Editorial Services for authors, academics, organizaitons, others



Richard Crasta: Editing and Proofreading Services

About Me
Briefly: I am the author of 12 books, one of which was published in ten countries and in seven languages. I have an MFA in Writing from Columbia University and an MA in Literature from American University, and studied editing at a workshop taught by a senior editor from Little, Brown. I then worked at a New York literary agency for a year, evaluating a wide range of manuscripts and writing detailed content critiques on around 400 different books. In recent years, I have edited romance novels, thrillers, literary novels, NGO reports, and a nonfiction book by a senior professor.  A longtime New Yorker, I have attended more than a dozen International Book Fairs, book industry events, and writing conferences, and have traveled widely and lived in five countries. Please also look up my Linked-in profile and my website. I have, by now, received good reviews from many of my clients, and am currently editing the work of a Los Angeles veteran television writer.

My Areas of Specialization
I have edited a wide range of manuscripts, from romance novels to thrillers, literary fiction, and nonfiction books. I have also edited/written NGO proposals, Conference Reports, company profiles, and articles. My own writings include mainstream fiction, literary fiction, autobiography, literary and creative nonfiction, essays, and humor. The issues I care about include compassionate public policies and human rights and freedoms, including the freedom of expression.
Please note that I have just teamed up with a highly experienced editor, Lori Stephens, to offer joint editorial services to clients who would prefer to have their manuscripts looked at by two different editors working as a team; if you wish to engage our joint editorial services, please contact Lori, whose contact details are provided here.

Services Offered
This is just a sample of services offered. I am willing to tailor my services to your needs. I follow The Chicago Manual of Style, but I am also acquainted with British conventions, having grown up using British spelling and style and reading British writers.

• Light Copy-editing: Checking for grammar, punctuation, and awkward/ambiguous sentences, misused words, and for any obvious stylistic errors. There is some proofreading, but it is not a meticulous proofreading, as at this stage, your book is still undergoing changes. Light copy-editing also describes editorial work on a manuscript that is quite polished and does not need more than an average of three comments or corrections per page (a page being defined as 250 words).

• Heavy Copy-editing: This applies to work that needs more than four or more comments or corrections per page, and includes comments that offer rewriting or rewording suggestions. This may require that I make two or three passes, sometimes rewriting a sentence for clarity or to make it more effective. If the work requires considerably more work, such work would fall under the category of "Extra-Heavy Copy-Editing."

• Content Critique: This is for a novel or nonfiction book manuscript that is “unfinished”: either the writing and editing are incomplete, or you wish to make radical changes in content to improve the book. You are looking for flaws or gaps in content, structure, conception, voice, tone; you require an editor to point out any missing elements, loose ends. There is no copy-editing or proofreading at this stage.

• Proofreading: When your book has been edited, and most issues of grammar and style have been addressed, it is time to submit it to a proofreader. A proofreader in a traditional book publishing model ensures that the editor's changes and directions have been properly followed by the typesetter, and that there are no typos, improper line breaks, misplaced punctuation marks, or other problems in the galleys; in the e-book publishing model, the proofreader looks out for spelling and punctuation errors within the stylistic framework you’ve chosen and makes sure the book is error-proof and ready to be published. I can also proofread academic theses and books.

Rates & Sample Edit
Update: I am free at the moment, and though I am expecting some work next week,  I can make exceptions for rush jobs; turnaround time is two to four weeks depending on the size of your manuscript and how soon I receive it. The policy is first come first served. The rates given below are indicative and allow for some flexibility; please contact me for an exact quote. Also, if you are an independent writer with a tight budget, you may ask for a reduction. For a rush job (3-10 days), the rates are 50% higher.

My regular fee is from $25 to $35 an hour  or 1.2 cents per word for light copy-editing, 1 cents to 1.5 cents a word for a content critique, and 2-3 cents per word for heavy copy-editing (for my other services, please ask). These rates are subject to my evaluation of  the manuscript, and on what is required. I am prepared to do a light copy-edit of a 1000-word sample, provided it is part of a larger work, at least a couple of chapters of which are sent along with the sample. Preferably, these should neither be your most polished pages nor your least polished pages. Along with the manuscript, please send me a 100-150 word bio and a few paragraphs summarizing your book and explaining what you expect from me. If you believe this sample is too small for you to make a decision, I am willing to edit a larger sample at a rate of one cent a word, up to a maximum of 5,000 words.

CONTACT: rc[at]richardcrasta.com. I am also available on Skype and can chat via Google Chat.

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