Pricing & Services

+ Structural edit

Does not include copy-editing for errors [see “Copy-edit” below]. This can be the most extensive editing service. It involves zooming in on elements of your writing such as structure, style, voice, tense, themes, reader intrigue, pace, (and more applicable to fiction writing), character development, narrative structure, and plot development. This level of editing is where major changes to your text are most likely to occur; it is finalising and defining what your manuscript is going to be.

What you can expect from me:

As standard, I will use Track Changes to track all comments, but I will make very few amendments to the text itself. As standard, I will comment throughout the text regarding the elements of writing outlined above. I will use my knowledge of the publishing industry and your intended audience to influence the best course of action to create a marketable book/article/text/etc. If changes are made, I will produce a style sheet with full disclosure of all amendments made to the manuscript and explain why they are there. This document will also include the majority of my written feedback. If this is something you might be interested in, please contact me.

Who this service is recommended for:

• Clients who have a full draft but know it needs reorganising and restructuring;

• Clients who feel the text needs more than a copy-edit;

• Clients who feel the text isn’t ready for a copy-edit;

• Clients who would like some technical evaluation of their work from an academic and creative perspective;

• Clients who would like guidance on how to improve elements of their writing. For example, how to write and create characters with more depth, or how to refine their own writing style.

+ Line Edit

Does not include copy-editing for errors [see “Copy-edit” below]. This edit focuses predominantly on language, style, and syntax at sentence and paragraph level. Therefore, it does not concern itself with correcting spelling, punctuation, and grammar: this happens in the copy-editing stage. Before a copy-edit, a line edit is preferable. After the reshuffling, cutting, and adding that occurs in the structural edit, your text will need to be checked for inconsistencies, stylistic recurrences, pacing issues, syntax, and clarity in sentence structure. In laymen’s terms, a line edit may involve shuffling sentences around to improve clarity — it improves the look and sound of clunky sentences. What you can expect from me:

I will use Track Changes to track all amendments and comments. I will make amendments and changes to your text to improve readability. This may include changing the structure of existing sentences to account for style coherency and legibility. For some this stage of editing may include extensive changes to the text or may be included in a thorough structural edit if requested by the client prior to work commencement.

Who this service is recommended for:

• Clients who are adamant the text will take on no further significant changes. Ergo, the structure and content are set in stone.

• Clients who feel certain that sentences need reorganising for clarity.

• Clients who feel they are happy with the piece overall but want a cleaner text.

• Clients who feel the text isn’t quite ready for a copy-edit.

+ Copy-edit

A copy-edit is heavily involved with correcting grammar, spelling, and punctuation. It omits errors in the text that might impede clarity, coherence, correctness (according to rules of the English language), and consistency.

There are two copy-editing services I offer: light and heavy edits.

Light edits are usually suggested under time constraints and serve to fix the most pressing errors quickly; spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar are prioritised, and it only concerns itself with amending errors. I will ignore words, phrases, and stylistic decisions that I would ordinarily query but are not incorrect. I will not change anything in the document that is grammatically correct, and I will only comment or query stand-out problems with clumsiness, wordiness, or inconsistencies in style if problematic enough.

Heavy edits are preferable (though sometimes unnecessary) and will fix problems with spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar, whilst working to improve the readability of the text regardless of error; I will go through your text with a fine-tooth comb. For occasional sentence level problems, I will re-shape sentences to improve clarity and ensure consistency of your preferred style. I will query all phrases and stylistic decisions that are not necessarily incorrect but create stand-out problems with clumsiness, wordiness, or inconsistencies in style: in many instances I will correct these myself. If I find that I need to do this often, I might suggest a line edit of your text be carried out first.

What you can expect from me:

I will use Track Changes to track all amendments and comments. I will change all incorrect uses of punctuation and grammar and will correct misspellings. If I make amendments to your text regarding consistency, this will be noted in the style sheet. For example, if I find an inconsistency in the use of oxford commas, I will amend the document to fit the most commonly used style: if there are five instances of oxford comma usage and twenty-seven instances of no oxford comma usage, I will edit the text to include no oxford comma usage. If there has been no line edit or an instance of an incoherent sentence occurs I may, on occasion, change sentence structure to ensure the sentence makes grammatical and syntactical sense. With more unanticipated and widespread problems, a large wordcount in need of line editing, I will suggest amendments in Track Changes commentary but may otherwise leave these sections as they are.

Who this service is recommended for:

• Clients who don’t want further significant changes to the text;

• Clients who want to make sure the text is free of minor errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar;

• Clients who are nearing the end of the project as a whole;

(If a copy-edit is done without earlier line or structural edits), Clients who are not looking for their text to be checked for structural and sentence level precision, but cares mostly about the legibility of the text, i.e, that it is without error.

To note: if a client approaches me with the aim to have their text copy-edited, upon checking the document to provide a quote, I may suggest a different edit is necessary before a copy-edit. Overruling this suggestion is perfectly fine, but please note that the suggestion for a different edit on my part is common and should not dissuade you.

+ Manuscript evaluation

Does not include copy-editing for errors [see “Copy-edit” above].

As an alpha reader I would read your manuscript before it has had any editorial attention; I act as the first reader of your unfinished novel and aim to offer feedback and helpful advice to help you understand where the strengths and weaknesses lie in your current draft. A developmental review can also act as a cheaper alternative to a structural edit, where I review the big structural issues you might need advice and guidance with. What you can expect from me:

I won’t make any amendments to the text itself, instead you will receive a Word document that outlines my best advice for your writing practice. In summary, the document will highlight problem areas and include suggestions on how to fix them. I will use my knowledge of the publishing industry, English grammar, and your intended audience to influence the best course of action to create a marketable book/article/text/etc.

Who this service is recommended for:

• Clients who seek structural advice on an early draft of their work;
• Clients who would like a technical evaluation of their work from an academic and creative perspective;
• Clients who feel the text needs more than a copy-edit and something akin to a structural edit but is on a budget;
• Clients who feel capable of going away and making suggested amendments on their own.

+ Project Management

Under certain circumstances, I am able to manage authors working on larger projects. Get in contact to find out if I am a good fit for you!