“A deadline gets a writer’s work done,
done better and faster than any inspiration.”
- A. A. Patawaran
The Clock is Always Ticking
At Joy Editing, we love a good deadline. We love the panic they inspire as they get close. (Well, maybe not love... Is panic really the best thing to feel? We suppose that’s a conversation for another day though.) Our work involves a variety of deadlines: authors' start dates, editing deadlines, proofreading deadlines… and those don’t even include the deadlines we know you, the author, have to meet once you receive a book back. Sometimes it can be helpful to have a broader view of all the deadlines involved in getting a book edited, even if those deadlines pertain to contractors you pass your manuscript off to for various services, so this month, we thought we'd give you a closer look at the deadlines we juggle on our end.
For us, during an ideal edit, we receive a manuscript from an author by 9 p.m. EST the day before an edit is due to start. That means our editing team can get started at the crack of dawn (weird morning people, right?) on a project's start date. Most books have a two-week editing window, but once we return an edit, authors have as long as they need to revise, and then the manuscript goes to a proofreader. A proofreader generally gets one day per 10,000 words, and after that, our job is done!
But as we all know, life isn't always perfect. So, what happens if something goes wrong? Well, if a client is late submitting their book, our first concern is whether or not the editor will be able to finish within the original booking's time frame. We don’t want to extend an editor’s deadline unless it’s absolutely necessary. If we do, the editor could end up being unable to start the next author’s book on time. If an editor isn’t confident she can stick to the original deadline, we’ll inform the client and extend the original deadline. If she is confident she can finish on time, then we assess a $25 fee for each day the client was late submitting their book. If necessary, we’ll also add on a rush editing fee.
Of course, editors are human too, and sometimes we get sick, or our computers die, or we have personal problems that keep us from working. While we try to extend the same grace to our team members as we extend to our clients, we recognize it’s not fair to a client if we can’t return a book on time. We know you have deadlines too! So, if we have to miss your deadline, you receive a credit for future services. Late edits receive a $25 credit for each day we’re late, and late proofreads receive a $5 credit for each day we’re late, because we want you to know we’re invested in making sure you receive your book when you’re supposed to.
This month, we’re offering a special discount on new editing dates. If you book before July 15th and use the code DEADLINE, you’ll receive 20% off your editing total. This offer is valid for line editing or content editing bookings and must be used on a new booking that will be completed in 2022.
Until next month, good luck with any impending deadlines you may have looming. See you in July!
- The Joy Editing Team