As a self-publishing author, naturally you want to save money. Unless your pockets are lined with sable, you’re concerned about your budget.
So am I. As an editor, I want to help you keep your costs down if I can. Of course, I’ll be happy to spend all the time in the world on your manuscript to do the job right—provided you compensate me. Because like you, I have bills to pay, and the maxim that time is money applies. So if you’d like to save yourself money by saving me time, here are two helpful tips.
1. Document your sources fully. When you quote from a book, magazine, or other print or online source, provide a citation with complete publishing information. If you don’t, and if I have to research that information myself in order to show it properly in your endnotes, the time I spend will cost you.
What does complete information look like? Consult this resource (courtesy of The Chicago Manual of Style).
2. Avoid using quote compilations. Whether they’re online or in print, collections of quotes are not dependable sources. They work great for speaking but not for writing, which requires thorough and accurate documentation. When you use trustworthy sources (e.g., you quote Twain directly from, say, Huckleberry Finn, not Goodreads), you make my job easier and cut your costs accordingly.