Books need editors, and writers need editors—for their discipline, their distance, and the extra dimension they can add to a book—though an editor’s contribution is often buried in an Acknowledgments section if recognised at all.
As a Ligature editor, you’ll be able to browse all the manuscripts submitted to us, and put forward a proposal for any book you’d like to work on. If the writer accepts your proposal, you’ll work together on at least one structural edit and a copy-edit. You can arrange this however you like, but we recommend free online tools like Google Docs, which we can help you set up.
Once the editing process is complete, you’ll receive prominent credit for your contribution on the book’s cover and title page and in all its online bookshop listings. You’ll also be paid 15% of everything we receive from sales of the book and sales of subsidiary rights. So if the book takes off and we sell it to a traditional publisher, or a Hollywood studio, you’ll continue to be rewarded for the effort you’ve put into the book—and for your belief in the book.
There are two ways to become a Ligature editor:
Become a Ligature writer · All writers published by Ligature are eligible to be editors. You will have successfully completed the editing process at least once, with a Ligature editor or the traditional publisher of your earlier books. Your success with a particular style or genre may make you the perfect editor for a Ligature manuscript. You’ll help the Ligature community and may also help your own writing in the process.
Apply to be a dedicated Ligature editor · If you have relevant experience in the world of traditional publishing—whether editing fiction or non-fiction for books or periodicals, perhaps in judging writing competitions, or writing in just about any field—we’d love to hear from you. The greater and more relevant your experience, the more likely you are to have your pick of manuscripts to work with.