Services

Manuscript Evaluation ($499)

Swift, X-ray-like insights into your draft. Included is an editorial letter—not unlike that included with the Full Manuscript Edit, above—only shorter (3–5 pp., single spaced). Manuscript evaluations include (1) a list of the 3–4 most important strengths and 3–4 most important revision opportunities in the manuscript, (2) a 1–1.5 page analysis of those strengths and opportunities, and (3) 1–1.5 pages of recommendations based on those strengths and opportunities. The manuscript evaluation is a great option for authors on a budget or for authors at an earlier stage in the drafting process who want to know whether they’re headed in the right direction. WHAT YOU GET A thorough read and a detailed, 3–5 pp. (single spaced) document comprising strengths, revision opportunities, and suggestions

Manuscript Evaluation

Full Manuscript Edit

Full Manuscript Edit ($0.04–$0.06 per word)

The Full Manuscript Edit is a developmental edit (sometimes called a content edit) and is the most thorough and transformational service I provide. With it comes the same level of craftwork and insight you'd expect from an experienced, attentive, collaborative in-house editor. By the time we're finished, not only will you have more fully captured on the pages your idea, story, voice, and vision, but you'll also have writing and revision tools and techniques that will last a lifetime. In addition, you’ll have given your book a much greater chance at success in the marketplace. Despite what any given guide on craft might lead you to believe, nonexistent is a one-size-fits-all approach to telling a story, deploying a persuasive argument, or equipping a reader with a new set of tools or perspectives. Some of the most moving and memorable books are those that bend conventions—and that do so with intent, artistry, and a keen sense for how a reader will receive a story or information. That said, there are go-to lenses through which I evaluate manuscripts and hone editorial suggestions, with your vision in mind. Here’s a (non-exhaustive) set of them: NONFICTION:

The audience, the market, the message, the “promise” of the book, and how effectively that promise is kept
Fractal structure and flow—the effective organization of narratives, subjects, concepts, theses, and arguments at the paragraph, section, chapter, and book-wide level
The strength of the stories, examples, and citations meant to illustrate and fortify the book’s key points
Opportunities for greater concision or consolidation, or to excise unnecessary or inadvertent redundancy or repetition
Opportunities for expansion
Cohesion and coherence
Tone and the consistency of your signature voice

FICTION (and often narrative nonfiction):

The hook, and the strength and momentum of those critical first pages and chapters
Character growth, development, and transformation
Conflict and stakes
Structure, story, and plot
Scenework
The middle-of-the-book “sag”
Telling and (not vs.) showing
Point of view
Pacing
Tension and suspense
Opportunities for more polished prose
In genre fiction, an understanding—though not a handcuffed one—of any given genre’s generally accepted conventions

WHAT YOU GET
Standard

Editorial letter. A thorough memo chock-full of big-picture observations, analysis, insights, and actionable suggestions (8–12 pp. single-spaced, minimum)
Margin notes and/or end-of-chapter notes. Copious notes in your MS Word manuscript that target further opportunities for revision

Optional add-ons

Second review. A close look at your revisions after the first round Fee: 75% discount from original edit.
Line edit. A voice- and message-preserving line-by-line polish, with an eye toward prose with greater rhythm, drive, authority, clarity, and concision. The line-editing pass comes after developmental editing. Fee: 25% discount when bundled with Full Manuscript Edit. See Line Editing section below for further detail.
Query and synopsis review/edit (fiction and memoir). If you plan to go the traditional-publishing route, I’m happy to review and edit your query and synopsis letter. Fee: $199 (a 50% discount when bundled with Full Manuscript Edit).
Proposal review/edit (nonfiction). If planning to go the traditional-publishing route, I’ll review and edit your book proposal. Fee: $375 for up to 4,000 words (a 50% discount when bundled with Full Manuscript Edit).

Line Editing ($0.03–$0.05 per word)

Traditionally, a line edit comes after developmental feedback (editorial memo + manuscript notes) and before a copy edit (a more technical edit). All edits are tracked in MS Word and up to you to accept/reject, and the goal is never to change an author’s (or character’s) signature voice—on the contrary, it’s to enhance it. Line editing is what it sounds like: a thorough, line-by-line edit of the prose itself, with a particular view for the following items, where appropriate:

unintentionally “echoed” (glaringly overused) words and phrases
confusing passages
grammatical miscues
dialogue tags and mechanics
narrative consistency
word choice
transitions and paragraphing
line-level ambiguity
unnecessary wordiness or line-level redundancy
passive and active voice
repetitive passages
line-level concision
unmistakable/egregious typographical error

WHAT YOU GET
Standard

First pass: An MS Word document with tracked changes and margin comments plus a cover memo that summarizes the approach, touches on the most common opportunities encountered, and outlines next steps
Second pass: Once you’ve reviewed the first pass and have revised how you see fit, a final “clean-up” pass to clear the document of remaining tracked changes and prep it for copyediting

Optional add-on

A copy edit, in a separate pass. Fee: 50% off if bundled.

Copyediting ($0.02–$0.04 per word)

Copyediting is available only for authors who’ve already had their manuscript developmentally edited and line edited, either by me or another professional editor. The copyedit is a technical edit every professionally published book is subjected to, and it is concerned primarily with format, spelling, punctuation, grammar, syntax, and stylistic and narrative consistency—the kinds of things that conform the manuscript to US publishing standards—and includes a reasonable amount of fact-checking. Copy edits are performed by closely referencing trade publishing’s “bibles,” including The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed., and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed. Unlike a proofread, which is performed with typeset pages, a copy edit is conducted within the MS Word manuscript file. WHAT YOU GET

First pass: An MS Word document with tracked changes and margin comments/queries where necessary, (2) a thorough style sheet that details the reasons behind the most common edits, and (3) a cover letter summarizing the approach and outlining next steps
Second pass: Once you’ve reviewed the first pass and have revised how you see fit, a final “clean-up” pass to clear the document of remaining tracked changes and prep it for production

Line Editing & Copyediting

My first recommendation, especially if you're a first-time author, is to spend $0.00 by gathering feedback from beta readers. That is, not friends or family—whose observations are rarely objective or disinterested—but rather those who regularly analyze literature for fun and who are prepared to deliver thoughtful, detailed, candid feedback. These individuals can often be found in real-life or online writing groups that gather regularly. Writer's Digest has a brief but useful guide worth the read.

The Full Manuscript Edit is valuable for any author planning to publish—traditionally or independently—who's prepared to make a serious investment into their craft and literary career, especially if any of the following scenarios fit you:

This is your first book and you've never before worked with a developmental editor who's both craft- and market-minded

You're prepared to publish independently but understand the value that traditional-like editorial relationships bring

You've published a book or two traditionally but have decided to take the independent route with your next one and want the same (or better) editorial experience

You want to go the traditional route and begin submitting your manuscript to agents or publishers, but whereas you realize acceptance isn't guaranteed, you want to do everything you can to increase your chances

The Manuscript Evaluation is a great option if any of the following fit:

Your budget for big-picture feedback is limited

You'd like to test the waters of an editorial relationship

You're on a rapid deadline and want big-picture feedback more quickly than the timeline a Full Manuscript Edit would entail

You have a partial manuscript or perhaps merely an outline and/or character sketches and want early, pathfinding feedback before investing further time and energy into your book

You've already published your book, it's not getting the traction you expected, and you'd like insights into the possible reasons why

Line Editing & Copyediting are crucial pre-publication editorial steps available for authors who've already received and incorporated professional, big-picture editorial feedback.

If you're still not sure what's right for your project, contact us!
There's always a bit of risk working with someone new, and developmental level editing is to some degree subjective—different editors might give different notes and suggestions, have a different style of communicating, and so on. But there are many ways to reduce the risk, and you can start with some detective work:

What are other people saying? We’ve got testimonials all over the website (and a ton extra stashed in a file cabinet somewhere—we’ll look for them if you ask).

How long have you been in the book business? Age is just a number, but nearly twenty years' experience is a good sign. Another good sign: the editors can quantify their experience in some way. We stopped counting somewhere around 10 million words edited and hundreds of authors and clients served.

What are your specialties? This one deserves an FAQ all its own. See below.

Can I see a sample of your work? A good editor works to preserve the privacy of clients and usually avoids getting into the on-page details of the work done with them. But good editors are often happy to conduct a sample edit on your work, usually up to about 1,250 words or so, if they feel they're the right fit for you.

And perhaps most importantly: Are you going to be a pain in the ass to work with? This is a biggie. Editors have different styles. Some are too brutal. Some are too nice at the expense of candor. Some are just amateurs. Our clients call us “professional” and “creative,” and some even tell us that, after having worked with a string of so-so editors, they wish they’d hired us from the beginning.
Generally speaking, some specialties are media based: books, whitepapers, websites, online-learning modules, A/V scripts, articles, blogs, etc. Other specialities are genre/category based: fiction, nonfiction, sci-fi and fantasy, business and leadership, personal development, popular science, etc. And some are skills based: developmental editing, line editing, coaching, ghostwriting, and so on.

I have worked in all these dimensions. But currently I focus most often on

developmental editing with book-length fiction and nonfiction

fiction genres: literary fiction, science fiction, and thrillers and mysteries

nonfiction subject matter: memoir, media and pop culture, popular science, and current affairs. I also work with business leaders and entrepreneurs with strong, time-tested frameworks they'd like to share in book form.

That said, skilled editors and writers are versatile, adaptable, and capable of bringing fresh, cross-disciplinary perspective to any number of projects.
A Full Manuscript Edit can take 5–8 weeks or more, depending on how much revision and consultation is involved, how many passes and options the service entails, and how long an author takes to revise. Manuscript evaluations take 2–3 weeks to complete, and line edits and copy edits each take 2–4 weeks.
Excellent! Check out the contact page, and we’ll take it from there.