How I work:
All of the services I offer begin with an email. You, the author, reaching out to me with some idea of what you’re looking for. If you’re unsure, reach out to me anyway! I’d love to help you figure out what’s best for you and the stage you’re at with your current project.
After the email, you and I will schedule a free video call. This will be our way of initially getting to know each other and seeing if we’re a good Author/Editor fit.
I also offer free sample edits! If you’re on the fence about working with me, and are curious to get a glimpse of how I work, email me with a digital copy of your first ten pages and I’ll get back to you within five days of receiving the email!
More Details
- Do I need an editor?
- What kind of editing do I want?
- A closer look at Developmental Editing
- A closer look at a Manuscript Review
- A closer look at Line Editing
- A closer look at Coaching
Do I need an Editor?
Short answer, yes but also no. Self publishing has no standard of quality other than the author’s. You can get your book printed no matter how many spelling mistakes, plot holes and character flops you have. But readers do have a standard of quality. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve hurt for authors of self published books that weren’t ready for publishing.
You can work your tail off self editing and rereading and rewriting your story to the point where it must be good enough because it’s sucked up five years of your life. You can have your mother spell check and your best friend beta read and it might be just fine. But if you are the only person who knows the ins and outs of writing who reads your manuscript before publishing, the odds are you’re missing something. Trust me, I know. I’ve written six different manuscripts and I know what it’s like to have a project that I love but also know that it needs a lot of help. I also know what it’s like to be caught off guard by plot holes I totally missed.
An editor can make all the difference. Good editors are committed to understanding and getting behind the author’s dream for their story. We’re not here to blow your plans up with a red pen. We’re here to help, encourage and walk with you in this phase of your writing journey.
What kind of editing do I want?
- If you’ve just finished your rough draft and have no idea if anything worked and want a professional set of eyes on it but aren’t sure you’re ready for the in-depth and specific feedback then I’d recommend a Manuscript Review.
- If you have just finished working with your novel, revising it to the best of your ability, and now you’re moving towards publishing but want that big picture, intensive feedback on your whole novel, from the setting and characters to the plot and themes, then you’re most likely looking for a Developmental Edit.
- If you’ve gotten big picture feedback or have a lot of confidence in your concepts but aren’t sure about the delivery and prose of your manuscript then you might want a Line Edit.
- If you really don’t know what you need and want someone to step in and help you with what you have written as well as brainstorming, then consider Coaching.
A Closer Look at Developmental Editing
A Developmental Edit includes a macro letter, in-manuscript comments and a follow up zoom call. This type of editing handles the grand scheme of your novel, mainly things directly connected to the characters, the plot and the setting.
A Developmental Edit is one of the first professional edits you would get on your manuscript. Developmental editing focuses on the big picture. Its main goal is making sure everything works together, from the overall plot and structure of your story to the themes and the characters and even the settings, worldbuilding and prose choices. One thing developmental editing doesn’t focus on is the more technical side of your manuscript such as grammar, word choice, paragraph breaks and dialogue. Developmental editing is addressing the elements of your story in an overall manner. If I notice weasel words, info dumps or clunky writing, I will do my best to point it out but I won’t be highlighting every instance.
An even closer look:
Once you’ve decided you’d like a Developmental Edit from me, the first step is some combination of a free sample edit and free video interview. If you’ve worked with me before, don’t worry about this step.
Second, I’ll send you my contract and wait till you’ve sent me back a signed copy, made the initial deposit and given me a digital copy of your manuscript (preferably in the form of a Google doc or Word doc).
Once I’ve received these things, I’ll begin work editing your document. The time frame for projects like this will vary depending on the length of your book but expect the process to take me anywhere from 1 to 3 months.
When I’m finished, I’ll return your digital manuscript, complete with editorial notes as well as your Macro letter (a letter detailing all of my feedback, normally anywhere between 15-30 pages long). I offer a follow up call, again, between 15 and 30 minutes, after you’ve received the Macro letter and had a chance to look over it in case you had any questions.
Finally, the rest of the payment will be due within three days of receiving the returned manuscript.
A closer look at a Manuscript Review
A Manuscript Review is a quick assessment of your manuscript in the form of a “Micro Letter”, focusing on big picture elements and offering pointers in the next steps in your editing process.
When you ask for a Manuscript Review, I still offer the free sample edit and interview, followed by the exchange of a contract and the manuscript, but the actual process is much simpler.
A Manuscript Review provides you with my professional opinion on your story as a whole along with some suggestions on how to improve it contained in a Micro letter (a smaller version of the typical Macro letter). Like a Developmental Edit, it focuses on the big picture but it’s a much more condensed version. A Manuscript Review is a sort of compromise I might offer if, after getting part way through the editing process, I feel the manuscript is not ready for the level of detail a Developmental Edit reaches. If I notice large inconsistencies in your main plot, protagonist or worldbuilding/setting then I might offer a Manuscript Review to allow you to deal with some of these large, foundational parts of your story before you bite the bullet and pay for a full Developmental Edit.
The price of a Manuscript Review will vary depending on the length of your book but it will always be equal to the price of the initial deposit laid down at the beginning of a Developmental Edit.
If you’re wanting a Manuscript Review or have some questions, please reach out!
A closer look at Line Editing
A Line Edit includes detailed, specific comments left within the manuscript, focusing on readability, character voice, pacing, dialogue and clarity/consistency.
A Line Edit is often a follow up step to a Developmental Edit, or something an author might choose if they have a lot of confidence in the foundation of their story and are looking for feedback on the actual execution of the prose. Line Editing focuses a lot more on the scene by scene tension, character arcs and clarity as well as the pacing and structure of the actual words on the page. Line Editing is a step between a Developmental Edit and what most editors would call a Copy Edit, landing in the middle ground between the big picture sculpting of plot, worldbuilding and character and the nitty gritty of word choice, sentence structure and grammar choices.
The process:
Like the other services, I offer a free sample edit as well as the free interview video call followed by the exchanging of contract and manuscript.
I will then read through your manuscript and give detailed feedback in the form of comments in the digital manuscript.
Like any other editing service, the time and price will vary depending on the length of your novel but know that Line Edits (at least from me) tend to be just over half as much as a Developmental Edit and take anywhere from 1-2 months.
Once I’m finished, I will send you back my copy of your manuscript, complete with comments. If I feel the need, I will also include a sort of memo/micro letter to touch on any of the larger issues I noticed in my read throughs.
The final payment will be due within three days of my returning of your manuscript.
Finally, I offer one last video call for you to ask any questions you might have after looking over my comments/micro letter.
If you’re interested in a Line Edit, please reach out.
A closer look at Coaching
Coaching is a session by session based process of measured chunks of manuscript feedback paired with a 30-60 minute video call.
In a Coaching session, I offer a 10,000 word critique followed by a video call. Coaching takes bits and pieces of all the different types of editing and brings them together as they fit. The things I’m focusing on are often up to you. You might be in the beginning of your rough draft and looking for general feedback and brainstorming, you might be two drafts in and looking for help with a specific scene or plot hole that’s really bugging you. The focus of my line edits and brainstorming is going to depend on where you’re at.
Process:
Like the other services, I offer a free sample edit as well as the free interview video call. Unlike like the other services, you pay for Coaching one session at a time. Each session is $60.
After receiving payment, the signed contract, and your excerpt (up to 10,000 words), we will schedule a video call and I will do a quick read and line edit of the excerpt.
Because Coaching is session by session, it’s up to you how many times you want to do this. Each time will require a new payment but will rely on the same contract.
If you’re interested in a Coaching session or have any questions, please reach out.