available Services

Line Editing  

(Rate: $0.015 per word)

Line editing comes after developmental editing (which I do not offer) and before copy editing. It primarily focuses on improving clarity, coherence, and readability by addressing sentence- and paragraph-level concerns while keeping your writing style intact. I'll go through your manuscript, line by line, focusing on these areas:

• Syntax
• Continuity
• Consistency of tenses, tone, style, and voice
• Enhancing the flow of the text
• Smoothing awkward transitions between sentences and paragraphs
• Rendering jargon or cumbersome words into plain language for clarity
• Resolving ambiguities and clarifying the author’s meaning or intention
• Limiting passive words. Improving unnatural dialogue
• Eliminating redundancies and repetition
• Removing unnecessary words to eliminate wordiness and tighten prose
• Limiting crutch words, vague words, flabby words, and overused adverbs ending in -ly
• Maintaining balance between character names and pronouns
• Limiting clichés
• Deleting similes and metaphors that are over the top or confusing
• Reordering sentences to ensure paragraphs are clear, coherent, and focused
• Adjusting sentence structure and length for variety, consistency, and balance

This service includes one round of line edits. (One round comprises multiple passes,) All edits will be made using The Chicago Manual of Style (18th ed.) and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate and Unabridged Dictionaries. I'll make all edits within the document using Track Changes and Comments in Microsoft Word.

Proofreading 

(Rate: $0.007 per word)

Proofreading is the last step before publishing so that any lingering mistakes that were missed or introduced during the previous editing stages can be corrected. It primarily focuses on identifying and correcting errors in spelling, punctuation, and formatting. I'll review your manuscript searching for the following errors:

• Stray typos
• Missing words
• Double words
• Spelling mistakes
• Punctuation errors
• Continuity issues
• Remaining word choice confusions
• Incorrect grammar, mechanics, or usage
• Missing or misplaced punctuation
• Inconsistent fonts, italics and bold text
• Basic formatting errors or inconsistencies

All edits will be made using The Chicago Manual of Style (18th ed.) and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate and Unabridged Dictionaries. I'll make all edits within the document using Track Changes and Comments in Microsoft Word.

Copy Editing 

(Rate: $0.009 per word)

Copy editing comes after line editing and before proofreading. It primarily focuses on ensuring accuracy, consistency, and adherence to style guidelines. I'll examine your manuscript concentrating on these areas:

• Spelling, capitalization, and punctuation
• Grammar, mechanics, and usage
• Correcting stylistic inconsistencies (names and spelling, treatment of numbers, switching between US and UK conventions, etc.)
• Reworking run-on sentences and sentence fragments
• Cleaning up sentences with missing or duplicate words
• Maintaining proper dialogue punctuation
• Checking for parallel structure
• Ensuring correct use of words, idioms, and figures of speech
• Flagging continuity errors (character traits, movement and placement, setting descriptions, etc.)
• Light fact checking

This service includes one round of copy edits. (One round comprises multiple passes.) All edits will be made using The Chicago Manual of Style (18th ed.) and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate and Unabridged Dictionaries. I'll make all edits within the document using Track Changes and Comments in Microsoft Word.

Submission Guidelines & Process

• Use the Contact Page to email me with questions, discuss availability, or schedule services.
• For new clients, I'll happily complete a sample edit or proofread (1,000 words or less from the middle of your manuscript) to make sure we are a good fit.
  
• A $150 nonrefundable deposit is required to hold specific dates on my project calendar. (The deposit is $50 for projects under 20,000 words.) This deposit will be credited toward your final invoice unless you cancel.
  
• The minimum charge for any project is $50.
  
• I'll send you a service contract to review and digitally sign. After you sign it, I'll send an invoice for the deposit to reserve your service.
  
• All manuscript submissions should be sent in Word document format by our agreed-upon start date. I'll make all edits within the document using Track Changes and Comments.
  
• The day I start working on your manuscript, I'll send an invoice via email for the balance of your editing cost (minus the deposit).
  
• Payment must be made in full before I return your edited manuscript.
  
• If you're unable to send the manuscript by the day you've booked, I'll make my best effort to squeeze you in between other projects, but I can't promise to finish the edit by the original date I quoted if you submit your manuscript late.
  
• If you need to reschedule, please contact me as soon as possible—the earlier the better. I'll do my best to accommodate you, but I can't guarantee a spot on my calendar if it's fully booked.
  

Combined Line & Copy Editing  

(Rate: $0.02 per word)

This service combines everything listed under line editing and copy editing above. It includes one round of line/copy edits. (One round comprises multiple passes.) All edits will be made using The Chicago Manual of Style (18th ed.) and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate and Unabridged Dictionaries. I'll make all edits within the document using Track Changes and Comments in Microsoft Word.