Services

What do I do?

I am a professionally trained editor for both fiction and nonfiction writing.

Most of the work I do is copyediting and line editing, which differ from both proofreading and developmental editing. Each is described under the headings below.

For all projects (outside of proofreading), I will cover the essentials:

• discuss your overall goals for the document,
• review your writing to make sure it is clear, coherent, consistent, and correct (the four Cs), and;
• perform general revisions focusing on grammar, tone, structure, and mechanical errors (e.g., punctuation and spelling).

If your document requires less work than a copyedit or line edit, I will suggest proofreading services. If it requires big picture editing, I will suggest developmental editing services.

Proofreading

If you have a document that’s in pretty good shape—and only needs a second set of eyes to catch major typos and grammatical errors—proofreading would be your best bet. Proofreading is the last chance to catch errors in a document before publication.

Copyediting

If you have a document that needs more than just proofreading, I can provide copyediting services. Copyediting can be as little as correcting grammar, spelling, and syntax or as in-depth as rewriting passages and restructuring a draft. Depending on what your goal is, I can provide a light, medium, or heavy edit.

• For a light edit, I will fix only major mechanical errors in grammar, spelling, syntax, etc. Rather than rewriting, rearranging, or revising the draft, I will point out longer segments that might need to be reworked.
• For a medium edit, I will do everything in a light edit in addition to suggesting revised text when appropriate. To a moderate extent, I will restructure the draft as appropriate to improve coherency or make suggestions to do so.
• For a heavy edit, I will make all the mechanical corrections as in a light or medium edit in addition to rewriting passages that may need extra attention. I will make changes to the structure of the document as needed and double-check facts and major plot inconsistencies (for fiction).

Line Editing

Line editing is similar to heavy copyediting, but the goal is somewhat different. For example, for a copyedit, my goal for a heavy edit is to turn a piece of writing that’s in relatively poor shape (i.e, it has numerous inconsistencies, grammatical errors, and incomplete sentences) into something that meets the four Cs of copyediting.

For a line edit, the writing might be in good shape, but my goal is to make sure that the style is consistent, the best words are used, and the tone is appropriate for your desired audience. Each sentence is scrutinized beyond the scope of a general copyedit. Think of copyediting as objective (it follows straightforward rules) and line editing as subjective (it follows the same rules but takes them a step further).

Developmental Editing

For documents that require big picture edits, I will work with you to identify plot holes, develop story elements, and make sure your characters are well rounded and realistic. A developmental edit is usually the first edit on a book manuscript before it is copyedited. If your project lies outside my area of expertise, I can refer you to a colleague who may be better suited to your field of work.

What are my rates?

Projects are billed per word, starting at $0.015/word. A 20% deposit is required for all projects.

What do I need from you?

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