My Editing Philosophy
As an avid reader for most of my life, I have found that I enjoy picking apart any book or manuscript I am reading. For my editing services, I will put this passion to work by examining your manuscript for various aspects of language and grammatical mechanics. I do not differentiate a line/content edit from a developmental edit in the services I provide. I feel the types of edits are directly related to each other and must be conducted simultaneously to ensure a fine-tuned final product is produced that is ready for publication.
After speaking to a variety of authors, I have come to the realization that many would rather edit their manuscripts on their own as opposed to hiring an editor. This could be done for a variety of reasons including cost, time, and return on investment. As I enjoy hunting down those pesky mistakes that are easy to overlook, I feel that I will provide you with a great value in terms of cost and ROI by combining the two primary editing services into a single product. One thing I believe is that cost should not be a limiting factor in receiving a high-quality edit.
For ease of understanding to those who may be new to what editing entails, I have broken down the typical types of edits performed across the field. Please note, I include both editing techniques in a single service. The below breakdown is provided as a reference to the areas of your manuscript that I will scrutinize in great detail during each phase.
Process
- Information gathering: Should you decide to hire me as an editor, I request basic information from you, including word count, return timeline, if you have any specific questions relating to your manuscript for me, etc.
- Line editing (small picture stuff): This is the first phase of the editing process and focuses on the core language and grammatical mechanics of your script.
- Developmental editing (big picture stuff): This next phase involves looking at the plot, flow, and consistency aspects of your script.
- Return for review: I will return the final edited product to you for review.
- Proofread: This optional final phase (included in my editing service for free or available as a standalone service) allows me to perform a final check of your revised script. After going through my initial suggestions and incorporating any new details into the manuscript per beta-reader recommendations, just send it all back to me for another look-through.
All of that said, my pledge to you directly aligns with my business tagline. Your words will become my world as I comb through your manuscript. I will provide the best service I am able and work with you until you are satisfied with the final result.
If you are looking for something other than what I have listed here, please feel free to contact me with specific requirements.
NOTES:
- While I will edit for any genre, my specific interest areas include paranormal, supernatural, historical romance, mystery, drama, YA, mystery, horror/thriller, post-apocalyptic, science fiction, crime, and drama.
- I strive to be as thorough as possible with any edit I undertake; however, things will slip through the cracks. After all, I am only human. I can assure you that I will strive for a product as error-free as I am able.
- Any edits or recommendations I provide through my services are just that, recommendations. You are free to accept or reject my recommendations based on your desired outcome for the story. My goal is simply to provide you with my input on your script.
- I specialize in Chicago formatting and stylistic rules.
Line Edit
The line editing phase of my service is what most authors associate with a typical edit. During this phase, I focus on items you would see marked up during a “red pen” edit of a standard paper. The following is a sample of items that I will be checking within your manuscript:
- Capitalization
- Grammar
- Pacing
- Phrasing
- Punctuation
- Repetition
- Spacing
- Spelling
- Syntax
- Tense use (Past/Present/Future)
- Word choice
- The consistency of use for all of the above
- Various other writing and language mechanics
Developmental Edit
For the developmental phase of editing, I move away from language and writing mechanics and focus on the story itself. During this phase, I look at the following, not all-inclusive, list of manuscript content:
- Backstory – Do you provide adequate details to the reader to help them visualize your world and see your characters? Does the story remain consistent between entries in a series?
- Coherence – Do your words come across clearly and to the point, or do they require some tweaking to really drive your vision home for the reader?
- Dialogue – Is it clear who is speaking when dialogue is occurring? Do you have an over-reliance on typical “he said, she said” style tags?
- Organization and Structure – Does the story flow well between different plot points? Did you have a sudden shift in the storyline without a smooth transition for the reader?
- Plot – Did you leave any questions unanswered throughout the story? Does the story remain consistent between chapters in a book or between entries in a series? Do you have any gaps in the plot that should be addressed in order to make the story complete?
- Point of View – Are you consistent with the point of view used throughout the story?
As you will notice, consistency is one of the major themes with any of the edit recommendations I provide. With a consistent adherence to your particular style, the reader is more likely to be drawn into your world.
Unlike the line edit phase, comments and markup generated through this type of edit may involve the rewording or restructuring of individual sentences, paragraphs, or sections of content throughout the manuscript. This list scratches the surface of the edits you can expect from my services.
Proofreading Service
Once I have completed both of the above editing phases, I will return the edited script to you. This will give you a chance to accept or reject any recommendations I have made. This will also allow you to address any questions, as you see fit, that I present to you about the script in my track-change comments. Once in final draft form, and if you desire it, I will perform a final proofread of your script with any edits you make.
Alternatively, I offer a standalone proofread service that checks for major errors on a script that is near-ready for publication. This can serve as a second set of eyes should you desire it.
Pricing
My service is competitively priced and aligned with the recommended pricing published by the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) [1].
For service pricing, I charge using a per-page rate. I follow the industry standard definition [1] for a page of text as being 250 words regardless of the actual manuscript page count. To calculate an estimated cost for a specific service, take your total content word count, divide it by 250, and then multiply it by my per-page rate.
I will work with you on pricing and the number listed below is designed to serve as a baseline for cost estimate purposes. Please contact me and I will tune this cost for you based on a sample of your script, the required timeline, and any specific requirements you may have. I am one hundred percent certain that I can come to an arrangement that meets your needs.
| Service | Cost per page |
|---|---|
| Copyediting | $1.00/pg |
| Proofreading | $.50/pg |
NOTE: Upon entering into an agreement for my services, a deposit of 1/2 of the total service price is required prior to work beginning. The remaining 1/2 is due upon receipt of the completed manuscript.
NOTE 2: My service includes subsequent edits for modifications to your manuscript as a result of changes due to recommendations from my original edits or beta-reader recommendations to your work.
[1]: Editorial Freelancers Association Published Standard Rates: https://www.the-efa.org/rates/Sample Edits
Of course, I provide FREE sample edits. Just send me about 2,000 words, give or take, and I’ll give you an idea of how I work. Then you can decide if you think we’re a good fit to work together. If you do, those 2,000 words will be deducted from the total fee.