We need experienced freelance editors who understand that interactive fiction has different constraints to linear fiction, and can adapt their edits accordingly.

The work to be edited will generally be short (think short story rather than novel), and will require a swift turnaround. We envisage pieces taking a day or two to edit. We make a habit of reusing freelancers wherever possible, as everyone benefits from increased familiarity with our style and lore. You’ll need a reliable internet connection – everything we do is online, and we often use Facetime or Skype to discuss work.

What we need:

Fiction line or copy editing experience – in house or freelance.
Familiarity with the style and tone of Failbetter writing – this can be from having played Fallen London or Sunless Sea.
Interactive fiction experience is strongly preferred.

There will be an editing test, which will take place using our online tools.

This is what we demand of our writers:

concise, evocative, clear prose in the Fallen London voice;
an appropriate mood – eerie, blackly comic;
familiarity with the Fallen London lore and setting;
evidence that you can use choice and consequence effectively, at a more mechanically sophisticated level than simple branching story.

And this is our writers’ guidance.

We’re looking for editors who can make writers meet these demands, and improve their writing for the future. We need the usual editing checks (e.g. UK English, typos, grammatical errors, repetitions, clichés and continuity issues). We also need checks on style and period appropriateness, and whether content matches current in game lore (we have a lore document and a house style guide). Emily Short – one of our freelance writers, discusses the peculiarities of editing interactive fiction.

If you’d like to edit for us, send an email to enquiries@failbettergames.com with an idea of your editing experience and your availability.