FAQ

Frequently asked questions

A. Hiring an in-house editor is harder than you think. For starters, 
even many graduates of editing and publishing courses do not have the skills to pass a simple editorial test. Then, there are overheads—HR management, office rental, taxes, social security, and equipment costs. And even the most conscientious in-house editors can experience a lot of downtime between jobs. With Sabertext, you pay only for what you need, and we do the work of finding you the best person for the task. Most of our staff are paid the way you pay us—by the word—so they have an automatic incentive to work hard and fast.

Q. What country do I have to be in to use Sabertext?

A. Sabertext is based in Melbourne, Australia, and our senior editor works in the GMT +10 time zone and mainly with clients from the Asia-Pacific region. Yet we are equipped to do work for any locale, and also have a consultant based in the UK.

Q. How much will my job cost? Do I have to mail for a quote before sending you my work?

A. Our most popular services are priced by the word, so you know from the outset how much each job will cost. Just use your word processor to count the words, then multiply by the per word rate. For example, basic proofreading on an 800-word magazine article: 800 × $0.10 = A$80. Remember that a minimum charge of A$60 per piece applies.

If you would like a firm quote to be sure, please write a request and email us, attaching the document you want edited.

Q. What style guides and dictionaries do you use?

A. We prefer The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed., and The New Oxford American Dictionary, 2nd ed. We also use The Elements of Style as a guide to expression and composition. As professional writers and editors, we can follow any style that you can supply or direct us to documentation for. We can edit and write using the conventions of American or British/International English, depending on your needs.