Mystery Publishers Limited, a premier Pan African indie pop/genre literature publisher of choice, offers publishing services to authors who want to spice up African literature through trade/mass market books. Mystery Publishers furthers this mission by offering professional publishing services to the authors who want to publish their words their way.
We are seeking to recruit a dedicated, professional, and highly skilled freelance editors. The following are the genres that we publish:
- fiction (novels – romance, crime, fantasy, etc),
- flash fiction,
- short stories,
- erotica,
- poetry, and
- non-fiction (all sub-genres except educational books).
Summary of the Position
Reporting to the Publishing Editor, the Editor will be responsible for manuscript development, copyediting, and supervising the detailed progress of titles from manuscript to publication. This is not a permanently paid position and the Editor will be paid depending on the editing packages offered by Mystery Publishers when a manuscript is received. (However, this might change with time as the Publishers grows.)
Remuneration
Mystery Publishers pays editors under two categories as follows:
For manuscripts that are being published by the Publisher:
- proofreading – Ksh.0.15 ($0.0015 USD) per word,
- copyediting – Ksh.0.17 ($0.0017 USD) per word,
- comprehensive editing – Ksh.0.20 ($0.0020 USD) per word.
For independent clients who are not publishing with the Publisher:
- proofreading – Ksh.0.20 ($0.0020USD) per word,
- copyediting – Ksh. 0.25 ($0.0025USD) per word,
- comprehensive Editing – Ksh.0.30 ($0.0030USD) per word.
Notwithstanding, poetry manuscripts shall be paid as follows:
- comprehensive Editing – Ksh.0.35 ($0.0035 USD) per word,
- copyediting – Ksh.0.30 ($0.0030USD) per word,
- proofreading – Ksh.0.30 ($0.0030USD) per word.
The rates are applicable to all manuscripts charged for a minimum of 20,000 words. This means that for a manuscript less than 20,000 words you will be paid based on the minimum number of words.
Proofreading of hardcopy books, which the Publisher does as part of the publishing process, shall be Ksh.15 ($0.15USD per page), but a minimum of Ksh.1, 000 ($10.00 USD) for books less than 70 pages long.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Ensuring that the text is complete, clear, accurate and consistent; that it complies with contract specifications and conforms to house style
- Liaising with the author over infelicities of style, factual errors, inaccurate or absent references, manuscript length, etc.
- Drafting the cover copy (including blurb).
- Picture search and permissions.
- Comprehensive editing and proofreading, in liaison with the author.
- Commissioning artwork and cover design; commissioning or choosing text design.
- Organizing paste-ups for heavily illustrated books.
- Prepare, rewrite and edit copy to improve readability.
- Read copy or proof to detect and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax.
- Verify facts, dates, and statistics, using standard reference sources (APA or Chicago Styles).
- Read, evaluate and edit poetry manuscripts or other materials submitted for publication and confer with authors regarding changes in content, style or organization, or publication. (Manuscript evaluation payment is separate from editing.)
- Writing reviews of the books you edit and posting the reviews on the Company website.
- Writing at least one blog post per month for the Company blogs. (The posts will be paid for at Ksh.500 ($5.00 USD) per post.) The blog posts will be about writing, book reviews, or digital publishing/ebooks.
Qualifications/Skills Required
- Education—certificate/diploma/degree in Information Sciences, Mass Communication with a major in editing, Bachelor of Arts (English/Literature), Creative Writing, or independent editing training.
- Reading Comprehension—understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Writing—have good writing skills to be able to understand the work being edited and communicate effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the writer.
- Critical Thinking—using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Time Management—managing time well so as to meet deadlines and give the writer feedback at the earliest possible time.
- Coordination—coordinating and working with both the writer, editorial director, and publisher.
- Good communication skills—to effectively convey information.
- Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of oneself, other individuals, or the Company to make improvements or take corrective action.
Knowledge and Experience
- English Language—knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Communications and Media—knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods.
- Customer and Personal Service—customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Law and Government—knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
- Administration and Management—knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modelling, leadership techniques, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Requirements
The interested persons should have access to Internet.
Interested persons to send in:
- application letter,
- CV,
- testimonials, and
- sample works edited
Email: info@mysterypublisherslimited.com
Deadline for Application: 31 October 2020
