All-in-One Feedback
The middle-ground of critique that most writers actually need.
In the self-publishing world, if you want to produce top-notch writing, you *shouldn't* skip on the "quality-check steps":
beta readers, alpha readers, copy editors, general/developmental editors, etc.
Unfortunately, going through the process of corralling beta readers, weeding through their feedback, and determining the legitimacy of that feedback, takes a lot of time. It can take months to go through a single round of beta readers and depending on the quality of the beta readers you've sourced, the information they provide could end up not being useful.
It's no secret that hiring professional editors is a lot of money, but that investment cost will sky rocket depending on the state of your manuscript. Why are indie authors rarely expected to profit? Because if they're taking self-publishing seriously, they can't break-even after enlisting professional editing services!
Wouldn't it be nice if there was someone that could provide you with the best of both worlds? Well, there is! Peer partners: one writer to another. But soliciting help from your writer friends comes with its own caveat: bias.
So, this is where Acidic Ink comes in!
I'm more than a casual beta reader, less than a stickler editor, and honest like no other.
What does this service provide?
As an open-minded reader:
As a reader, I don't limit myself to any given genre. If it's good it's GOOD, and I understand that every type of book has different standards for achieving that.
At the end of my reading, I will fill out and offer you a "reader survey" in which I summarize my overall impressions and comments on your writing as a whole.
As an observant editor:
I am not professing to be a stand-in for a professional editor. If I were, I'd be charging a LOT more money. That said, I am not a passive reader. I do not turn the "writer" side of my brain off when I'm reading so I have a lot more to offer that a typical beta reader. Because I am slow and meticulous in my consumption, I tend to find a lot of minute errors in books (even traditionally published ones). You know that double "the" left in a sentence because everyone else's brain glanced over it? I catch them, constantly.
I'll point out awkward sentences and misused words/punctuation (even suggest fixes as long as its an easy rewrite) but I should not be your final editor. I may be lightly editing along the way but I am not editing exclusively while reading, so please keep that in mind.
This service is designed to be a mid-way quality check: more thorough than your average reader, offering advice to make sure your book is ready for an editor's eyes. If you enlist an editor with an unfinished manuscript, you'll be wasting your editor's time, and more importantly, wasting your money.
As a fellow writer:
As you can imagine, I love stories; the art of storytelling! Readers consume your work for entertainment, they're not there to think about it, and editors are looking at your story objectively, without much care for the content itself.
I'm here to read between the lines rather than over them, assess the effectiveness of your creative choices rather than question them. I am here for you as a fellow writer; the best of all worlds: Your hired professional peer.
Pricing: $15 per 5k Words
I charge a semi-professional flat rate, reasonable to the value I provide. No more and no less.
There are no variable packages or degrees of skill I offer for this service because an editor's rate would incentivize me to nit-pick (ensuring you got your objective value at the cost of my ability to actually "read" your story) and charging less would discourage me from taking the time to put a critical eye to your words (time is money).
I am not bringing myself to you as a reader or an editor; I am your peer writer, and I aim to reflect the value of that differentiation through this service.
Conditions of Pay
The rate of pay is not reflective of a percentage read. The $15 is a flat rate, paid when I begin reading the 5K words. (And regardless of whether it is a full 5k words. [Short stories are very welcome!])
Upon completion of that reading window, there will be a negotiation of whether both parties would like to proceed with another batch.
Acidic Ink wants to make sure that its clients feel as though they are getting their value, and there may be cases where the manuscript is already so polished, there's not enough value I can add, to make continuing with the services necessary.
And on the other end of the spectrum, Acidic Ink reserves the right to refuse to continue servicing a piece that is so unfinished I cannot provide proper feedback.
Discounts!
Hiring Acidic Ink for its Peer Editor services makes clients eligible for a 15% discount on its other services enlisted for the same Title.
Spending time getting to know your story will allow Acidic Ink to better hone and customize products (ie. book covers) to suit your vision!