Services for Writers

I offer consultation and editorial services for every stage of the publishing process, whether you plan to take the traditional publishing route or self publish. I have spent the past several years working in-house at an independent trade publisher and have worn many hats (acquisitions, editorial, marketing, and publicity). I am also a published writer. I bring insight from both sides to my work. In addition to book proposal and manuscript evaluation, I offer several levels of editing, which you can read about below. If you aren’t sure which service is the best fit for your project, please contact me to discuss. I also consider short projects, such as résumés, short stories, essays, query letters, and web copy. If you are in search of a writer, please reach out to learn more about what I offer.

To learn more about my rates and how I work, please visit the FAQ.

Book proposal Development and Evaluation

This is for nonfiction writers who are looking to find an agent to represent their project or plan to represent themselves to publishers. Most agents choose to represent (and most publishers buy) nonfiction manuscripts based on a proposal, not a full manuscript. Through this service, I can either help you develop an idea into a strong proposal or provide editorial feedback on a proposal you already have.

First Read / Manuscript Evaluation

This is for fiction and nonfiction writers who have an early draft of a manuscript and would like high-level feedback. Rather than manuscript edits (see Developmental Editing), you will receive an editorial memo outlining suggestions related to structure, organization, missing or redundant content, as well as to language for its overall effect (voice, point of view, tense, etc.). This is a less involved, more economical alternative to Developmental Editing, as it provides professional advice that you can then execute on your own in your next draft.

Developmental Editing

This is a big-picture edit for fiction and nonfiction writers that focuses on shaping the manuscript. I provide feedback on structure, organization, plot and pacing, missing content or context, redundancies, and the like. In addition to the editorial memo you would receive for a manuscript evaluation, I also provide feedback directly in the manuscript. I will suggest revisions that involve rewriting or tightening passages, reordering sections or chapters, removing or reordering content, and adding content.

line Editing

This is a sentence-by-sentence substantive edit that focuses on language for its overall effect. It’s for fiction and nonfiction writers who already have a firm grasp on organization, structure, plot, and other high-level work and would like their sentences polished. This edit focuses on correcting inconsistencies related to voice, point of view, and tense, as well as rewriting or tightening sentences to correct for ambiguity, imprecise language, clichés, repetition, gaps in logic, and similar. This edit does not focus on mechanical errors (see Copyediting).

Copyediting

This is a sentence-by-sentence mechanical edit that corrects errors related to grammar, syntax, usage, and style (capitalization, spelling, hyphenation, abbreviation, punctuation, and the treatment of numbers). In addition to an edited manuscript, you will receive a memo summarizing the edit and a style sheet that outlines deviations from my style and spelling guides, as well as matters of authorial preference and a list of proper names. This edit does not focus on substantive issues (see Line Editing).

proofreading

Proofreading usually occurs when your document is in its final form, such as typeset pages. This is a character-by-character edit that focuses on correcting typographical errors, end-of-line hyphenation, and overall appearance. It also examines all present design elements (running heads and feet, pagination, heading levels, spacing, etc.) to correct for accuracy and consistency across the work.

A Few Notes

Although some services include a basic fact-check, my services do not ensure the factual accuracy of your work. Factual accuracy is the sole responsibility of the author. At this time, I do not offer design or typesetting services, although I may be able to point you toward trusted colleagues who do. My services do not guarantee publication or placement with an agent, and at this time, I do not refer clients to publishers or agents. Lastly, I reserve the right to respectfully decline any project.