SHALLA CHATS with freelance editor and writing coach, Zaz LaMarr

“Writers: Why Get a Freelance Editor?”

by

Shalla DeGuzman

So, who’s Zaz?

Zaz LaMarr is a freelance editor and writing coach who works with clients via the Internet and through workshops. She’s also an author, with several short stories published in anthologies, and she’s working on a chick lit novel and a women’s fiction book.

 

Shalla: I use freelance editors and working with the right one really helps my writing. For a few dollars to several dollars a page, a freelance editor can critique and edit your manuscript.

Finding a good one is super important, unfortunately, that may take some time and effort.

Here to talk to us is Zaz LaMarr. Hi, you’re a freelance editor, right?

Zaz: Yes. I’ve been editing for a lot of years, originally as part of my day job. But I switched to freelancing a couple years ago.

Shalla: How would you define freelance editors?

Zaz: A freelance editor is one who works directly with a client author to improve their manuscript and is not employed by a publisher or agent.

This might mean cleaning up grammar and punctuation, or it could include pointing out trouble spots with story, pacing, characterization – the big stuff

Shalla: Why would an author need one?

Zaz: Almost any author can use an editor. A critique partner or group is good, but unless they’re experienced editors, they will tend to miss a lot. Sending your manuscript off to a total stranger, one who hasn’t followed the progress of the book from day one, can be scary, but it guarantees a fresh pair of eyes and an impartial reader.

Although I work as an editor, I always have someone else edit my manuscripts. Fresh eyes!

Shalla: What’s the best way to find a good, reputable freelance editor?

Zaz: That’s not so easy. You might collect names through word of mouth. There are many editors who work via the Internet, as I do, so you can do a web search. I, and many other editors, are listed with Writer’s Market.

Once you have a list of names, get in touch and discuss exactly what you want for your money. Ask them for references. Then, find out how their calculate their fees. But most important, have them go over a few pages of your manuscript to see if you like the way they work.

Shalla: Do you suggest a writer find a freelance editor who’s local?

Zaz: Well, I suppose that’s ideal, but there are a lot of us who work via email and may never meet our clients. If you want a certain amount of hand-holding, then local should be your choice.

But the most important thing in working with an editor is finding one you’re comfortable with and whose judgment you trust.

Shalla: What are the fees like?

Zaz: That’s a wide open area. Some editors charge by the word, some by the page, others look at the project and give an estimate based on how much work they think it will be. You have to get a firm price and decide if the work the editor will do is worth that much to you.

There is no one correct price, since experienced editors will charge more than those with less experience.

Generally, though, if the price sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Editing is time consuming, exacting work and requires a lot of skill, so good editors are not inexpensive – depending, of course, on how much work your manuscript needs.

Shalla: So how can a writer decide if he/she needs a freelance editor?

Zaz: Well, I’d say everyone needs one. We all make mistakes, and we all manage to overlook them. How badly you need one will depend on your writing skills.

Many writers who think they need an editor really need a coach. If a professional editor sees lots of problems – poor characterization, lack of conflict, info dumping – then editing the book isn’t going to give the result the writer is looking for.

Working with a coach to improve your writing skills will give you a better book and one which you can be proud to own because you wrote it.

Shalla: Thanks for graciously spending this time to talk with us, Zaz. Please come back and talk with us again.

 

Who's on SHALLA CHATS? Know who Shalla has interviewed? Maybe you'll be next? Turn up the volume...   Hear our musician, Moose (Mooska), with his reggae/ska, other, acoustic blues, roots, leftfield music. Featuring: Dorchester author, Tess Mallory; Artscape author, Frederick Ramsay; Hallie Ephron; Shara Lanel; Margaret L. Carter; Gena Showalter; Judie Aitken; NY Times Best Selling author, Barry Eisler; Chick-Lit author, Sonia Singh; Brett Battles; Michele Scott; multiple Emmy Award winning TV news producer & author Mari Mancusi; Terry Spear; Andrea Wilder; Alice Andrews; Tina Gerow; Seamus Cashman; NY Times Bestselling author, Bob Mayer; Patricia M. Terrell and more! Produced and Directed by Shalla DeGuzman www.shalladeguzman.com   Shalla DeGuzman's short stories have appeared in Poetic Diversity, the Mad Hatters Review, etc.; her articles in The Scriptorium and L.A. Freepress; her skits at the Stella Adler Theatre. Her flash fiction The Fish In My Bed recently won the FISH AND PLANE Competition and is featured in Issue 6 of Mad Hatters Review. Shalla, a former writer and producer of a health and fitness cable show, is currently writing a novel. She is President of The ShallaDeGuzman Writers Group where she interviews literary agents, publishers, editors, etc. News! SHALLA Magazine, goes to Print! That's right! Amazon, world, here we come! For more on Shalla: www.shalladeguzman.com

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