FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

• What types of services do you offer?
• Do you charge per word or per page or by the hour?
• What payment options are available?
• Where are you located?
• Can you provide examples of published books you have edited?
• Are you associated with any particular book publisher?
• What type of English dictionary do you use - e.g. Australian, UK or US?
• Are you familiar with standard referencing and citation styles and formatting of bibliographies?
• What types of files/documents do you accept?
• What is Track Changes (MS Word)?
• What is Record Changes (OpenOffice)?
• What is Track Changes (Pages for Mac)?
• What is the PDF Comment and Markup tool (Adobe Acrobat)?
• Do you edit fiction or non-fiction book manuscripts?
• Do you treat ebook manuscripts any differently to print book manuscripts?
• Do you provide ghost writing services for writing books?
• Do you provide typesetting/formatting and book design services?
• How do I ensure my document or manuscript is copyright protected?

A: We quote for the whole job rather than by word count or number of pages or an hourly rate.

Individual whole-job quotes are based on a combination of the total number of words combined with the amount of work required, taking into account the complexity, readability, consistency and estimated effort required for corrections and changes. If quotes were based solely on word count or number of pages they would by necessity be inflated to allow for the unknown; and quotes simply indicating an hourly rate do not make for a good comparison as total time taken by different editors may vary considerably.

Note that additional work required as a result of significant changes to the original manuscript on which the quote was based may incur extra charges.

For editing or proofreading, please submit a copy of your document or manuscript, along with details of the type of service you require and your timeframe/deadlines, and we will review and provide a quote.

Please note: your document or manuscript, along with your information, will be treated with complete confidentiality.

A: Although physically located in Mount Gravatt in the southern suburbs of Brisbane (Queensland, Australia), we aren't limited by geography. If you wish to meet in person and live locally then we can arrange that (by appointment only), otherwise we are happy to communicate with you by phone and email. Our time zone is Australian Eastern Standard time (UTC/GMT +10 hours) - with no daylight saving.

A: Yes, I am very happy to say that I have worked with many published authors - editing and proofreading their book manuscripts - including some bestsellers.
A selection of published books I have edited.

A: Although I have done some contract editing work for small publishers in the past (and may choose to do so again in the future), Jewel See Editing as a business is independent of any particular publisher.

A: This will depend on the author's requirements and take into account both where the book or document is to be published and the target audience. By default we would use Australian spelling but on request will cater for other audiences such as the UK or US.

A: Yes, I have edited many academic papers and PhD and Masters theses, and other non-fiction manuscripts which required references to be noted and acknowledged in a bibliography or list of references. Please let me know which referencing style you require for your publication (e.g. Harvard, APA, Chicago etc.), or alternatively feel free to discuss your requirements and I can offer my suggestions. Also, if you have a particular style guide to which you would like your document or manuscript to conform, then please let me know in advance.

A: Microsoft Word has a feature called Track Changes which may be enabled to record all changes (additions/modifications/deletions) to a MS Word document. The author may then review the changes and decide whether or not to accept individual changes one by one, or in blocks (selected text), or accept or reject all changes made throughout the document as as whole.

For more information - Track Changes for MS Word - where you may also download a sample MS Word document with tracked changes.

A: OpenOffice has a feature called Record Changes which may be enabled to record all changes (additions/modifications/deletions) to an OpenOffice document. The author may then review the changes and decide whether or not to accept individual changes one by one, or accept or reject all changes made.

For more information - Record Changes for OpenOffice - where you may also download a sample OpenOffice text document with recorded changes.

A: Pages (for Mac) has a feature called Track Changes which may be enabled to record all changes (additions/modifications/deletions) to a Pages document. The author may then review the changes and decide whether or not to accept individual changes one by one, or in blocks (selected text), or accept or reject all changes made throughout the document as as whole.

For more information - Track Changes for Pages for Mac - where you may also download a sample Pages document with tracked changes.

A: Adobe Acrobat has a tool called Comment and Markup Tool which can be used to mark changes (corrections/additions/deletions) via Adobe Acrobat Pro, to a PDF document. The author may then view the marked-up PDF using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. Note that the author will then need to make any changes or corrections highlighted by the editor back into the original copy of their document or manuscript.

For more information - PDF Comment and Markup Tool - where you may also download a sample PDF document with markup.

A: We edit both non-fiction and fiction book manuscripts and have experience in editing a range of non-fiction book manuscripts as well as manuscripts of novels. Refer to list of latest books edited.

A: The actual editing of ebook and print manuscripts is pretty much the same - the process primarily focuses on the language, the actual text, which is not likely to differ too much.

The main differences arise in the book design and formatting stage so make sure your designer/formatter is aware of requirements for formatting an ebook as compared to a print book.

A couple of things to handle with care when considering releasing your book as an ebook are colours and images/diagrams/tables etc. embedded in your manuscript. Note that some current dedicated ebook readers and many of the older ereaders may handle black and white only and are more suited to plain text than fancy layouts and images (some may not even support images or hyperlinks). Newer ereader models and multi-functional devices are likely to support a greater range of features from colours and hyperlinks through to fully embedded multimedia but do consider your potential audience and whether their current devices can handle the content/format you intend to produce.

It is not uncommon for authors to release both print and ebook versions of their books. In this case, from an editor's point of view, there may be little difference between the two versions but I would advise that both versions be proofread after formatting/design as errors are likely to be introduced in the formatting stage (no matter how careful the formatter).

A: No, but we can provide editorial advice and writing coaching for partially complete manuscripts or early drafts of manuscripts or articles that you may be struggling to complete.

A: No, but we can recommend book design services on request.

A: In Australia, your manuscript and your written works are automatically protected by copyright. According to the Australian Copyright Council, copyright protection is free and applies automatically when material is created and there is NO registration system for copyright in Australia - so as soon as you have written your book (whether hand written, typed, digitally stored etc.), you are automatically the copyright owner of that work, of that book. Note that Copyright does not protect ideas, information, styles or techniques, names, titles or slogans.

We will assure you that your copyright will not be infringed by us and that your document or manuscript will be treated with confidentiality, and also that your privacy will be respected in regard to any personal details or information you provide us in the course of our dealings with you.

Contact us
Phone: 07 3349 4440
Email: editing@jewelsee.com.au

ABN: 33 093 723 653