“Stories are made of things happening.”

—Philip Pullman

EDITH was made to help you gather the people needed to produce successful books, whether traditionally or independently published. It is designed to allow authors across the globe equal access to stellar publishing professionals, increase the support services made available to authors, and innovate on how books make their way to market.

Here’s roughly how it works:

For authors

As an author on EDITH, you can create a quick profile: nothing but your name, a photo, and a short paragraph about yourself. Once you’re ready to reach out to a book professional on EDITH, however, be prepared to share some details on what you’re working on, how far along in the project you are, and what exactly you want help with. For example, if you’re just starting out, you might need someone to help talk through your idea. If you’re almost done, you might be looking for someone to read it over for grammar and readability.

You’ll be able to search for qualified book professionals across a variety of criteria: service offered, genres they specialize in,even location. If you come across the listing page of someone you’d like to work with, you can get in touch with that person. At that point you’re under no obligation to hire them. Some will list hourly rates and others will also be willing to discuss a project (or “flat”) fee. It’s all exploratory at this stage.

Once you’re communicating with this professional on EDITH’s messaging platform, you can discuss the parameters of your book project, including schedule and budget. If you mutually decide you’d like to work together, simply request to book them. Once they’ve accepted your request, the collaboration will begin, and your payment will be processed via Stripe. EDITH takes a 6% client commission, so let’s say you’ve booked one hour of a professional who charges $100 an hour’s time, the total charge will be $106.

At the end of each completed project, you have the opportunity to leave a review of your experience. The professional you hire will also be able to review you! However they will only review your courtesy and professionalism, not the quality of your manuscript.

For publishing professionals

As a service provider on EDITH, you can use our listing wizard to help create a listing page that conveys a sense of your style, what services you offer, how you approach your work, and the kind of projects you’ve worked on in the past.

You may receive messages from authors interested in working with you, and can respond in one of three ways: 1) Accept the invitation and get to work; 2) Decline; or 3) Request more information and initiate a discussion. Actually we recommend 3) in most instances, as it can take some messaging back-and-forth before you gain a good sense of whether you and the author will work well together.

The author’s payment to you is processed through EDITH, and we take a 6% service provider commission that is routed through Stripe. If you’ve listed the service at $100, your payment will be $94.

Once the job is complete, you will both have the opportunity to leave a review.

What were those services again?

Author Photo

Your author photo is your introduction to future readers. It should speak to who you are while sparking the reader’s curiosity to learn more. A great portraitist doesn’t just take headshots but approaches the job like a fellow artist.

Copyediting

You want your grammar and style checked by an intelligent human. In our experience, you will always miss something, so it’s no use trying to copyedit yourself. A good copyeditor will deliver professional, polished text, plus peace of mind.

Copywriting

Copy is writing that persuades and tantalizes. It has personality and carries an emotional charge. A good copywriter can help devise book descriptions, author bios, and other texts that transform uninterested or undecided browsers into eager buyers, even fans.

Cover Design

It’s fine to judge books by their cover. Whether author or reader, we love to see book covers that are eye-catching yet mysterious. A good designer makes sure the first impression your book leaves is strong, on- and off-screen.

Ghostwriting

You may have wonderful stories but insufficient time to tell them. Ghostwriting is great for busy people. It can help organizations with content development. Think of ghostwriters as interviewers who can spin answers, on any topic, into compelling narratives.

Illustration

Maybe you simply need someone who can draw. But of all the visual inputs that go into a book, illustrations have the most potential to launch a book to another level. Great author-illustrator pairings are the stuff of legend.

Interior Layout Design

For books that involve illustrations, photos, charts, or other graphics, a skilled designer who understands how words interact with these visual elements is golden. Learning a new software program to DIY the layout takes ages. Just hire a pro.

Developmental Editing

Imagine someone who can discuss the big picture, help you think through overall structure, and explore ways to deepen your work. That’s your developmental editor, and the pros all have one. Picture lifelong dreams of creative collaboration come true.

Legal Read

Many nonfiction book projects benefit from a once-over by an expert who understands the law. A legal read can guard against publishing material that puts you at risk for being taken to court for defamation, copyright infringement, and more.

Line Editing

Most every sentence could be rephrased and improved. If you imagine copyediting efforts dialed up a shade or two, you have line editing. Hiring a good line editor results in tighter, more persuasive and compelling text, paragraph by paragraph.

Manuscript Evaluation

You want someone to tell you honestly whether your work’s any good. What, if anything, is keeping your manuscript from greatness? A proper manuscript evaluation can tell you how you did, and what you might need to do next.

Marketing

Should you run ads? Does your book description work? Why isn’t your website traffic converting to stronger sales? A good book marketer can help you devise a promotional strategy, implement it, or teach you how to do it yourself.

Project Management

Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Your writing project could use a project manager, someone who can help turn a daunting prospect into manageable steps. A good project manager knows the business and the process, keeps you on task, and feeling supported throughout.

Proofreading

Your text has been line-edited. It’s been copyedited. But oh wait, now there’s another step? Yes. Proofreading is like checking to make sure you’ve turned off all the lights before leaving for vacation. You are never sorry you did.

Publicity

If your marketing plan involves press coverage, a good publicist is essential. They will reach out to their networks of influential influencers, saying nice things about you and your brilliant book(s) that you can’t reliably say for yourself.

Research Assistance

The secret to many well-loved books is extensive research. This is true for major works of nonfiction but also for fiction, from historical novels to speculative sci fi. A terrific research assistant can also help with fact-checking and interviewing.

Typesetting

When done well, you barely notice it. Typesetting is the craft of arranging text so that it delivers a beautiful reading experience, one where you’re undistracted by iffy fonts, too-tight margins, or loose spacing. It is worth the investment.

Social Media

You want social media coverage while spending as little time on social media platforms as possible. Hiring a savvy social media manager can ease anxiety, letting you concentrate on the aspects of your publishing career you enjoy much more.

Speaker & Media Training

Communicating with confidence in front of unknown audiences, or via channels that may be unfamiliar to you, is a challenge. Practice helps, as does having a trusted coach for everything from a keynote speech to a live on-air appearance.

Mentoring

Publishing anything worthwhile can push you to the edge of your abilities and confidence, which is why a creative coach and writing mentor can be a great help. Even just a one-hour consultation can untangle knots in your thinking.

What’s next?

There’s more to come. Please stay tuned.