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We All Need a Little Help

As with most professions, we need others to help us in what we do. Doctors need nurses, techs, etc. Lawyers need paralegals, assistants, etc. Jockeys need grooms, vets, owners, etc. Writers need editors, copy-editors, etc...

I am pleased to have a wonderful woman and talented editor/copy-editor here to guest blog today: Jennifer Meegan. I have had the pleasure now of working with Jennifer on two of my books (THE CLOVER SIBLINGS AND THE EVIL OF DESMAL, which is a YA fantasy written under my name, and my latest release COVERT REICH written under my pen name). Jennifer did a great job on both books. I am not easy to work with from the standpoint that I make a gazillion mistakes when I write. I don't know how to type. I hunt and peck, so you can imagine the typos. I am terrible with grammar. I will admit it. I know when my good friend Jessica Park *FLAT OUT LOVE fame reads this blog she cringes when she sees all the grammatical errors. I tend to write fast and furious when writing a story. I love to story tell, so for me an editor and a copy editor are essentials.

Therefore, without further ado, let me introduce you to Jennifer:

My name is Jen Meegan and I've been lucky enough to edit two of Michele's draft manuscripts, including her most recent, "Covert Reich", published under her A. K. Alexander pseudonym. I've been providing editing services to ebook writers since 2010 although I don't formally advertise my services (no web site, no blog -- yet). Most folks find out about me via word-of-mouth or author blogs like this one. I stumbled into this gig when one of my favorite YA ebook authors -- Amanda Hocking -- posted a request for editing help on her blog for her first zombie novel, "Hollowland". I volunteered to help her out...free of charge...and had so much fun, I decided to see if I could find additional paid editing opportunities. And the rest, as they say, is history.

My background? I've been editing and copy writing for high tech companies (Yahoo!, SAP, and lots of startups) for over 15 years. This included everything from web sites to blogs to ads to marketing collateral...you name it. High-tech freelance editing/writing definitely pays well but, let's be honest, it's boring as hell. I'm a voracious reader with a literature background and a huge anal-retentive streak that serves me well in my editing role. I'm also a speed reader...which is pretty handy when a project requires a fast turn.

Word on the street is my fees are very reasonable considering the quality of work I do. I typically charge between $100-500 per manuscript, from start to finish, depending on the length of the book and how rough the draft is and the amount of time I'm given to work my magic. Some folks simply use me to scrub a final draft (fix punctuation, spelling, basic grammar errors), others use me to whip a rough draft into shape and provide structure, improve flow, and insert suggestions. I've even been known to do a partial "ghost write" of a book. I can be as hands off/hands on as an author wants me to be.

A few other tidbits: I live in the Silicon Valley with my Irish husband, two little girls, a high school exchange student from Belgium, and two cats. I'm bi-lingual (French/English) and well traveled. I am a HUGE history buff and a foodie. I love to read just about any type of book but I seem to be getting a lot of editing request for YA urban fantasy (vampires, werewolves, fairies, etc), thrillers, and chick lit/romance. 

Anyway, if you or someone you know are looking for an editor who can take your work from good to great (without blowing your entire self-publishing budget), drop me a line: jennifer.meegan@gmail.com.

--
Jen Meegan
Freelance Copywriter and Copyeditor
Low costs, high quality, fast results

Links to:
  COVERT REICH http://tiny.cc/p23tw (.99 cent holiday special for Kindle owners)
THE CLOVER SIBLINGS AND THE EVIL OF DESMAL (also only .99 for the holidays) http://tiny.cc/w506o

FLAT OUT LOVE by Jessica Park: http://tiny.cc/514i1
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Comments

jenny milchman said…
Those are very reasonable rates, Jen--your clients are lucky to have you!
December 15, 2011 at 7:00 PM
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