A good author knows that once they type "the end", the real work begins. It's time to polish your pages and wrangle your words into a story worthy of your name. That's where a good editor comes in. I spent years editing for private individuals and helping my agency clients prepare their books for submission to some of New York's top editors. And now I'm opening the doors to you. As a developmental and line editor, I look at everything from plot holes and inconsistent characters to fuzzy sentence structure and overuse of crutch words. My job is to get your entire project in tip top shape so you're ready for a final proofread and out the door.
What an edit from me includes: In round one, I'll conduct a developmental edit of your novel. This is a structural review that considers issues such as pacing, character motivations and voice consistency, plot build up and pay off, as well as any plot holes or places where things are just off. This is where we catch things like a hero with green eyes in chapter two and brown eyes in chapter eleven (it happens more than you think). But it's also where I break down your story and we figure out if it "works" and where we can make tweaks to make it better. You'll get back an overview of the manuscript including strengths, weaknesses, and general areas of improvement. You'll also get a marked copy of your novel with tracked changes. At this point, you can make all the changes your little heart desires before the second round of edits. In round two, I'll focus on line edits. This is an eagle-eyed line-by-line look at your manuscripts to review sentence structure, head hops and tense changes, crutch words, transitions, and anything else that pulls me right out of the story. At then end of this edit, you will get back another marked copy with tracked changes and my final thoughts.
What an edit from me doesn't include: I am not a proofreader. While I will notate any spelling or grammar issues that I find, that is not the focus of this edit. I highly recommend that you use a separate proofreader once your work with me is complete. I am happy to provide recommendations for some great proofreaders I have worked with in the past.
That sounds good...and pricey
Editing in life is like a lot of things...you get what you pay for. But that doesn't mean a good edit has to cost you a small fortune. I charge editing clients on a sliding scale based on the amount of work your manuscript needs. If you would like to work with me, I will request the first chapter of your book to review. Based on your writing style, your manuscript will be graded between one and three stars, three being the best. Below are the rates: ⭐⭐⭐ = $.01/word ⭐⭐ = $.02/word ⭐ = $.03/word All manuscripts will be charged for a minimum of 10K words. *Note that not all manuscripts will be a good fit for me. If I feel that I am not able to give your manuscript what it needs I will decline the project so that you can find the right editor for you.
Great! Let's do it!
Awesome-sauce! You can email me directly at [email protected] or use the form on my Contact page. When you contact me I'll send you a copy of my contract to review, and ask for your first chapter and the dates that you would like to schedule your edit. A deposit of 50% will be due when you send the full manuscript and signed contract, with the balance due before delivery of the final edit.