Frequently Asked Questions

Will you publish my book?

No, we don’t have a publishing arm at this time. But that may change!

Could someone I hire steal my book idea?

All professionals on EDITH have longstanding experience at traditional publishing firms, and have tremendous respect for creative expression. They are disinclined to steal intellectual property because it runs counter to their values, on top of being ruinous to their reputations and professionally disastrous.

For copyediting, couldn’t I just use Grammarly?

If you want to, absolutely. We believe humans are better at it, though.

What’s the difference between copyediting and copywriting?

Copyediting is fixing the grammar, and can include some light fact-checking. It’s one of the last stages before publishing. Copywriting is the art of describing your work so that it attracts readers; you can find the work of copywriters on book jackets, in online book descriptions, and in scripts for book trailers.

What if I don’t yet know what kind of help I need?

Write to us at hello@tryedith.co and we will try to help you figure it out.

How does EDITH make money?

We take a 6% commission on the project fee.

How does a publicist differ from a social media manager? Isn’t the former also doing the work of the latter?

A publicist works to get you “earned media,” which could mean reviews, feature stories, podcast interviews, and so on. A social media manager will help you come up with a strategy for social media (if you don’t have one), or even help implement it for you.

In the publishing world, does an editor do all of the editing jobs—development editing, line editing, copyediting, manuscript evaluation, and proofreading—that EDITH describes?

Yes and no. A great developmental editor can be a terrific line editor. Chances are, they’d be great at manuscript evaluation as well. So you’ll see many professionals on EDITH that list multiple service offerings on their profile. Others may be technically capable but not interested in offering a service at a particular time in their life — developmental editing is intellectually demanding and can entail many months of collaborative work, so it’s not right for a professional who may have the skills but not the hours available.

If a publisher wants to publish my book and I’ve already begun preparing it with EDITH, am I required to see the book through with EDITH?

No. All services on EDITH are sold “a la carte,” and we don’t offer publishing packages that bundle services and obligate you for the long haul. If you find a publishing deal after contracting with a developmental editor on EDITH, we’d simply expect you to honor the terms of your agreement with that editor. In fact, authors who contract with book professionals they find on EDITH may have publishing deals already, but want to supplement the help they’re getting—or not getting—from their publisher.

Where did the images on the site come from?

Used books, vintage postcards, an iPhone camera, The Public Domain Review, and the New York Public Library’s Digital Collections.

Are you working on any other features?

Yes! Please sign up to our mailing list to be among the first to know.

If you have a question that is not answered here or elsewhere on EDITH, please write to us at hello@tryedith.co.