Editing Services
I’ve worked on a wide array of material, the majority being fiction. While I accept most manuscripts, I am especially equipped to edit mystery/thriller, contemporary fiction, romance, women’s fiction, fantasy, science fiction, YA, and memoir. Please note: I only accept fiction and creative nonfiction (e.g. memoir, personal essay collection). This excludes academic and technical nonfiction.
Along with novel-length manuscripts, I accept short stories, novelettes, novellas, and collections of work.
*Turnaround time can vary depending on the length and quality of a manuscript.
Free Sample Edit and Evaluation (excludes manuscript evaluation)
I will perform a combination sample edit of up to the first 1,500 words of your manuscript for free, no strings attached, and accompany this with a first-impression assessment outlining the strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript and my suggestions for moving forward. This provides an opportunity for you to gauge my skill and style before we decide to work together on your project. While you likely have a good idea which stage your manuscript is at, this will also give me the opportunity to confirm that your manuscript is ready for the level of editing requested and pinpoint potential areas of focus.
Turnaround Time: 1 week
Manuscript Evaluation
Rate – $0.01/word
I will read your manuscript front to back, evaluating both content and mechanics. Following my read-through, I’ll write up an assessment (generally 5-20 pages) that covers what’s working and what’s not both in-line and overall. This evaluation will not include comments on the manuscript itself.
This is ideal for early drafts that require further improvement before the manuscript is ready for official editing.
Turnaround Time: 3+ weeks
Developmental Edit
Rate – $0.022/word
I will focus on the content and structure of your manuscript, flagging continuity issues, plot holes, issues with pace, poor character development or out-of-character behavior, inauthentic dialogue, lulls in the story, and more. I’ll also ensure your manuscript is enjoyable and keep an eye out for writer quirks or common mistakes to bring to your attention. Using Microsoft Word’s Comment feature, I will provide guiding comments and questions highlighting potential issues and solutions, whether they be big-picture or specific to that point in the text. You will also receive a separate assessment addressing any overarching issues that may be present in your manuscript in more detail. It’s important to keep in mind that a developmental edit can lead to heavy revision, rewrites, and reordering.
Turnaround Time: 4+ weeks
Line Edit
Rate – $0.02/word
Line editing is more comprehensive and style-focused than standard copy editing. Along with fixing the basics—spelling, grammar, and punctuation—I will fact-check, review word choice, tighten your text, improve flow, guarantee the POV is consistent, and ensure your manuscript is pleasurable to read. I’ll take more liberties than a copy editor, trimming unnecessary text, filling in the holes, and smoothing the rough edges, all while maintaining your voice. Depending on your strengths as a writer, a comprehensive line edit can appear as a bit of an overhaul. You will also receive an edit brief.
Includes a review of any new text introduced and answers to your inquiries following the initial edit.
Turnaround Time: 4+ weeks
Project Style Sheet
No charge
Along with your line edit, you will receive a style sheet. This is included in the cost of your full-length edit. This style sheet will ensure consistency across your manuscript and series, if applicable. Your style sheet will track characters and locations, formatting, style, and convention choices, capitalization, invented and commonly misspelled words, and brand names and trademarks (basically anything that might give a proofreader pause). If you are abiding by a house style guide, style decisions that are not clarified in it or the Chicago Manual of Style will be detailed on your style sheet, as well as any departures from these guides. And of course, any specific author preferences will be listed as well. This will be provided as a Word document so you can make additions.
Book Descriptions
$75.00 for set of 3
In addition to editing your manuscript, I can write, rewrite, or polish your back-of-the-book book description. I’ll provide a set of three lengths: standard length (about 200 words), review submission length (about 100 words), and catalog listing length (350 characters). This is an optional add-on to any full-length edit.