All edits will be done in Word with tracked changes turned on.
Interested in more than one round of editing? I offer a 10% discount for booking a combination of line edits, copy edits, and/or proofreading.
Editing Services
Line Editing - $0.014/word
A line edit is a detailed look at word choice, sentence structure, consistency of voice, point of view, tense, and more. It includes addressing overuse of specific words, catching continuity errors, ensuring dialogue is realistic, and streamlining passages that may be cumbersome or awkward. A line edit does not focus on grammar, punctuation, or spelling, although if I see something glaring I probably won’t be able to keep myself from making the correction.
I will request a sample of pages from the middle of the manuscript to determine the amount of work and length of time involved, but typically a line edit up to 100,000 words will take 3-4 weeks to complete.
Copy Editing - $0.008/word
Copy editing is the nitty-gritty work. At this point, the actual writing of your manuscript will be as close to complete as possible, and I will be focused on spelling, grammar, punctuation, fact-checking, etc. Copy editing and line editing can overlap, and at this stage I will still make corrections dealing with things like repeated words or issues with tense, but at this stage in the editing process most of those issues should already have been addressed.
For manuscripts up to 100,000 words, a copy edit will take 2-3 weeks to complete.
Proofreading - $0.008/word
Proofreading is the final-final step before hitting the “publish” button on your manuscript or sending it to an agent. I will do a final pass through the manuscript to look for anything that may have been missed curing the copy edit stage. This often means catching a misplaced comma, a double or missing space between words, mis-numbering of chapters, etc.
Proofreading takes the same amount of attention to detail as copy editing. I will read your manuscript just as closely in both stages, and if I notice something that should have been caught in the copy edit, I will address it in the proofread.
For manuscripts up to 100,000 words, a proofread will take 2-3 weeks to complete.
Additional Services
Content Pulls - $20/hr spent
Do you have a finished and/or published book that you want to create marketing materials for, but just don’t have the time or desire to read through it yet again and pull out sections of text to use in slides or videos? Let me do the work of identifying quotes and passages that will grab the attention of potential readers and have them rushing to hit “buy now” on your book.
I will read through the book and send you a Word document containing the passages and quotes I think will work best to get your story noticed on social media, labeled with the chapter each passage is from and broken down line-by-line to make creating those quote slides as easy as possible for you. Email me to request a sample of what this will look like.
Format Checks - $20/hr spent
Is your manuscript formatted and ready to go, but you want to be absolutely sure there are no issues with spacing, font, chapter numbering, etc.? I can go through it with a fine-tooth comb to set your mind at ease. This won’t be a proofread (although if I notice something that should have been caught during a proof or copy edit I will note it if you would like me to), but it will ensure that your PDF or ePub document looks perfect before you publish. This will typically take about 2 hours per file, depending on the length of the manuscript. Email me to request a sample of what formatting check notes will look like.
Formatting - $120
Need somebody to format your book in Vellum? I’ve got you covered. I will get your book ready to be both printed and sent to ereaders, including a formatting check as outlined above for both versions.