Here’s an email I got from Susan Glinert. I found it a fascinating look behind the scenes of the publishing industry:
I was laid off from a publishing house several years ago, where I had worked as a senior compositor for twelve years. In the time since, I’ve gotten a few freelance jobs, but for the most part, I literally am tending to my knitting.
At one point, I snagged a freelance layout project by lying, telling the publisher I lived in Azerbaijan and would be delighted to work for the munificent sum of fifty cents a page (in the good old days, composition paid $16 a page). The manuscript was nasty–not copy edited, not proofed, not styled; the images were 72dpi fuzzy screenshots that I had to redraw. In the end, I worked for about ten cents an hour.
After much simmering, I decided to take another tack. I hereby offer to copy edit and layout (for ePub or PDF), any manuscript for free. All I ask is a small percentage of the sales. Rather than become sweatshop labor for Big Publishing, I want a slice of excitement–new authors who can’t seem to sell their manuscript or published authors who want to try self-publishing. There are so many fine books that never see shelf space. If I can’t earn a comfortable living with my skills, I will turn to helping others try and do so.
If you know anyone who needs my services, do let me know. I like knitting, but I prefer crafting books.
Best to you–
Susan Glinert
If anyone wants to use Susan’s services they can email her at sglinert on gmail.
Mmmh, I would recommend a mixture of both approaches. Offer a fixed price, but be paid in sales until the total amount is met. Or for, say, five years. A sales share has be itching of a bottomless pit. How long would I have to pay? How much in the long run? This might rather scare potential customers than encourage them. I would rather like to know exactly what the price will be and then compare and decide. I wouldn’t accept anything for free if I had the notion I’d end up paying more than I should.