I have worked as a developmental and a copy editor on adult, with a handful of young adult books. You can see some of the books I’ve worked on under BOOKS.
If you want to hire me as editor, please CONTACT me through the contact page.
Yeah, this page is a very simple, nothing fancy and pretty. No, I don’t have an English degree or editing certifications from an organization. All I got is over a decade experience with four different small publishing houses and over one hundred manuscripts, some of which are award-winning books. I’m a pretty good choice for independent (indie) authors, micro-presses, and brushing off a manuscript before sending it to an agent. I have worked with a lot of new authors as well as several experienced ones.
I have worked on mostly genre fiction, with a couple-few non-fiction in the mix. Genre fiction categories I have worked with include all the speculative [science fiction (hard, military, space opera), fantasy (high, low, cozy), urban fantasy, and horror] as well as mystery, romance (sweet, erotica), superhero, woman’s literature, and thriller. I adore mash-ups of genres, with science fiction cross-overs being some of my best work. I am better at books aimed at adults than young adults. I haven’t attempted middle grade, chapter books, or children books and haven’t read enough of the materials directed at these audiences to be a good editor for them.
Prices are for a single pass and I will consult to explain comments for up to two weeks after the review is returned. Payment required is half up front when the manuscript is transferred, and half within a week of the edit’s delivery to the author. Minimum charge is $100.
Developmental Editing
2 cents per word
Focus is on the story. Pacing, character development, plot, continuity. Are there hooks? Are the beats at the right points? Do chapters need to be moved around or combined? Do scene transitions work? Do you have the right Point of View? Is the book booking and the plot plotting? Big Picture down to Chapter and Scene.
Copy/line Editing – This is my specialty!
1.5 cents per word
Focus for copy and line editing is on word and sentence choices. But also continuity of objects, paragraph returns, voice in relation to individual characters, and timelines. All of this is polishing your story for readability. Most authors are aware of the story-smithing of developmental editing and the final-sweeps of proofreading, but copy and line editing are where the WORDS go from being written on the page to being written in the mind. Focused Picture from Chapter and Scene down to Sentence and Word.
Proofreading
I do not offer proofreading services. If I run across a proofreading issue while copyediting, I will mark it, but I don’t read a manuscript specifically with proofreading in mind.
Proofreading is the last stage of editing before formatting, to catch punctuation, misspellings, grammar, and other typographical errors. Sometimes, it is called Mechanical Editing. Small Picture from Word down to Letter, Punctuation, and Spacing.
Copyedit Sample Work Welcomed
6,750 words for $100
I highly recommend, if you have a long manuscript and want a copy/line edit, to do a $100 test. This allows you (1) to verify my editing style matches your needs and (2) find out some of the basic issues and get them fixed before a full edit (saving you time). Examples of common issues that carry throughout are dead words (“that” often can be removed without changing anything) and talking heads (forgetting to have narrative interspersed with dialogue so the scene reads like a script for play rather than a book). Getting a sample done allows wide-spread issues to be discovered and addressed, leaving focus available for timeline and continuity issues when the whole manuscript is reviewed. You can choose any part of the book for the copyedit, but please indicate where it falls in the book.
Developmental writing cannot be done as a sample, as the overall cohesion of the book is necessary.
Non-Fiction Editing
As non-fiction complexity varies greatly by audience, topic, and purpose, please CONTACT me for pricing and what sort of editing is required (content/structural editing (fiction calls it developmental), line, and proofreading). If a specific style is required for the editing process, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago, please specify. Pricing will range from 2 to 5 cents per word depending on the requirements, and the minimum charge is $500.