Grammer and Spelling not great!?

[weallsayitnowitneedsdoing]

Hi ive written a book it has around 50,000 words i am so made up with it i think it could really be great and i i think its something alot of woman would love to read. the problem is the grammer, the spelling, everything is just terrible. ive tried to sort it but i cant i just dont no how to do it!

ive looked at a proofreader and ive been quoted £750, im mortified i dont have this type of money nor will i be able to get my hands on it.

does anyone now where you can get proofreading for cheaper or something because im on my arse financially wise, and this book could possible give me and my family something to keep out heads above water?

[Userplusnumbers]

Sorry OP, no idea, but we'll done! What a fantastic achievement

[weallsayitnowitneedsdoing]

thank you really means alot! :)

[Userplusnumbers]

Maybe try reposting in chat or one of the other boards to get a bit more traffic?

[whatsagoodusername]

Have you got any writers groups near you? They may have contacts with decent proofreaders or you may be able to swap proofreading theirs (not necessarily you correcting their spelling/grammar, but for story flow) for editing yours.

[IrenetheQuaint]

I expect you can find a cheaper proofreader via one of the online sites, but don't assume you can earn any money from the book after it's been proofread - most authors don't, even very talented ones.

[ScreamingValenta]

Have you any friends who could do this for you, in return for a favour on your behalf?

[Sunbeam18]

Hi, if a publisher is interested in it then they will pay for the copyediting and proofreading so you don't need to worry too much about that.

[Witchend]

On recommendation from here, I joined scribophile

You can post what you've written (up to 3000 words at a time) and people critique it-and you can ask specifically for SPAG if that's all you're interested in. I've found them very helpful. It's free for the basic membership or £65 (I think) for the premium. I joined thinking I'd only need the basic, but I've joined the premium now as it's so useful.

One little thing, grammar is AR not ER. As a fellow person who can't spell, it's a good one to know if you're asking for help in that department.

[OnTheRise]

Don't pay to have it edited or proofed: you're very unlikely to make that money back, and it's difficult to find good-quality services so you can't guarantee the person doing the work will do a good job.

Don't expect to earn much money from selling your book. Some writers do, but most don't.

Good publishers take care of editing for their authors, but your book will have to be extremely good if you want to take this route.

Your best bet would be to join a writers' group, or a writers' forum. You shouldn't have to pay for this. AbsoluteWrite is great, but there are others out there.

Good luck.

[OptimisticHamster]

Try things like Grammarly (the free version) to give you an instant insight into areas where you're going wrong.

[editingfairy]

Well done for finishing your book!

Hiring a qualified, experienced proofreader/editor is more expensive than many authors anticipate - but it's usually worth it, because they can make a huge difference to your book. However, if you haven't got any money, then your options are limited.

(There are cheaper proofreaders out there but there's usually a reason why they're cheaper: they're new, they're less qualified, they're not very good.)

Why do you think you'll make money on your book? Most authors don't.

You have two options:
self publishing
try to find an agent.

If you choose the latter, get a copy of the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook and search for agents in that.

If the former, then you need to bone up on your self publishing options. Do you want printed books/e-books? You'll need to decide on a market for your book then market it yourself using social media. You'll need a book cover, ISBN, etc too. But first your book will have to be as polished as possible, and that means editing and proofreading... Or you'll get bad reviews.

There are plenty of sites that give advice on self publishing - just do some googling and decide which route you'd prefer to take.

What genre is it? It's short for a book - in between a novella and novel.

Don't pay to have it edited or proofed: you're very unlikely to make that money back, and it's difficult to find good-quality services so you can't guarantee the person doing the work will do a good job.

It's not difficult at all, On the rise. Go to the Society for Editors and Proofreaders website (www.sfep.org.uk) and check out their Directory of Editorial Services at www.sfep.org.uk/directory

SfEP is the UK's professional organisation for proofreaders and editors. You have to be a Professional Member of the Society to have a Directory entry, so quality and experience are guaranteed.

Type in any key words - eg fiction, romance - and then check out the editors who are listed.

(I'm a copy-editor with 20 years' experience. I work for both self publishing authors and published ones.)