>>However, I have loads of yet-unpublished poetry that I would like to share and maybe put into a new anthology in the future.<<
Okay, that sounds promising.
>> So based on this, what kind of rate should I be looking at? <<
Hmm ... editing poetry is different than editing fiction. Even a small change can impact the whole piece. Often I'll look at a poem and it won't need changes, or only little stuff like spelling or punctuation. In that case it's less work than fiction. But if it needs structural work -- if it's rhymed and metered, and a line needs to be fixed, or if it's a free verse poem with a subthread that doesn't work, etc. -- then the editing is a lot harder than fiction.
Another thing to consider is that poems are a different size than prose. If one poem fills a whole page, or runs extra pages, the amount is reasonably similar -- but if you're writing a lot of short poems, that can change things.
At a guess, I'd say $2/page, maybe $5/page if a lot of tinkering is needed. What I suggest is that you send me a sample batch of 3 poems, and I'll keep careful track of how much time it takes me to go over them. That should give both of us a clearer idea of what's involved.
Do you happen to remember how the editing with your first poetry book went? Did the manuscript just need proofreading for typos and maybe a few suggestions of improved word choice, or did it take more work to polish?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zvi![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
Re: Well...
Date: 2010-04-02 05:10 pm (UTC)>>However, I have loads of yet-unpublished poetry that I would like to share and maybe put into a new anthology in the future.<<
Okay, that sounds promising.
>> So based on this, what kind of rate should I be looking at? <<
Hmm ... editing poetry is different than editing fiction. Even a small change can impact the whole piece. Often I'll look at a poem and it won't need changes, or only little stuff like spelling or punctuation. In that case it's less work than fiction. But if it needs structural work -- if it's rhymed and metered, and a line needs to be fixed, or if it's a free verse poem with a subthread that doesn't work, etc. -- then the editing is a lot harder than fiction.
Another thing to consider is that poems are a different size than prose. If one poem fills a whole page, or runs extra pages, the amount is reasonably similar -- but if you're writing a lot of short poems, that can change things.
At a guess, I'd say $2/page, maybe $5/page if a lot of tinkering is needed. What I suggest is that you send me a sample batch of 3 poems, and I'll keep careful track of how much time it takes me to go over them. That should give both of us a clearer idea of what's involved.
Do you happen to remember how the editing with your first poetry book went? Did the manuscript just need proofreading for typos and maybe a few suggestions of improved word choice, or did it take more work to polish?