EDITING SERVICES
Manuscript Evaluation
An in-depth critique of your story’s overall strengths & weakness focused on the big-picture elements (plot, structure, character, setting). Usually 10-12 pages for novel length fiction. Use this evaluation as a revision plan for your next draft.
1.6 ¢ per word
e.g. 85K-word novel ~ $1,360
Full Developmental Edit
The Manuscript Evaluation PLUS margin notes within the manuscript covering scene and paragraph level elements (e.g. tension, suspense, empathy, foreshadowing, conflict, verisimilitude, perspective).
3.5 ¢ per word
e.g. 85K-word novel ~ $2,970
Line Edit
A detailed line edit (margin notes + tracked changes) focused on the sentence level. Edits are designed to help you hone the prose, improve readability, clarity, and consistency, and to idenitfy any logical inconsistencies, redundancies, repetitions, or awkward phrasing.
3 ¢ per word
e.g. 85K-word novel ~ $2,550
Substantive Line Edit
The Line Edit PLUS scene-level developmental notes covering macro storytelling elements such as world-building and setting, characterization, dramatic tension, suspense, forshadowing and verisimilitude.
3.8 ¢ per word
e.g. 85K-word novel ~ $3,230
OTHER EDITING SERVICES
Story Outline
Critique
Developmental notes on structure, plot and character arc based on your detailed outline
(5,000 words max).
$350
Copyedit
For already edited, near-final draft manuscripts only.
Edits for grammar, syntax, consistency & punctuation.
(Limited availability)
2.4 ¢ per word
All Other Editing & Consultation
Short pieces, trial edits, ongoing consultation,
query letters, articles.
$50 per hour
FAQS
Do I need developmental editing or line editing?
It’s always best to start with developmental editing (tackling the big-picture problems first) and save the line editing (making every page more engaging, beautiful or powerful) for later.
Developmental editing looks at macro elements such your overall structure (your choice of scenes and the order they are shown to readers), plot, and character (from characterization and dialogue to character arcs). It also looks at how major elements like setting, pacing, tension, use of dialogue, and worldbuilding is used to create a complete experience for your audience.
Line editing focuses on making sure that the passage through this experience is as smooth and immersive as possible. The last thing you want is the reader seeing a weird phrase and being knocked out of their story immersion. It’s aimed at reducing the many glitches, speed bumps and snags that naturally happen during the building of a complex story, as well as enhancing all the good stuff (the evocative description, atmospheric details, engaging dialogue, tight pacing and the many tiny beautiful ideas).
You don’t want to spend hours making every sentence in a scene perfect and brilliant only to discover later that the scene is causing a major plot problem and needs to be rewritten. Get your story developed to its full potential first, and then polish the lines later.
What's the difference between the different editing types?
Manuscript Evaluation
In this edit, I read your manuscript at least twice, once for first impressions and to get the feel of the story and again to analyze the plot and character choices and how they work for the story and potential readers. This edit is perfect for early drafts or midway drafts, as it looks at the big-picture elements such as plot, structure, character, setting & story pacing.
You’ll receive this feedback in the form of a report (usually 10-12 pages) outlining the strengths and weaknesses, offering some personal coaching advice tailored to your needs, as well as guidance on how you might tackle your next draft. Think of it as a revision plan or a road map that will help you tackle the big issues first on your next draft.
Developmental Editing
This is a full readthrough of your manuscript with detailed margin notes and an editorial letter (revision plan) looking at big-picture elements (overall plot, structure, character, setting & pacing) as well as all the elements that go into building immersive scenes. The notes within the manuscript pinpoint specific strengths and weaknesses, and you’ll also receive suggestions for how you might resolve any issues and enhance your scenes at the paragraph level. This is best for early to midway drafts and for writers who are prepared to really roll up their sleeves and dig into revising or even rewriting if necessary.
You can expect to get notes on writing techniques and elements such as tension, suspense, foreshadowing, character development, believable and impactful dialogue, setups and payoffs, dramatic tension, external and internal conflict and how to immerse the reader and hook their attention and emotional investment.
Line Editing
A line edit is a complete readthrough of your manuscript with a focus on the sentence level. This is best for manuscripts that have already gone through developmental editing, critiques or beta reads and are ready to be honed, tightened and polished.
The line edit focuses on readability, clarity, consistency, narrative flow, tone, choice of descriptive details, micro characterization (dialogue, expressions, actions and reactions). I also catch and highlight distracting bugs, such as repetitions, redundancies, logical inconsistencies, cliches, awkward phrasing.
Suggested edits are made directly to the text using “Track Changes” (so you can use or discard whatever suits you), and you’ll also receive queries, feedback and coaching tips in the form of margin comments. These are tailored to your strengths and weakness and designed to help you make the best possible experience for your readers
Substantive (Content) Editing
The Substantive Line Edit is somewhere between the Line Edit and the Developmental Edit. It focuses more on the paragraph and scene level, with an eye to developmental issues. I’ll smooth sentences and look for bugs but also look at how entire scenes function in terms of dramatic tension, character conflict, atmosphere, suspense, foreshadowing, setup and payoff, developing character arcs and conflicts, enhancing worldbuilding, enriching settings, and increasing verisimilitude. It’s about immersing readers as much as possible, whether by tweaking lines or suggesting changes that could ripple out through the whole.
Do I need proofreading?
Yes! Your proofread is your last chance to make sure your manuscript is as polished as possible for your readers. After you’ve put in all that work writing, editing, and revising, it’s definitely worth giving the final draft a last polishing pass (or two) to get it as close to perfect as possible.
I highly recommended having your manuscript checked by fresh proofreaders who haven’t seen the text before. Errors may be missed or even introduced during the intensive editing and revision stages, and these errors can become invisible to anyone familiar with the text (because of the way our brains “helpfully” fill in the blanks).
Publishing a completely error-free novel would be something of a miracle even with a publishing house team behind you, but roping in one or more fresh proofreaders gives your manuscript its best shot.
I am not currently offering proofreading or copyediting services myself but I would be happy to refer you.
How long is the waitlist for editing?
My editing queue is usually 3-5 months long, so reserve your editing time well in advance. You can also ask to go on my waitlist in case something opens up at the last minute. This happens often as authors can easily find they need more time than expected to work on their draft.
To book your editing, send me your preferred dates and the approximate total page count of your project. Your deposit/retainer to reserve the editing time is 25% of the estimated project fee, which will be taken off the final invoice when your edits are delivered.
You’ll also receive a simple editorial agreement outlining the scope of the project and protecting both parties. Once that’s signed, your editing is booked! Now you can go ahead and make any last changes to the manuscript before our start date.
What will my editing project cost?
Your project fee depends on what editing service you’d like, the current state of your manuscript, and its word count. For an average sized novel (of approx 85,000 words), the editing could take between four to eight weeks and cost between $1,300 for a basic critique to $3,500 for an in-depth edit.
If you’re not sure which level of editing would best suit you, just use the contact form to send me a sample of the writing (the first chapter or pages), plus any relevant info (like whether the manuscript has been professionally edited for structure and plot already), and any specific concerns with the writing or budget limitations. I’ll get back to you within the next few working days to give you my recommendation on which editing would suit your manuscript best and a quote.
