Manuscript Assessment
If you’ve just written a novel, memoir, or autobiography, having it professionally assessed is a vital first step—you might’ve ‘written’ it, but that doesn’t mean it’s ‘finished’. An assessment highlights a manuscript’s strengths whilst also providing constructive criticism on what might not be working as well. It also considers how it might sit in the publishing world.
If you’ve written and rewritten…then rewritten again…and again, an assessment can offer some clear guidance on how to improve things.
What’s included:
- A cover letter and report equivalent to 4,000 words covering all essential aspects—depending on the genre, but typically character, voice, plot, structure, themes, and setting.
- A word document of the manuscript marked up with comments leaving more localised feedback.
- A 15-30 minute call or Zoom consult.
NOTE: My rate is calculated by word count—based on the combined recommendations of the Editorial Freelancers Association and the Institute of Professional Editors—for manuscripts over 10,000 words. I offer a flat fee for assessments of short fiction and the first few chapters of manuscripts, under 10,000 words.
Structural Editing
Also known as developmental editing, this is the most daunting part of the editing process but also the most rewarding. A structural edit pays attention to a manuscript’s big-picture elements—chapter order and content, narrative, pacing, and length. It also involves multiple reads, firstly to get a sense of the work—how it reads, sounds, and works or doesn’t work from a reader’s perspective—and secondly, to start going more in-depth into the editing side of things.
A structural edit covers a lot of the same things as a manuscript assessment, just at a more complex level.
What’s included:
- A cover letter and report equivalent to 4,000 words covering all essential aspects of the manuscript (see ‘Manuscript Assessment’ above).
- A word document of the manuscript marked up with comments leaving more localised feedback and queries, as well as suggested edits in terms of chapter structure and arrangement.
- A 15-30 minute call or Zoom consult.
NOTE: My rate is calculated by word count—based on the combined recommendations of the Editorial Freelancers Association and the Institute of Professional Editors.
Line Editing
The nitty-gritty of editing. This stage pays attention to your prose at a line-by-line level, assessing and improving voice, style, language choice, and clarity. It also looks at paragraph structure. Whether a tiny sentence or page-long paragraph, line editing considers it all.
This starts the polishing of your manuscript whilst working to maintain your integrity as an author. It also partially corrects grammar but doesn’t offer a full copyedit.
What’s included:
- A word document of the manuscript with in-depth tracked changes, comments and queries.
- 2-3 rounds of edits.
- A style and vocabulary sheet summarising how I’ve maintained consistency for future edits.
- If needed, a 15-30 minute call or Zoom consult.
NOTE: My rate is calculated by word count—based on the combined recommendations of the Editorial Freelancers Association and the Institute of Professional Editors.
Copyediting
Having your work copyedited is essential, not only so your writing’s technical aspects—grammar, spelling, consistency, and readability—are correct, but professional. A copyedited manuscript guarantees your work is as polished as possible. It will be more likely to attract publishers, and if you decide to self-publish, it will match the quality of other works currently in the market. It’s also important that your writing is formatted to the industry’s standards—a wrongly spaced manuscript may be well written, but having it look unprofessional can deter publishers or even cause errors during typesetting. While copyediting, I’ll format your manuscript for you.
However, even less complex written content needs copyediting. For professional websites, marketing campaigns, and other copy, it still needs to checked to make it clear and free of errors.
What’s included:
- For manuscripts, an edited, formatted and styled word document with tracked changes, as well as comments flagging major errors or points of contention.
- A review round of edits.
- If needed, a 15-30 minute call or Zoom consult.
NOTE: For manuscripts, my rate is calculated by word count; for other forms of copyediting, my rate is per hour—both are based on the combined recommendations of the Editorial Freelancers Association and the Institute of Professional Editors.
Proofreading
Sometimes, after writing for so long, you develop blindspots; professional proofreading rectifies them. By getting your work proofread, you’re guaranteeing it’s as refined as possible. This is the stage where the final touches and shimmer is applied.
Proofreading also covers already typeset works; it looks for errors in spacing, incorrect stylisation and other layout inconsistencies.
What’s included:
- For manuscripts, a marked up word document consisting of any corrections and comments (when applicable).
- For typeset page proofs, a digital markup of any errors to be corrected by the designer.
NOTE: For manuscripts and page proofs, my rate is calculated by word count; for other forms of copyediting, my rate is per hour—both are based on the combined recommendations of the Editorial Freelancers Association and the Institute of Professional Editors.
Writing
This service covers a range of forms, genres and purposes.
Including, but not limited to:
- Feature pieces, articles and long-form prose.
- Reviews.
- Captions, alt-text and transcripts.
- News.
- Social media posts.
- Website copy.
- Reports.
- Marketing and corporate copy.
NOTE: My rate is calculated per hour, based on the combined recommendations of the Editorial Freelancers Association and the Institute of Professional Editors.
Combined Services
The costs of going through each editing stage separately can start to add up, especially for authors on a tighter budget, which is why most editors offer packages and combined services. You might need help with structural editing, line editing, and copyediting, but prefer to proofread independently; maybe you’d prefer having line and copyediting done simultaneously.
For combined services, rather than simply add up the cost of each service into a single fee, I apply a discount to achieve the best possible price.
NOTE: My rate is calculated by word count, based on the combined recommendations of the Editorial Freelancers Association and the Institute of Professional Editors.
Sample Edits
Having your work edited is an investment; it can take weeks to narrow down a list of potential editors, because the last thing you want is to be halfway through an edit and realise you don’t gel with your editor’s process or style. For a small flat fee, a sample edit can be a great way to gauge whether or not you want to work with an editor.
From a sample edit by me, you’ll get a sense of things such as: the tone of my feedback, how I work to maintain your voice as an author, early advice on potential stylistic choices, and queries to consider during a more intensive edit.
What’s included:
- A marked up word document consisting of a line and light copyedit on 1,000 words of your manuscript, with brief comments and queries.
NOTE: My fee for sample edits is based on the combined recommendations of the Editorial Freelancers Association and the Institute of Professional Editors.