Topic: I edit games
Started by: Adam Dray
Started on: 6/18/2008
Board: Connections
On 6/18/2008 at 9:01pm, Adam Dray wrote:
I edit games
You design and write games. I edit games. I also design and write games, so I am not clueless about what you're doing and why.
Until I can build my reputation as a strong RPG editor, I am offering to edit five pages (let's say 1500-3500 words) of your game for free to give you a taste of how I can help you. Then we can negotiate the price for editing the rest of your manuscript. My price depends on three factors: length, quality, and coolness. If your game is not too long, reasonably well written, and awesomely interesting to me, my fee will be smaller than if your game is 300 pages, grammatically and structurally unsound, and boring to me.
I am doing this because I enjoy it, want to help game designers produce better games (especially projects that appeal to me), and want to make some extra money that I can spend on my game avocation without guilt. This is as much a hobby to me as a business venture. I will treat it with deadly seriousness but have fun at the same time.
My services extend beyond a simple spelling and grammar polish. I am far smarter than Microsoft Word. I will make your text clearer without suppressing your authorial voice. I will point out improper word usage in your language, inconsistencies in your rules, and potential problems in your design.
If you need a reference, talk to Robert Bohl. I just finished editing his game, Misspent Youth (which rocks). Robert wrote his game in a style that I describe as "nerdy New Jersey" with eff-bombs dropping every other paragraph and hundreds of sentences ending with prepositions. Those weren't things I changed. I filled the margins of his game text with corrections that made the game easier to read and suggestions that made the rules easier to understand.
As far as I can tell, industry editors charge 1-5 cents per word depending on how extensively they must change the manuscript. I expect I can undercut that by a significant margin. For the light-to-moderate editing I did on Misspent Youth, I would have charged around $50 for just over 16,000 words. I did not have to make large structural changes or rewrite any large sections of text and I really love the project, so that lowers the price, too.
You can contact me here via whisper or via email at adam+edit@legendary.org.
On 6/19/2008 at 7:18pm, RobNJ wrote:
Re: I edit games
If anyone needs me to, i can attest to how awesome a job Adam did for me.