust the editor, you will not trust the changes they make.