Editorial Services
Developmental Editing
Does the story work?
Are my characters well-developed?
Is my writing engaging enough?
What’s missing here?
Developmental editing takes a holistic look at your manuscript to answer all of these questions and more. A developmental edit gives direction to ensure your story is well-structured, engaging, and perfectly paced before you move on to sentence-level edits.
I’ll examine elements like plot and structure, character, pacing, point of view, narrative voice, and writing style. You’ll receive feedback on what is and isn’t working, plus detailed explanations and thoughtful suggestions on how to improve.
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• In-line comments throughout the manuscript pointing to specific areas of improvement
• Editorial letter (5 – 10 pages) outlining high-level feedback and suggestions
• Optional 30 minute call to talk through feedback, address any questions, and strategize your next steps
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• Authors with a completed draft who seek to ensure their story is tight and well-paced, fix plot issues, further develop their characters, or get general writing and story feedback.
• Authors with a partial manuscript that seek help in further developing their story
*I highly recommend seeking developmental editing before moving on to line or copy editing.
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• Plot & Structure
• Character development
• Pacing
• Point of View
• Narrative Voice
• General writing quality
• Specific author concerns
Manuscript Evaluation
Is my manuscript ready for publication?
What’s my next step?
Are my plot, characters, and writing quality up to par?
A manuscript evaluation answers all of these questions in addition to offering high-level guidance on storytelling elements like plot, character development, narrative voice, and point of view.
A manuscript evaluation is a great first step in the editing process, especially if you’re not yet ready to commit to a developmental edit. I’ll take a holistic look at your manuscript to highlight what’s working and what could be improved, and I’ll recommend next steps with your unique goals in mind.
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• Editorial letter (5 – 10 pages) outlining high-level feedback and suggestions for next steps
• Optional 30 minute phone call to talk through feedback and address any questions
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• Authors who have a complete or partial draft and are seeking general guidance on story structure, plot, character development, and general writing quality
• Authors who are not yet ready to commit to developmental editing and are confident making high-level revisions on their own
• Authors who are unsure of their next revision step or if their manuscript is ready for publication
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• Plot & Structure
• Character development
• Pacing
• Point of View
• Narrative Voice
• General writing quality
• Specific author concerns
Line Editing
Great writing is about more than telling an engaging story—it’s about the language you use to tell it. A line edit works on the sentence level with attention to word choice, sentence structure, and flow.
During a line edit, I’ll comb through your manuscript line by line, using Word tracked changes to tighten sentence structure, improve flow, and make your writing as clear and impactful as it can possibly be, without ever compromising your voice.
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• Edited manuscript with changes, notes, and suggestions in Word tracked changes
• Clean manuscript incorporating all suggested changes
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• Authors with a completed draft who have made all structural and story revisions and are ready to improve their writing at the sentence level
*I highly recommend completing a manuscript or developmental editing before seeking line editing
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• Sentence structure and clarity
• Tonal consistency
• Repetition and redundancies
• Character voice and dialogue
Sample Edit
Editing is an investment, and choosing the right editor is a vital step in the process. To give you a feel for how I work, and to ensure you’re selecting the right kind of editing for your manuscript, I offer free zero-commitment sample edits to all first-time line editing and copy editing clients.
When you book a sample edit, I’ll ask some questions about your manuscript and what kind of editing you’re interested in. Then, I’ll edit your first 1,000 words to give you a feel for my editing style and what kind of feedback you can expect.
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• Line editing: Tracked changes in Word with sentence-level revisions and suggestions (1,000 words)
• Developmental editing: In-line comments and feedback on story hook, narrative voice, and general writing quality ( 1,000 words)
• Suggestions for next steps + a custom quote
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• Authors who are interested in working with me and want to ensure we’ll be a good fit
• Authors who aren’t sure about what kind of editing they need
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Line editing:
• Sentence structure
• Clarity and word choice
• Tonal consistency
• Repetition and redundancies
• Character voice and dialogue
Developmental editing:
• Story hook
• Point of View
• Narrative Voice
• General writing quality
Copy Editing
The last step in the editing process before a proofread, copy editing focuses on making your writing as clear and as clean as possible. During a copy edit, I’ll point out inconsistencies and correct errors of grammar, usage, and syntax while retaining your unique voice and style.
In other words, this is where we make sure your sentences are clear and properly punctuated, your word choice is solid, and your character names are spelled the same way in chapter one as they are in chapter twenty.
Copy edits adhere to the Chicago Manual of Style, 18th ed.
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• Edited manuscript with changes, notes, and suggestions in Word tracked changes
• Clean manuscript incorporating all suggested changes
• Style sheet
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• Authors who have already undergone at least one round of editing and are preparing their manuscript for publication.
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• Spelling and hyphenation
• Grammar and sentence structure
• Punctuation
• Tense issues
• Treatment of quotations, numbers and numerals, acronyms, and italics