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Editing a poem, poetry chapbook, book of poems, or a batch of short devotionals involves checking and correcting syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
This editorial process can be as simple as using spell-check on computer or double-checking words in a dictionary, but an edit can also be as complex as untangling sentences, so readers have a better idea of what you meant to say.
The final edit of a poem or poetic manuscript comes after a critique or writing consultation and after the final revision you do at home.
If you have not yet had a professional critique of your poems or a writing consult on your children’s picture book, get that first. Then revise your work accordingly before you have it professionally edited. Why? A revision will usually change something on a manuscript, which undoubtedly changes the punctuation too, making it virtually impossible to do a final edit since the final draft has not been finalized!
The final edit for a poetry chapbook, book of poems, or children’s picture book you plan to self-publish will also be your last step toward professionalism as a poet or writer. This final edit is the final chance to correct such flaws as grammatical errors, misspelled words, or mistakes in punctuation before your work sees print.
Finally! The Final Edit
- Use a 10 to 14-point plain font on plain white paper with no flourishes, art, or colored ink.
- The final edit of your final revision of a poetry book, chapbook, batch of poems or short devotionals not previously seen by The Poetry Editor is $5.00 per double-spaced page in U. S. funds with a minimum of 5 double-spaced pages.
- For manuscripts of 20 or more double-spaced pages, the final edit is $3.50 per page.
- If The Poetry Editor has previously critiqued the same poems or manuscript which you have since revised, your final edit will cost $2.50 per double-spaced page (regardless of page length) with the usual $25.00 minimum.
Mail your poems or poetic manuscript with SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) and your certified check, money order or personal check (takes longer to process) in U. S. funds only to:
Mary Sayler, P. O. Box 62, Lake Como, Florida 32157-0062.
Longer manuscripts occasionally take longer but, in general, expect your edited work to be in the mail in two to three weeks. If you would like for The Poetry Editor to let you know when your manuscript arrives, be sure to include your email address.
Note: A final edit by email can sometimes be arranged if you have a secure Internet connection and software compatible with Word 2010 and if you type each poem or devotional in a plain font of the same size, flush left, on its own page. To use the email service, however, you must first contact The Poetry Editor to describe your project and computer equipment. Also, you must be able to transfer U. S. funds through the Western Union in your area.
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