Back at the end of August I wrote a blog on hiring an editor for my book which was as daunting as it seems because there are many freelance editors in the world. Find a good one, but also one that fits within my personal budget could have been a struggle.
Here is the thing. I decided roughly two years ago perhaps to write a memoir about my first decade as a photographer. My intention was to document my journey to this point, highs and lows, as well as provide advice, tips, and a sprinkling of information for photographers who are ready to do the same.
I am not a writer— this blog not withstanding and to my faithful readers I am sure you know I suck as editing and witness my mistakes often in these blogs. I am not a professional writer.
In fact every writing project I have ever attempted outside of actual academics has never been completed or even progressed much beyond a few hundred words. Initially, I assumed this memoir idea of mine would follow that same path but I was wrong. It took on a life, I wrote over 30,000 words, and then I finished writing. It is the furthest I have ever gotten, I created a cover for the book, I have an idea for the layout, formatting, and where I plan to self publish.
I have an actual plan.
But I know for it to be the best I can make it, it needed a critical eye and someone removed from it to look it over and go ‘ hey, moron, you forgot to actually put the word photographer after I am a portrait.’ Obviously I could read it over one thousand times and miss things, so I sat down and realistically asked myself what I could afford to financially invest in this project.
I am self publishing all the way so the entirety is on me, writing, editing, layout, formatting, design, marketing, and distribution. It is a daunting task and currently I only vaguely know I may sell a handful of copies not enough to break even with my current projections. Though I always hope I under sell myself and actually have more interest than I am aware of but I rather under expect than be critically disappointed in myself.
Even while I don’t want to get my hopes up I will have amazing sales I am ambitious enough to go for it anyways and hire someone to take my writing to the next level. So I researched, I tried different sites and ultimately I decided I wanted to support freelancers like myself. I wanted the hustlers and the go getters to have my back on this so to Fiverr I went.
And I found an amazing editor. I an amazing woman in South Africa— the very place I developed the name for Exposure One Studios, so it was fate right?!— who took me on as a client and whipped my book into better shape.
Her name is Maxine Meyer. I truly can’t thank her enough for what she is helping me accomplish with Glass Eyes: A Photographers Journey.
If you need an editor for any project you are working on hit the link and hire Maxine, you will not be sorry.