Do you need an editor?

 

Publishing, including independent publishing, has an accessibility issue. And maybe this is only a small step, but I’m here to do what I can.

We can observe that marginalized writers are often shunned from traditional publishing, in fact this infuriated me to the point where I refused to query my work and turned down a company that approached me. The small press I work with is indeed small, we do not have enough space to publish more than three to four books a year. Independent authors often have to pay out of pocket for illustration and editing services, which can be a financial barrier to writers who lack the funds for this. We can also observe that marginalized people are more likely to live in poverty. So we ask ourselves, how do we aid in bringing more stories into the world by people shunned in both trad and indie publishing? 

We change our methods.

Hello, nice to meet you, I’m an editor (and a few other things). And I’d like to offer my services for whatever it is you can afford. This can be zero dollars to thousands of dollars, simply what you can afford to pay whilst keeping a roof over your head and food in your fridge. 

I’ve been a writer since I was a child, I studied creative writing both in high school and in university. I’ve aided in publishing multiple of my colleagues’ books and I’ve published my own novella. My work is all free online to read under the name Solomon Skalozub or Sollizyy, I am happy to let my writing do the talking for me.

The primary editing I do is developmental. I focus on pacing and character arcs, I often offer advice for how to foreshadow later story developments and antagonists, I like to read through a manuscript in full before offering my final opinions on your writing, and along the way I will offer suggestions to correct grammar errors, spelling mistakes and type-errors. I will give you my thoughts on the story and the characters, what I loved and what I believe needs more love and attention from you. 

If you are looking for a “base” price, the average cost of developmental editing is 3 cents per word. In my case that would be in CAD as I am based in Canada. However, this is a “pay what you can afford” deal. I will not be offended if you can only pay five dollars, or less. I want to do this especially for people who cannot afford to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for editing. 

I am comfortable editing a wide range of stories, in my general reading I aim to read diversely, this will never be a problem for me. I have personal experience with being transmasculine, genderfluid, aromantic, and pansexual. My cultural background is primarily Ukrainian (Ukrainian-Canadian diaspora specifically). If any of my lived experience is relevant to the story you are writing, I am happy to use it to offer feedback. I will keep an open line of communication with you while editing your work, if there are subjects in your work I need context on for my lack of lived experience in those areas, I am more than happy to discuss and learn from you as I edit your work. I do not have genre preference, I read eclectically and I love both fiction and non-fiction. I am comfortable working with both incomplete and complete manuscripts. I am comfortable working with you while you are drafting, I will meet you where you are at.

There are some subjects I am not comfortable with as a reader and therefore as an editor, the primary one being noncon/dubcon erotica. I am willing to take this on a case by case basis, but as someone who has been sexually assaulted, I am very critical in this area of fiction as both a reader and an editor. I will refuse to edit your work if I feel it is bigoted towards any marginalized group. Though I suspect for my general audience and the people reading this, I will not have much problems with having to turn away manuscripts due to this. 

Please contact me with editing requests via my email solomonskalozub@gmail.com, from there we can share more direct avenues of communication and discuss payment. There will likely be a waiting list as I am usually booked up for both editing and art commissions, but I will be open with you about this. 

Testimonials from authors whom I have edited for: 

“Working with Sol is a privilege I'm happy to have. Sol has an uncanny knowledge of what adds to a story and what doesn't, and your story will be stronger with his suggestions.” - Opalin Hubay Pickens, author of Amped Up! (eBook https://www.amazon.ca/Amped-Up-Opalin-Hubay-Pickens-ebook/dp/B0F1KZRGMV?ref_=ast_author_mpb ) (print https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=Qx0siXHBUyULU0GfV6bf7h4KVzUrmvPW7hMbTLcbaqR )

“Wonderful to deal with. Discusses with and talks through suggestions to explain why he makes the suggestions he does and listens to why you may or may not agree with his points. Does NOT try to change your vision to something that is not yours when editing. Is great at picking up loose/dropped plot threads and making suggestions for connecting those with the bigger story at large. Works well with developing themes within the story to suit your thoughts and project.” - T.C. Rasch, author of Come Hell or High Water (eBook https://www.amazon.ca/Come-Hell-High-Water-Rasch-ebook/dp/B07X7G3PHT?ref_=ast_author_dp ) (print https://www.amazon.ca/Come-Hell-High-Water-Rasch/dp/1081227761?ref_=ast_author_dp )

“Sol has an eye for detail that I don't think I've seen anywhere else. He can find these small mistakes in prose, pacing, ect, that would normally just slip under the cracks. And then he helps guide you to where you want the story to go. I go to him for more than just simple editing too, I ask him about story pacing and structure, but I also just talk to him about my stories to help me figure out where they need to go using his own knowledge and understanding of story telling and its many facets to help guide me without forcing me down a set path, letting the story naturally form on its own!” - Siracha_Hair, author of Defective Priestess (works https://archiveofourown.org/users/Siracha_Hair/pseuds/Siracha_Hair/works )