Authors > Judy Vorfeld
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Hi! Bob here. If you haven't met Judy Vorfeld, let me introduce her to you. Besides being a member of our team here at ForemostPress.com, she is a very dear friend. And one of the sharpest people I have known. She is honest to a fault. And a kind and generous person. Yet her frankness can startle you; she for sure tells it like it is.

She specializes in copyediting at all levels. She can help you smooth out the basics of your manuscript or help you restructure the whole of it for a stronger presentation. I think it's because she loves fast action fiction, that she does an especially good job with stories.

To check out her portfolio on her site, click here. It really is quite impressive. For the broad range of top notch services she offers, click here. I heartily recommend any one of them that interests you.

To the left, a couple different levels of editing have been suggested. Below, I'll provide thoughts regards what Judy can do effectively to improve your manuscript. First, however, let's be clear about ...

The greatest editor in the world, can not magically transform a weak tale into a strong one. It just doesn't work that way.

To gain full advantage of any editorial service, first rework your manuscript with as much care as possible. And do so repeatedly. Until you can't seem to make any further progress, don't even think about turning to an editor. You want all to be as close to perfect as possible before the editing process begins. Here's why.

Whether working by the word, by the hour, or an agreed upon price, even the best editor can do only so much. When you send good copy that is error free in so far as you can tell, you get the best return for your dollar. Since you have the basics right, the editor is now free to take a broader view, yet really zero in on the subtle things we all overlook in our own work.

To put this another way, if your work is loaded with the common garden variety of errors, fixing these will dominate the editor's time. He or she just won't get to the really subtle stuff. So be sure your manuscript is as clean as possible, before asking an editor to look at it. If you do so, a good editor can increase the strength of your work significantly.

The hard answer is no. For one thing, what is and what is not salable? There is surely a lot of junk in bookstores these days. And you likely know of good stories that never made it into print. The why of this is a long tale, beyond the scope of these notes.

What editing can provide, however, is something close to error free copy. This makes it easier to read. And this matters more than many authors realize.

To readers, every error in your copy is a stumbling point. Each annoys. And if he or she becomes sufficiently annoyed, your book is laid aside. And you have lost the opportunity to add a member to your fan club. Or worse.

Agents are very busy people. They won't read much beyond a couple of errors. They simply send your manuscript back with a note that is usually no help at all. Sure, they may have overlooked a great book. They realize this. But they have no choice.

Agents work in the real world with hard nosed publishers. They know major houses no longer edit much, beyond a final touch up of the galley proofs. So an agent will not submit a manuscript containing errors. Two bad things are bound to happen.

First, it will be sent right back. Second, and what matters more, the agent will lose credibility with that publisher. He or she simply can not risk this. So they don't. They simply send it back to you.

So if you have a strong book, your best bet is to have an editor go over it before sending it to anybody or publishing it yourself. At a minimum this assures a tale easier to read. So you have a better chance of adding another member to your fan club.

What matters most for serious authors, though, is that an agent will be able to get into the book, and accurately decide which publisher might be interested in it. This leads to sales.

But if you do not have a strong book, editing won't help much. The better plan is to lay it aside, then write a better one. This is a harsh and brutal statement. But it's so.

To the left, we have defined two levels of editing that our experience has shown to be extremely cost effective. But Judy will work with you to define precisely what you need.

For example, if you are concerned about subject-verb agreement, ask for help in this area. Or in grammar, style, syntax, voice, and other subtle factors. Judy can easily add this to whatever list best suits your needs. What we have suggested here is only food for thought. Our mention of them arises from the flaws we commonly see. Areas in which you most need support may be quite different.

Get with Judy and let her help you decide precisely what you need. You'll find she's easy to work with. Fun, even. And you'll be delighted with the results. Click here to send her an email. Or here to visit her site.