Support Kate's Dream: Editing Her First Book

Hello, everyone! My name is Kate Nicholson. I am a new indie author, striving to present my first novel to the American reader both traditionally and professionally.

An old Jewish proverb goes: "If money can solve your problem, then it's not a problem, it's an expense". And I must be a lucky person--most of my "problems" could be resolved smoothly and at once... if I only had money.

One of these problems is the lack of funds to hire a professional bilingual (Russian/English) editor for my literary fiction book.

A little about me

Although it was always my childhood dream, the path of becoming an author was not easy for me from the beginning. I was born and raised on the opposite side of America-- in Saint-Petersburg, Russia, in a poor family, with no financial, educational, or mental stability. We always struggled with basic provisions, clothes, and transportation. There were times when my parents didn't have money to buy a ticket for public transportation, so they were taking their way to the workplace on foot, sometimes in severe weather conditions. It took me more than a decade of hard work, making some savings, and finally making a firm decision to leave Russia, starting my new life in the USA, literally from scratch with 2 suitcases.

Shortly after our arrival, COVID hit and shut everything down, paralyzing well-established flows of income, connections, and health for everybody. Then there was a serious attempt to set up a business, which cruelly stole roughly 3 years of my life. Then there was a baby on the way... For some time, all of these circumstances interrupted my plans to finally transform my writing hobby into a career. There were days when I was writing with my newborn son sleeping on my right hand...and I could only type with my left hand:) Back in 2023, I couldn't afford any daycares, and the family was left in Russia.

Later on, there came domestic abuse, followed by a long divorce process, a partnership lawsuit, my first full-time job in corporate America, and all the difficulties of being a single parent.

But my dream to claim myself as an author was so huge that I overcame every problem that was in my way. And after 2.5 years from the first page, originally written in Russian, I finished my book in a way that it exists nowadays.

About the book

My debut novel ''Nonrandom Passenger'' is a symbolic coming-of-age work of literary fiction, infused with strong elements of dystopia and fantasy. This is a novel that explores the themes of oppressive tyranny and varied forms of love, including those that are abusive and toxic.

To be honest, this book is very autobiographical. And I put all my soul and mind into every line of it.

Apart from the story, the reader will be able to find fabulous illustrations made by my fellow artist who lives in Germany. She grasped all the details and meanings I put in my book, so she made a very correct visual representation of the atmosphere and the characters.

Why do I need funds

The book is finished in approximately 90,000 words, both in Russian and English (my self-made translation from Russian). Although I did my best to improve my knowledge of English and make the translation as nice and professional as possible, English is still my second language. To present the book to a wide audience and potentially to be considered by traditional publishers, it's essential to edit it with the help of a professional, native English-speaking editor.

I have already done some research and found a brilliant American editor with Russian heritage (her whole family was immigrants from the USSR). Her expertise lies exactly in literary fiction dystopian novels like mine, so it's a match that can bloom not only in this project, but in many other collaborative works in the future.

How much do I need

The calculation for editorial services is clear: line editing rates are in the range of $0.030-0.050 per word. For 90,000 words, the estimated project total (median) is about $2700.

P.S.

When I was making a short video for my book a couple of years ago, I didn't know yet that, as my main protagonist, Susan Barnes, I would need to step out from the reality I had been living for so long and make a turning point choice.

I hope we can improve this book together and let it live!

Thank you!