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So I hate to tell my wife "I told you so" but she is now beginning to feel she has been ripped off on the internet and well....I told you so.

She spent a long time writing a novel, some crappy vampire romantic fiction. Not really my sort of thing but I read a few pages and it seems well written enough, I'm no literary critic though.

Like most writers she decided she would like to try and get it published. According to her research it's recommended you get the bit you are going to send off copy edited. She sent of the first 3 chapters (10-15k words) to a company who said they will have the work done in 3 weeks for £250 or if she was in a hurry they could get it done in 1 week for £400. She talked me in to paying for the 3 week option.

This was back in February, they are still stalling! So what I was wondering is;

Was the original quote realistic in the amount of time it would take?

If not what would be a realistic time span?

Luckily we paid on the credit card so I should be able contact the card company and get a charge back if necessary, unfortunately that doesn't stop her feeling so deflated by the whole experience.

I have experience with copy pasting.


There is no reason one cannot have 10-15k words reviewed and edited by now. I would ask for my money back and if they don't sue them for the money back in whatever the UK version of small claims court. I also wouldn't let this experience get her down. There will be a lot of rejection and other goofiness in the time to come, but when it finally gets published or she self publishes it will make up for it. Doing your own thing is a rough but rewarding endeavor.

My mother was a copy editor, and I am a tech writer and editor.

You're getting screwed.

Thanks for the advice guys, she got it back the day after I posted so everything turned out good in the end.