COPYEDITING
Manuscript review for punctuation, grammar, usage, spacing, formatting, spelling, capitalization, style, consistency, usage, point of view, and wording / wordiness, review using Microsoft Word's track changes feature.
Who needs copyediting?
This services is for authors whose manuscript is structurally sound and no longer needs changes to the story. If your book was a house, you’d have a solid foundation, and the house would look exactly the way you want…you just need a little paint and some curtains to make someone want to buy the place.
LINE EDITING
Manuscript review for wording, cohesive presentation of ideas, organization, tone / voice, tense-shifts, style, wording, content, flow, plot, character, and readability.
Who needs line editing?
This service is for authors who have a manuscript in the early drafting stages and who need help figuring out what needs to be fixed to make it work. It’s also for authors who are stuck trying to fix issues in their manuscript. In the house-building analogy, you’ve got a foundation, but you need to do some serious renovation and reconstruction before you start painting.
DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING
For nonfiction authors, this is editorial support to develop a concept. This includes creating an outline, coming up with content sections, determining any rights and permissions, images, references, etc. necessary to take a project from start to finish. The editor and author have an ongoing relationship throughout the process.
For fiction authors, this is typically editorial support to breakdown a finished manuscript in very rough and early stages to help the author get a big-picture overview of the overall concept, themes, plot, character arcs, settings, etc., that help you ensure your overall vision is coming to life (or has the potential to).
Who needs Developmental editing?
This service is for authors who want to write a book, who have a partial draft, or who have a rough early draft who want support putting things together. In the house analogy, you’re still trying to figure out pouring the cement for the foundation. (Side bar: If you’re not sure how to pour foundation, don’t. Anything you build on top of a crappy foundation isn’t going to be structurally sound.)
AUTHOR COACHING
This is a hands-on ongoing arrangement where I help you write your manuscript. I provide you with whatever tools you need whether it’s a writing schedule and regular check-ins to peer review, critique, editing, platform building, query letter writing, etc.
Who needs author coaching?
This service is for authors who are first-time novelists, for people who just want to write that one book but who have no idea how to start, finish, or produce (or pitch) a manuscript, or for people who want to write but who acknowledge their need for someone to light a fire under their butt to get the thing done. In the house-building metaphor, you want to build your own house but you have no idea how, so you decide to watch some YouTube videos and go from there. (Except, instead of watching YouTube videos, you have a live coach.)
ADDITIONAL SERVICES
Manuscript critique
A detailed editorial letter of evaluation covering the manuscript's strengths and weaknesses, organization, theme, character arcs, plot, salability, marketability, and audience. Thing includes a formal overview of the manuscript's primary strengths and areas needing improvement. The editorial letter guides the author's focus when making revisions.
Query letter writing
I provide you a template letter you can easily customize and send to an agent or publisher. The letter will highlight the manuscript’s unique content, will show the author’s unique qualifications for writing the story, will showcase the author’s platform and existing audience reach, etc. I include a market analysis for the manuscript. If the author wants a letter for a specific agent, then the letter will be tailored to agency guidelines.
Proposal writing
I work with nonfiction authors to write a proposal to submit to agents ahead of writing a full manuscript.
AUTHOR WEB PRESENCE REVIEW / CONSULTATION
I review your website, blog, social media presence, etc. and give feedback. I can edit your blog copy, make recommendations for how to establish your web presence, and for how to build an audience on multiple social media platforms.