Firstediting.com

Okay so the first company I contact was Firstediting.com to get info on the products they offer and just how much it would cost to edit grammar, punctuation & ect on a 90908 word file. I must say so far i was quite inpressed with how quick you can get a quote.

Most places give you a small refrence to their prices but what they really want is you to contact them so they can bombard you with phone calls & emails. With Firstediting.com I recieved an instant quote but that wasn't the best part. After submitting my work to them I had a sample of  their editing in my email inbox the next morning. Yes that's right!~ They actually give you a sample before you even pay them a penny. 

Now I don't have $999.99 (actual quote I recieved) to spend at this moment to have my book Vineyard House edited. So I went ahead and sent Firstediting.com a email asking if the have payment options. In less than a day I recieved an email clearly explainging their payment options. Below is the email I recieved (minus personal information). They are only a few of the editing companies that have a "payment option".

Yes just editing can get very expansive. Of the ten companies I contact Firstediting.com was not only the cheapest with the fastest response time, they also had a very detailed web page that was easy to navigate. Firstediting.com not only offers editing for novels but they do pretty much everyting under sun when it comes to words forming on paper. So my conclusion is I will definetly have Vineyard House edited by Firstediting.com and so far just on customer service they get  9 out of 10 stars. Now mind you that may all change once I submit Vineyard House for editing but I will keep you posted through the process!!


Email from Firstediting.com
Hello (Blogger)

Thanks for your email in regards to your editing project.
Many of our authors who have a large document like yours request the opportunity to make smaller payments for their editing/proofreading project.
Thus, they submit their work in smaller portions. This allows them to make smaller payments and achieve the editing they desire. This option allows a more affordable price and a time schedule which is more convenient for you.
Editing Payments...
If you would like to submit your work in portions, simply:
Divide your project into smaller documents with smaller word count totals.
(For example, a $900 edit can be submitted in 3 separate submissions of only $300 each...)
Fill out our secure order form at: https://secure.firstediting.com/order_form1.php?docTypeId=2&wordcount=90908&JOB_ID=19731&source_id=1&txtpagecount=
Change the word count to match the smaller document that you are submitting. (The new price will display at the bottom of your order form.)
Submit ONLY your smaller document for editing.
Your order will be assigned instantly to an editor for completion. Your may then submit the remaining portions of your editing project when it is convenient for you.

The beginning

So here we go. The first post of my new direction. So we're going to start by explaining what I'll be writing about & a little run down of my book.

After a ton of research on a long list of self publishing companies you'll find online I decided to write about them. What they offer, their prices, what you get, where their books rank and much more. I'll be using my book Vineyard House as an example so you can get a clear idea of the differences between companies.

So here's a little tid bit about my book. Vineyard House is a 90,908 word count YA Fantasy Fiction novel that needs to professionally edited and published. For a YA novel it has a long word count. Most YA novels are between 50,000 & 100,000 words. 

The publishing process is the longest process of many services. You have to design the layout of your interior (inside pages) and the outside of the book which can takes months of going back and forth with designers, ideas and art. You really have to think in deep detail of what you want people to see when they find it in the book section at Wal-Mart, down to the letters on the interior pages.

Now you don't have to go through a company to edit your manuscript. There are hundreds of resources out in the world that will help you edit grammar, punctuation and even flow of your writing. There are writer support groups in almost every city across america. You can even find message boards & chat room devoted to helping fellow writers edit and correct their writing.

There are also countless books at your local library on the subject if you wish to edit your own manuscript. Be very careful choosing a how-to manual. Make sure the copy is current and easy to follow. How-to manuals have very good information in them but try to remember they also have personal opinions as well.

You could always check your local craigslist.org as well. There are countless English majors trying to make money for college or their bills on craigslist. There are even a few professional. But before you hand off your life work or masterpiece be sure the person really knows what they are doing. I also recommend if you work it not already copyrighted to give them a chapter at a time instead of handing it all off to a complete stranger you met online. Never email your full work or hand it off on a jump drive.

So there are just a few options you have. Now if you decide none of those option are right for you and you would like to go with a company for all your publishing needs than be sure to check in here everyday as I disect the big online companies.

Editing services & self-publishing companies

So after three weeks and countless clicks of my mouse I have finished researching six different editing & self publishing companies. This is just one option I have for finally publishing my first YA fiction novel Vineyard House. The funny thing is after all the time spent on the phone talking to these companies or reading their web site thouroughly I find myself more confused than before.

 Each company offer single and packged services but non really explained what you were getting. They promise the more you buy the cheaper it will be. They promise control over your novel & the creative design yet they limit what you can do by the amount you are able or willing to pay. What exactly is comprehensive editing to them? Each company I ask gave me a different defintion.  And do I really need a youtube video for my novel in order for it to sale? I'm sure you're telling yourself "why not have a youtube video?" Well I will tell you why. The amount of money they spend on the video is only pennies on the dollar you give them for making it.

Buying each option definetly increases the cost but some of the packages aren't that better either. None of the companies except for Firstediting.com offered any samples of their work. And Firstediting.com is the cheapest editing service I have found to date. They also responded the quickest. In less than three hours I had two emails waiting for me and the next morning a voicemail on my phone from them. But does the cheaper price & fast response make them the better company?

There are so many companies online for self publishing books who all claim to have the best & most successful patrons that it can be a daunting task researching all of them. The options can be quite confusing and expensive so I have decided to now dedicate my blog to researching these companies using my novel for answers. So get ready because starting tomorrow we are shifting from me doing dishes to me finding the truth out about the good, bad and the ugly truth about self-publishing.

One more thing...

Just heard back form another editing company. Wowzya! They want over $2,500 to edit my manuscript. Who has that kind of money just laying around? I know it's an investment in my furture, my family's future and of course bragging rights but that is the same price as a beater car.  By the way the add you see for The girl with the dragon tattoo by Stieg Larson is an awesome from front to back!! I definetly recommend it as a must read.

Publishing process

I know it's been a while since I wrote & for that I am sorry. I have been swamped with preparationjs for our big move to sacramento. I totally love the house we bought! It's only a two bedroom but it has 1440 square feet of bliss. And though I hate how much linolieum there is to mop the large 8 foot deep pool will more than make up for it this summer.  I am such a water bug!

So I really started researching editing companies and costs so I can start the publishing process for The Vineyard House Chronicles. It's going to cost $999.99 to edit a 90,908 word manuscript! Holy cow I hope they have payment options. Everything I thought I knew about writing and punlishing a book was wrong. I believed it would be an easy effortless process. Step one write a book step two send it to a publisher. HA! Nothing in this world could be that easy. So now I am sitting back as I wait & wait & wait some more for the moment my hubby says GO!If only their were a publishing fairy god mother or even an editing fairy god father to help with the cost. Well no worries my fans, it will happen all in due time and I will see you all at my book signing!

Thinking...Thinking...Thinking....

I have accomplished another chapter in The Demon Side this morning but I found myself only thinking about The Enclave (sequel to Vineyard House). My mind is moosh between the three books. I'm worried I'll never save up the money to self publish my book Vineyard House. Movin is going to cost my hubby & I more than I thought it would. Friends & family tell me I should have a fundraiser but I don't know what kind I shuld do or if anyone would even want to give me money.

 Times like this I wish I had a job so the money thing would be easier for us. My hubby is a firm believer though that woman should stay in the home and raise their own children. I don't disagree with him but sometimes it would be nice to have even just a minimum wage job to help out.

So yesterday we found the house we wanted. It's a mobile home actually but it is an awesome mobile home. The park is beautiful with a lot of areas for my for my son to play. The best part is it is only ten minutes from my hubby's work. Right now my husband spends three hours everyday driving back & forth from work. We spend over $500 a month on just gas. With the money we'll save moving I'll be able to publish my first novel Vineyard House. Speaking of which I promised you guys a teaser so here is the synopsis.

When Adesina Gower, a sixteen year old high school outcast thought life couldn’t get any worse then taking care of her Schizophrenic mother and ailing grandparents, she finds herself catapulted into a world of shape-shifting Druids, where no one; including herself, is what they appear to be.




With the help of some unlikely friends, Adesina Gower or as she likes to be called Desi, soon finds herself being the only person that can save both the Otherworld and Earth from an evil grove of Druids known as The Defectors, who have summoned the god of the Underworld, Arawn, into the body of Fagan Erickson, Desi’s estranged father.



Just as Desi begins to feel she has a handle on her abilities and everything happening around her, a wrench is thrown in the mix when Desi and her friends have to team up with The Seekers, a group of religious zealots created during the crusades for the sole purpose of eradicating Druidry all together, for a battle of the greater good versus evil.