Times they are a’ changin’

Kristen King

www.inkthinkerblog.com — Last night I relaunched my two websites, www.kristenkingfreelancing.com and www.editingforeveryone.com. I’ve been working on them for weeks now, tweaking and fine tuning, and I finally feel like they’re just right.

I’m particularly excited about www.editingforeveryone.com. It started out as a way of splitting writing and editing into two separate ventures, but I realized that the two are so closely linked that it didn’t make sense. I also realized that there is an enormous need for solid academic editing services — and with my teaching background and all of the work I do on scholarly manuscripts every day, I’m well positioned to take it on and do it right.

And there’s a definite difference between doing it and doing it right. When I was researching this project, I examined dozens of academic editing services, and I discovered two common themes: high prices and mediocre quality OR low prices and even lower quality, and editors with questionable credentials. Before I go on, let’s get something straight: There are fantastic academic editing services out there, ones with amazing staff and very high professional standards. However, a lot of others are, in my opinion, taking advantage of students and academic professionals who may not realize exactly what they’re getting themselves into.

My goal as an editor is to make it so my clients don’t need me anymore. In nonacademic editing, at Kristen King Freelancing, I do that by going the extra mile on every project, offering resources to clients when I think it will be helpful, and making myself available to answer questions and provide guidance when the client wants it. At Editing for Everyone, I’m doing it by continuing those extras, by ensuring that I and any other editors who help me are 100% qualified to do the work the way it needs to be done, and by maintaining extremely high professional and ethical standards.

Corporate ghostwriting is one thing, but I don’t believe that there’s any such thing as academic ghostwriting in the context of writing something that another person will be graded on at which will contribute to their earning an academic degree. In my book, that’s just cheating. If I’m doing the work, I should be the one getting the degree! Instead, I want to help my academic clients to express their own ideas clearly and to gain confidence in their writing by giving them specific, constructive feedback and pointing them toward educational resources to give them a great start in future projects.

I’m really interested to see how this project develops. I did all of my search engine submissions today, and next week I’ll be starting the advertising blitz. Can’t wait!

Yours ’til the ink wells,
Kristen