Are you ready to improve your writing? Wondering how all this works? First, send me an email and let me know which service you’d like to book. Include your manuscript, and I’ll let you know how much your project will cost and how long it will take to edit. If you’re not sure what kind of editing your project needs, I will review your writing and let you know what I think would work best for your project. I can also provide a free sample edit. This will give you an idea if you want a heavier of lighter touch. Once we have agreed on a service, deadline, and rates, I will send over a contract and an invoice for a down payment. You get to sit back and relax while I make your writing shine! I’ll send back your returned files, and we’ll see if anything needs further changes. Once finished, I’ll send an invoice for the remainder of your project total, and we’re done!

Here’s what you get with each service you book:

  • Unlimited e-mail access to me, free of charge. I’m here to answer all your questions!

  • One 30-minute phone call, if desired.

  • Two editorial passes. If you would like to make additional changes after receiving your edited work, I’ll perform a second pass free of charge.

  • A custom style sheet with a summary of changes made, for your own personal use and incredibly helpful to pass on to proofreaders or publishing companies.

Below you’ll find a detailed description of what each level of editing entails:

Proofreading

Proofreading is usually the last stage of the book editing process. It is a final check for any remaining typos before your manuscript is published. This service is ideal for manuscripts that have already been through one round of copy editing or manuscripts that have two or fewer errors per page. For this service, I will:

  • correct basic spelling, capitalization, and punctuation errors

  • correct any layout or formatting issues (font, spacing, etc.)

  • ensure references and captions are correct

Copy Editing

Copy editing makes your manuscript clean and consistent.

Copy editing fixes problems with spelling, grammar and consistency of language use. It includes editing for spelling mistakes, typos, punctuation problems, capitalization errors, and awkward grammar. I will also flag factual inconsistencies, edit citations, and ensure your manuscript adheres to the style guide of your choice. If your manuscript has not yet been reviewed, this is most likely the service for you. For this service, I will:

  • correct misspelled words

  • supply missing words; delete repeated words

  • misused words (e.g., effect for affect)

  • correct problems with subject-verb agreement

  • correct incorrect verb tense

  • fix unnecessary or missing commas

  • fix dangling or misplaced modifiers

  • correct problems with pronoun-antecedent agreement

  • flag incomplete or run-on sentences

  • correct faulty attempts at parallel construction

  • ensure consistency with numbering in charts and tables

  • ensure all hyperlinks work

  • advise if permissions are needed for images, songs, etc.

  • replace trademarked words with a suitable alternative

  • perform style editing (APA, MLA, CMS, or Turabian)

    • style headings and subheadings, titles, serial commas, numbers, acronyms, compound words, fonts, references, and illustrations in accordance with your preferred style guide

    • edit all in-text citations, footnotes, endnotes, and correlate parts. (Do all citations in the text appear in the references? Do all references appear in the text? Are all of the pages in the table of contents correct? Are all references to pages, tables, figures, captions and endnotes correct?)

Line Editing

Strictly speaking, a copy edit’s function is to find what’s wrong with your manuscript. A line edit seeks to improve your writing, making it the best it can possibly be. Is your language clear, fluid, and pleasurable to read? Does it make sense? Are there any redundancies or inconsistencies in the text? This is a more in-depth edit that addresses your creative content and writing style. Line editing includes everything performed during a copy edit (see above), plus I will add the following:

  • vary repeated verbs and adjectives

  • vary sentence length where needed

  • add dashes and parentheses where needed for clarification

  • shorten run-on sentences

  • add transitions to improve flow

  • rearrange paragraphs if needed

  • note areas where additional citations may be needed or the argument is weak

  • fix clunky or awkward swaths of grammar

  • supply rewrites for sentences that could use improvement