Bookings for 2012

I'm finished with my last commission of 2011 and have started accepting bookings for 2012. My next available date for an edit is 15th February 2012.

Booking your edit

I have occasionally had authors book a service for a specific date and then not send the manuscript. This has sometimes resulted in me turning away other clients for the same date and is both costly and time consuming. In order to mitigate against this sort of thing I've decided to request a non refundable retainer of $50 in order to book a date for an edit to start. This fee will then be deducted from the total cost for the edit.

It is important to make sure that your manuscript will be ready for editing by the agreed date otherwise you may lose the retainer and have to pay for another booking. If, however, you have booked a date and realise that it is unlikely you'll be able to meet the deadline, please contact me at your earliest opportunity (at least a week before the agreed start date). With enough notice, I will be able to reschedule your booking at no further cost, and may even be able to book another commission in the original slot.

Sample Edits

I've recently had a number of queries about sample edits. This is a service I dropped last year due to lack of interest. For a trial period, I'm going to offer samples again, but due to the time consuming nature of the work I will have to charge a fee.

I'm happy for authors to decide the length of the sample (I'd recommend between 500 and 5000 words) and will charge according to the type of edit required:

Copy edit: $0.005 per word

Literary Edit: $0.020 per word

If the service proves useful, I'll add it to the permanent services offered at a later date.

Kindle Author: Kindle Author Sponsor: M.R. Mathias

Kindle Author: Kindle Author Sponsor: M.R. Mathias: Book Title: The Confliction Compendium (The Dragoneers Cycle One) Author: M.R. Mathias Kindle Price: $0.00 — FREE TODAY! Availa...

Current commissions

I'm currently editing Crimzon and Clover III for M.R. Mathias and Paladins 3, The Old Ways for David Dalglish, which looks set to be my last edit of the year.

Thanks to all the authors I've worked with in 2011. Have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Confliction Compendium features a foreword by me

Amazon link

M.R. Mathias has released the compendium of books 1,2, & 3 of the Dragoneers saga (two of which were edited by Homunculus). He's included a foreword written by Derek Prior.

Music of the Spheres

Valmore Daniels has implemented the revisions to Music of the Spheres and looks ready to release it. This is the second book of The Interstellar Age (following on from Forbidden the Stars). I had a lot of fun working on this one; the style is reminiscent of the golden age of science fiction, but with an added depth of characterisation (something Valmore just keeps getting better and better at, I think, since the excellent Angel Fire). Watch out for the gripping ending, which sets up what's going to be a compelling third book.

THE SECRET IN THE STARS

The technology for interstellar flight exists through the power of Kinemet, but the key to unlocking its code lies in a thousand-year-old scroll left on Earth by an alien species.

When the ancient manual is stolen before a full translation is completed, Alex, Michael and Justine scramble to recover it.

Along the way, they stumble on an interplanetary conspiracy and uncover a secret that shatters their view of life and shakes the very foundations of our existence.

---

DETAILS

Digital ISBN: 978-0-9866593-7-9
Paper ISBN:
Genre: SF
Copyright: 2011 Valmore Daniels
Publication Date: Dec 2011
Published by: Mummer Media
Pages: 304

Curtis Hox

I've just finished a copy edit for Curtis Hox's Bleedover, having recently edited three of his short stories, Red Sphere, The Kafka Harrier, and Repossession in Progress. It's always a great feeling to discover talented indie authors (I've been privileged to work with a good number of them already), and Curtis Hox certainly fits the bill. Not only does this guy have an extensive vocabulary, but he also knows when not to use it. The world he has created for Bleedover (which we also get a glimpse of in Reposession in Progress, has some staggering implications and promises to be the setting for stories with almost limitless potential.

Bleedover has some well-drawn characters, enough philosophical references to keep old farts like me interested, and (even better for me) lots of references to old time sword and sorcery. One of the most original works I've clapped eyes on in a long time (and another extremely hard working author who is dedicated to putting out quality work).

December news

I've finished editing The Confliction for M.R. Mathias, three short stories for Curtis Hox, and Music of the Spheres for Valmore Daniels (definitely one to watch out for - terrific characters and an engrossing storyline).

I'm now finishing up a copy edit of Curtis Hox's intriguing Bleedover and will soon be starting work on the third book of David Dalglish's excellent Paladins series.

Open for new commissions

I've now updated the service descriptions and implemented the new working practices. Already, things have got a lot more efficient and I've freed up some space for more work. If you need your book out before Christmas, there's still a chance I can fit you in. If not, we are already taking bookings for the New Year.

Editing Update

I've just finished a copy edit for Sibel Hodge's The Baby Trap, and a literary edit for the third book in M.R. Mathias's Dragoneers series. The Confliction follows on from events in Cold Hearted Son of a Witch and features Mathias's trade mark humour, grit, and fast-paced story-telling.

Next up is Music of the Spheres, the sequel to Valmore Daniels' Forbidden the Stars.

The Butcher's Boy wins silver medal

Congratulations to Michael Robb Mathias whose The Butcher's Boy won the Readers Favorite silver medal for Horror. 







The Butcher's Boy
Fall 1984 - This story begins with a trial. A man was accused of killing his family. Richard King the defense, attorney cared little whether his client was guilty or not. He took the case for the publicity. The accused (Buxley the Butcher) declared his innocence... Read More >>






I worked on a literary edit for this great horror story last year. It's had a stream of excellent reviews and this award is well deserved. M.R.'s a prolific writer who's not afraid of hard work. This book is one of the best examples of his natural story-telling ability and ability to find just the right words for his characters, action, and exposition.

Coldhearted Son of a Witch

Just finished a three-stage literary edit of Coldhearted Son of a Witch by M.R. Mathias and will now be taking a short break until the next commissions start in October. Coldhearted is book 2 of M.R.'s Dragoneers saga. It's a tightly written action-packed adventure and great fun to read.

I'll be spending the next few weeks finishing off final edits for my own Best Laid Plans (Shader book 2), as well as drinking fine wine in France.

Check out C.F. Levy's interview with Derek Prior on Contemporary Fantasy Review:

Editing 2010-2011

Over the past year I've been engaged by some of our most successful indie writers. It's been a year of great variety and I've learnt a lot from working closely with each of my clients. The contrast in styles and working relationships has been enriching, but in every case, the authors have proven extremely hard-working and very professional.

David Dalglish keeps going from success to success. This is largely due to his work ethic, but also due to his natural story-telling ability. David is an author who knows how to connect with his readers: he understands relationships, conflict, and the use of emotion. Readers have little trouble engaging with David's characters as there is so much for them to identify with. Coupled with that, David is always working on his technical skills as a writer. He's clearly an avid reader who reads with a critical eye. Every book he produces is technically stronger, to the point that he's become a major force in fantasy. The good thing for me is that the editing process gets easier each time, and the stories are always a joy.

M.R. Mathias has been an absolute gentleman. He's one of the hardest working writers I've had the good fortune to work with. He's also prolific. Like David, M.R. is a natural story-teller. He's very well read and has a gift for situation-specific vocabulary. He's another writer who understands the importance of character relationships and reader identification. There's always something fresh about M.R.'s rendering of classic fantasy, and his foray into horror (The Butcher's Boy) was utterly compelling.

I've also had the good fortune to branch out into chick-lit with the thoroughly entertaining works of Sibel Hodge. Sibel is the consummate professional and a pleasure to work with.

Valmore Daniels is another writer who's come on in leaps and bounds over the past year. I was impressed by the scope of his Forbidden the Stars, and even more so by the characterisation in the excellent Angel Fire.

Another hard-working author, and a great talent, is Moses Siregar III. Moses is a bit like me in some respects: he's been working on The Black God's War for an eternity, but this book just keeps getting better. When the full version is finally released in the next few weeks it is sure to make some waves. Moses is not only a very knowledgable writer, and generous with what he knows, but he's also more willing to learn from others than almost anyone else I know. The results of such an approach speak for themselves in his forthcoming novel.

I'm currently working with Rex Jameson on a novel called Lucifer's Odyssey. Rex shows the same dedication to his writing as Moses and is sure to make a name for himself.

Finally, I should mention Felix Savage, whose The Incurables, which I was privileged to work on recently, is absolutely staggering in its scope and attention to detail. This is a monolithic work, which was damned near publishable when I first set eyes on it, but Felix is another very diligent author who is prepared to go that extra mile to produce the best quality work possible. I'll be very interested to see how this book is received. I, for one, was extremely impressed.

I'd like to say a big thanks to all my regular clients, and to everyone who's commissioned me or queried me. It's been a great year for editing, and I like to think it's helped me improve as an author too.