Why Comprehensive editing?
My literary services are brainstorm session and outline critique. My editing services are manuscript evaluation, developmental edit, line edit, copyedit, and proofread. You choose which service you want, and that will be my focus. However, I tend to incorporate components of other editing techniques in the process. That’s why my freelance business is called “comprehensive editing.” It covers a variety of editing styles and addresses different levels of editing.
I also encourage you to return to me for a combination of services, though that is not necessarily required. If you want multiple services, we can develop a customized package specifically for your needs. You may also stay with one service and choose to add an additional one later. Learn more about me.
Specialties
I enjoy editing novels featuring magic or the supernatural, including shapeshifters (especially werewolves), fae or fairies, witchcraft, dragons, mermaids, vampires, and elves. Below are the audiences I edit and a list of genres I edit for the various editing services I provide.
Audiences:
young adult (YA)
new adult (NA)
adult
Genres for manuscript evaluation or developmental edit:
fantasy (all subgenres)
mystery (all subgenres, particularly cozy mystery)
paranormal, including paranormal romance
clean or mild romantasy
occasionally other fiction, excluding horror or erotica
Genres for line edit or copyedit:
fantasy (all subgenres)
mystery (all subgenres, particularly cozy mystery)
thriller (most subgenres)
dystopia and utopia
paranormal, including paranormal romance
clean or mild romantasy
other fiction, excluding horror or erotica
Genres for proofread:
most fiction, excluding horror or erotica
Project quotes, booking availability status, and all the answers to your burning questions are just a click away. Fill in a form and I’ll email you, OR schedule a call with me.
Descriptions of my services are below, moving from big picture to fine detail. I accept debit cards and credit cards via Stripe.
BRAINSTORM Session
A brainstorm session features one-on-one calls to discuss your project. I will act as a soundboard to help you nail down aspects of your novel, climb out of a plot hole, figure out characters and world-building, discuss genre expectations and tropes, or work through other topics. This service is perfect if you’re stuck and need guidance. The length and number of sessions is up to you. I will review any notes you provide ahead of time. Each session comes with a summary of our call.
Rate: $120 per hour
Want to schedule a brainstorm session with me? Click a button below, fill out a questionnaire, and pay the invoice.
OUTLINE CRITIQUE
An outline critique reviews your outline and notes to assess what needs work now before you spend the time rewriting large portions of your novel. This critique examines genre conventions, themes, character arcs, plot, pacing, world-building, and more. I will write a brief editorial letter to discuss what works, identify what needs improvement, and ask lots of questions to help you think through the process. This service includes an optional thirty-minute follow-up meeting. One round can take one to five hours over several days.
Resources included: comments on outline, editorial letter
General turnaround: one week
Rate: $50 per hour
Manuscript Evaluation
A manuscript evaluation can occur in the early stages of writing, during rewriting, or any time a plan is needed. I read your manuscript once and provide an editorial letter detailing thoughts on plot, character development, world-building, writing style, and believability. At least twenty pages long, the letter addresses aspects of your project that do and do not work well, with both explanations and examples. If needed, this service assesses which chapters or scenes need to be cut and which ones need to be expanded. Once edits are complete, you receive the letter and can schedule a follow-up conversation. During the phone or video consultation, I walk you through the letter, answer any questions, and discuss your next steps.
Resources included: editorial letter
Turnaround time: three to five weeks
Rate: $15 per 1,000 words
Developmental edit
Developmental editing, also known as substantive editing, tackles the whole picture, seeing what works and what doesn’t with more involved feedback than a manuscript evaluation. However, in a developmental edit, I read your manuscript twice, leaving comments and edits throughout the manuscript. My editorial letter is also longer (at least forty pages but often fifty to sixty pages) with a book map detailing information like summaries and plotlines and with a beat-by-beat inspection of your story structure. This service highlights the big developmental elements and provides concrete recommendations for actions to implement. It also provides suggestions to improve the writing quality, voice, story flow, and dialogue. Are the actions believable? Do you smoothly transition between scenes and provide all the necessary information? More substantive edits can also be made by adding, deleting, or reorganizing content. This stage helps you restructure and ensure your main themes and plot lines are clear.
Resources included: editorial letter, book map, edited manuscript
Turnaround time: four to eight weeks
Rate: $30-$40 per 1,000 words
A second round is available as an add-on at half the rate of the developmental edit. This add-on is the equivalent of a line edit.
Line Edit
Line editing, also known as stylistic editing, focuses on the words themselves and how they are written within a paragraph or a sentence. It highlights clarity, style, tone, and voice, ensuring what is said communicates well to the reader. The overall plot and structure should stand on its own, so line editing narrows in on the writing style within small sections, tightening and refining the language. Language usage is instrumental. Does it influence the reader properly and convey the right emotion or atmosphere? Do your sentences say what is intended in a precise manner? As such, some content can be reorganized at scene or paragraph level.
Resources included: style sheet, edited manuscript
Turnaround time: three to seven weeks
Rate: $20-$30 per 1,000 words
Copyedit
Copyediting, also known as copy editing, dives into the finer details of a manuscript. It looks at spelling, grammar, and punctuation, yes. But it also covers clarity, flow, diction, and accuracy. The story itself should be complete by this point, so this service is one of the final stages of editing. A crucial component of copyediting is internal consistency. Does everything match? Style sheets are created to document consistency for general style, characters, places, and the timeline. If any detail can be contradicted later, it is cross-referenced across the manuscript. Any major contradictions will be questioned and confirmed by you. This service includes a second half-pass round. After you review edits and make small edits in response to author queries, I will go through the manuscript again, targeting only areas where you made changes to make sure everything looks good and to make minor tweaks if needed.
Resources included: four style sheets, edited manuscript
Turnaround time: two to six weeks
Rate: $20-$30 per 1,000 words
A full second pass is available as an add-on at half the rate of the copyedit. In this add-on, I read the entire manuscript entirely after you review the copyedit to clean up everything.
Proofread
Proofreading is the final stage before publishing, scrutinizing the bare bones of editing: spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Manuscript content is not reviewed. The manuscript should be formatted for printing by this point, so this service looks solely for any remaining mechanical edits that everyone else missed or were created during formatting. Checking formatting issues or ensuring conformity with a style guide is available upon request. Proofreading also inspects layout consistency, including page numbers, headers, chapter titles, and line or page breaks.
Resources included: edited manuscript
Turnaround time: one to four weeks
Rate: $10-$20 per 1,000 words