Cost of an editor/co-writer.

#1
I have decided to try to write my first story but I as I am a new writer I am having trouble with a few things.  Mainly my story lacks emotion and the writing style is strange.  I have decided it will be in my best interest to get a good editor or co-writer who can fix those issues while at the same time giving me enough feedback where I can slowly learn to be a better writer.

I currently have around 30,000 words written which is around seven chapters.  I plan on writing the first arc of the story before I need the help of a editor/co-writer.  I want the first arc to be a minimum of 20 chapters and will likely be in the 30's.  That way I can post 10 chapters after the editing and post 1 chapter a week afterwords.  This should give me enough time to go over the feedback and lessons while I write the new arc.

The story itself will be pretty generic VRMMO story though without some of the common elements.  Weak new player slowly becomes more powerful because she picked a race and class that was considered trash and built around it.  Everyone else can get just as powerful as her with the same amount of work she puts in and many can likely get much more powerful it is just no one has enough information yet.

I know it is possible to find an editor for free but I want to find a great one or a co-writer to help me grow more.  I have no clue how much one would cost though or if I could even afford it. SO how much would you think a good editor would cost or a co-writer.  Either per chapter or per word.  Each chapter will on average be around 4,500 words.

Here is the prologue and chapter 1 to give you an idea of the problems I am having.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o28QnaBe5zn5t8ad8gnBchjtCbMYnl-mEDEadztBRPY/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1V7vBNrNbAxOgEFT1x--NH_S_qQXfJvOAXlaHHEwQylI/edit?usp=sharing


Warning Chapter 1 and 2 has much more blue window pop ups than the other chapters.

RE: Cost of an editor/co-writer.

#2
I'm an editor, so I took a look at it. It does need a heavy, developmental edit if your ultimate goal is e-publishing. From that side of it, you can find an editor pretty easily if you're willing to pay the typical rates listed by sites like the Editorial Freelancers Association, which is around $50/hr or about $10/page (12 pt, double-spaced). My rates are about half that (it's a hobby and side business), and you can check me out here or here if you're so inclined.

RE: Cost of an editor/co-writer.

#3
I only plan on writing on sites like this for free. Nothing major like publishing on amazon or anything. With that being said I feel having a professional helping me get started would be a great way to improve my writing faster and be good for the readers.

I'll get 8 chapters finished plus the prologue and ask you how much it will cost then. Any estimate you want to give now based on the two I posted would be great. Ill use the 8 to improve my next 8 then have those edited. Ill repeat this for the story or until I am comfortable in writing myself.

You can send me a private message if you do not want to talk over the forums.

RE: Cost of an editor/co-writer.

#5
Well, the good news is that I broke it down into manuscript format, and the first chapter is only about 8 pages. It would only be about $25 for something that length. The bad news is... it's only about 8 pages. It really needs a lot more added to it, most of which could be supplied by filling in some details about your world (VRMMOs, time dilation, etc.) at a natural pace along with writing your dialogue out (which is actually your strong point, btw), supplying filler-type signifiers like "He said," "I replied," and so forth, rather than putting it in script format. But if a lot of people think editing is steep, creating content at that kind of pace is considerably more. And while I don't mind supplying a phrase here and there, co-writing isn't really in my wheelhouse.

I think anything_only has the right of it. Just keep hammering at it til you find your pace and voice. Try just writing out word-for-word some of your favorite stories and see how they pace it. Put it up piece by piece and use the feedback you get to make this one—but especially the next one—better.

But if you really want my services on this, let me know through the above channels. And good luck.