About the Services

I offer several editing services for a wide variety of manuscripts. While I am most familiar with YA, NA, and adult fiction, particularly in the genres of fantasy, horror, paranormal, and sci-fi, I do accept manuscripts from other categories. However, I won't accept erotica or excessively violent pieces. I have additional experience with nonfiction and technical pieces, but my services for those are extremely limited, as I much prefer editing fiction. Most nonfiction pieces I edit are short articles and blog posts.

Although my services are geared toward indie authors, I work with traditionally published authors as well. Copy and line editing are specialties of mine. That being said, a vast number of the requests I receive involve developmental editing.

All documents are kept completely confidential, and all rights are retained by the author. I use the latest edition of the Chicago Manual of Style as my style guide and do all my edits in Microsoft Word using the Track Changes and commenting features. Any change or suggestion I make is always backed up with a rule or reason. If it’s simply a personal preference, I’ll let you know that too. My business is registered with the state of Pennsylvania and has been verified on Reedsy, Facebook, and Google.

Not sure if you're ready for the editing stage? Learn when it's time to call in a professional.

Manuscript Coaching — Full Editing and Critique

If your novel has been worked and reworked but you’re not sure how else to improve it, this service might be for you. It includes all the services listed below (broken down into four stages, including proofreading, with multiple passes during each) plus voice/video chats and guidance with outlining, author bios, blurbs, synopses, and query letters. I occasionally do some light ghostwriting in this service, but it's very limited. My goal is to coach you through your manuscript—not write it for you—and to teach you writing techniques that can be applied to future projects. It's the most detailed level of editing I can give, and it's often the best approach for newer authors.

I provide numerous comments and examples within your manuscript during each stage to help you better understand what works in your piece and what doesn't. I'll also address any specific or recurring stylistic issues, including filter words. To do so, I create custom content and proofreading checklists that are applied during the final stages. By the end of our revisions, you’ll have a fully edited manuscript, skills that will help you write your next book, and a much better idea of your strengths and weaknesses as a writer.

Manuscript coaching is easily the most popular and cost-effective service I offer. Because of that, I usually suggest getting in touch with me as early as possible if you're interested.

Please note: I only offer these services for completed manuscripts. However, if your book is finished but still undergoing polishing, that’s perfectly okay. I’d encourage you to reach out now anyway, as there’s usually a waiting period for larger projects. For feedback on early drafts or opening chapters of your manuscript, please contact me about workshops instead.

Content/Developmental Editing

Developmental editing is for those who have completed manuscripts but are struggling with the structure of the novel or underlying content elements. I can help you tweak your outline and rearrange scenes to deliver a more captivating story. Along those same lines, most clients who opt for developmental edits also request more detailed content edits. The detailed content edits focus on fleshing out characters, the environment, and the more complex layers of the plot. That includes assessing the subplots as well as the effectiveness of the narrative, point of view, and dialogue. I’ll also look for inconsistencies in plot, pacing, and general sentence structure. This service is best suited for short stories and full-length fiction. Three passes are included, as well as periodic voice/video chats.

Line Editing

Line editing is an in-depth look at the flow and structure of the prose. It takes into account sentence structure and variation, paragraph transitions, tense, vocabulary, dialogue usage and structure, and general wording of a piece to make the manuscript as smoothly written as possible. This type of editing is usually coupled with basic copyediting. It is used primarily for fiction, though it can be used in nonfiction as well. It includes two full passes.

Copyediting Plus Proofreading

Copyediting and proofreading consists of searching for typos and correcting basic punctuation errors. It also includes checking things like grammar, spelling, and consistency of such items. This kind of editing is ideal for manuscripts and nonfiction pieces that are complete and just need final touch-ups. It includes up to two passes.

If you feel as though none of my editing services meet your needs, feel free to contact me anyway! I’ll do my best to get you in touch with someone who might be a better match for your project.

Workshops

Short Story and Opening Chapter Workshops

I offer one- and two-hour workshops for short stories and opening chapters of novels. Similar to my manuscript coaching service, the focus in these workshops is teaching you the basics of strengthening the content of your story as well as the sentence structures within it. I do include some copyediting with the service, but it is very limited. The purpose is to teach writers how to hone their craft and edit their own work before submitting it for a full critique, which often saves you both time and money in the long run. I charge a flat rate of $45 for a one-hour session and $70 for a two-hour session.

Grammar and Punctuation Workshops

I also offer one- and two-hour workshops as crash courses in grammar and punctuation. In each, I cover your choice of any grammar or punctuation topic you'd like to improve upon. We can spend a short time on multiple topics or a longer amount of time on just a couple of topics. Whatever best suits your needs is how I adapt our time. Workshops for these include short exercises where we walk through the rules and cover examples together based on the guidelines in the Chicago Manual of Style. The main purpose is to help you identify your habits as a writer and familiarize yourself with the standard punctuation guidelines for fiction. The cost is $30 for a one-hour session and $50 for a two-hour session.

Rates and Payment

My rates vary depending on the scope of the project and the current state of the manuscript, but the general ranges for fiction are as follows:

  • Editing sample and manuscript assessment - FREE

  • Manuscript coaching—full editing and critique (includes four stages of edits with multiple passes and proofreading) - $0.03 to $0.045 per word

  • Content/developmental editing (up to 3 passes) - $0.019 to $0.025 per word

  • Line editing (up to 2 passes) - $0.014 to $0.021 per word

  • Copyediting plus proofreading (up to 2 passes) -$0.011 to $0.018 per word

I also offer workshops as well as flat rates for short stories and small nonfiction projects such as articles and blog posts. I typically do not accept large nonfiction projects unless they deal with writing craft tips or the process of publication.

My goal is to give you the fairest rate possible. By offering per-word pricing and flat rates, I'm able to give you the total cost up front. That means no unexpected costs. And while the rates for each project will vary depending on the state of the manuscript, they are competitive with many other fiction editors and fall in line with the price estimates given on Reedsy as well as the EFA standard rates. I offer payment plans as well and am happy to work with you according to your budget.

All transactions are currently handled through PayPal for efficiency and security. If you don't have a PayPal account, no worries. Once the invoice is emailed to you, you'll have the option to pay using a credit or debit card. And there are no additional fees for going that route; I cover them so you don't have to.

Assessments

For an estimated price on a specific project, you can contact me using the form on this site or by submitting your request via Reedsy. You can also email me with any additional questions you may have. Please include a short, two- to three-paragraph summary of the piece you would like edited, the total word count, and which editing services you're looking for. It’s also helpful for me to know your past publishing experience and any prior editing services your book may have received. I typically respond within 48 hours. If you haven't heard back by then, please resend your query.

In my response, I'll go over what I think the best options might be based on the scope of your project. I'll then ask you to send a small portion of your manuscript so that I can provide a free editing sample and assessment. For fiction pieces, the assessment includes overall thoughts about characters, plot, structure of the narrative, general style and flow of the prose, the grammatical state of the piece, and overall quality of the content. For nonfiction pieces, the assessment includes readability, how easy the piece is to interpret based on the audience for whom it was written, structure/layout of the content, style of the writing, flow of the prose, and quality.

All edits and comments are tracked using the latest version of Microsoft Word. If you don't have access to Microsoft Word or OpenOffice software, edits in another software program, such as Scrivener, Google Docs, etc., are available at slightly higher rates.