Editor ​Responsibilities

As your editor, I promise to accurately represent my skills, knowledge, and background. I will bill you fairly and accurately, within the bounds of our agreed-upon terms. Your information is safe with me; I keep all of your information confidential. I will not agree to terms that I believe are not feasible. If problems develop--especially those related to budgets and schedules--I will notify you in a timely manner. In all cases, I try to resolve problems fairly.

Author ​Responsibilities

As the author, you are expected to ​accurately represent the work you want performed. You should allow your editor to evaluate your project before any terms are set--indeed, you should even demand this. If you believe that any terms are not feasible, do not agree to them. If you encounter any changes that may or will affect your editor--especially concerning budgets, schedules, and project scope--give notification in a timely manner. Uphold the terms of the contract, particularly concerning payment. If issues develop, try to resolve them fairly. Represent your editor's work accurately to other writing professionals, including those who ask for references.

A general word about fees... 

I use the editorial rates outlined by the Editorial Freelancers Association as a guideline. Not all editing projects are the same. Sometimes it makes more sense to use a word count as the basis for a quote; other times, an hourly rate is more appropriate. If a project is very involved, a flat project rate may be used. Some of the considerations to take into account are the size of the work, the turnaround time, the level of complexity, and the degree of expertise required.

Rates are negotiable. I love what I do, and I love to help you make your work the best it can be. If you're not happy with a quote, counter. We'll see if we can find something that works for both of us.

Also, the industry standard for a page is 250 words.

​Developmental Fiction Editing

​This happens before you have started writing, when you might have just a bud of an idea in your head or maybe even fully mapped-out characters looking for a story home, but no novel yet. As your developmental editor for your fiction work, I will:
  • Work with you to develop your manuscript from initial concept and outline, through drafts, until you have a draft ready for the next stage of editing
  • Help you build believable characters of appropriate depth (including character development and dialogue)
  • Guide you through narrative development and character arcs
  • Suggest ideas about content, organization, structure, flow, pacing, and presentation
  • Rewrite, write, and research, as needed, and sometimes suggest topics or provide information about topics for consideration

​Fees

$0.036-$0.20 / word
$35-$50 / hour​

Manuscript ​Evaluation

Your manuscript evaluation should be completed by someone who hasn't had their nose buried in the pages with you. For this reason, I only perform the manuscript evaluation when I haven't been involved in developmental editing. When your manuscript has finally morphed into a complete story and you've reached that point where you can put it down for a while to let the blood and ink dry, I'll perform the manuscript evaluation. In addition to any specific concerns you identify, I review:
  • Plot and structure: point of view and head-hopping, characters (protagonist, antagonist, supporting characters, and others), pacing, tension, general structure, plot and plot structure, and subplots
  • Narration: scenes (showing and telling), dialogue (information dumps, dialogue tags), voice, timelines, settings, historical time periods, communication devices, and internal monologue
  • Language usage: style, vague words, overused words, tone, humor, author intrusion, profanity, grammar and punctuation, initial-ing, dangling modifiers, dialect, and ism’s
  • Dramatic elements: theme, character, premise, audience, and genre

Fees

$0.012-$0.025 / word
$35-$55 / hour​

​Substantive Editing

Think of substantive editing as a manuscript evaluation in which I'll make a lot of changes for you. Don't worry, though--I won't do anything so drastic that you won't recognize your own work. Here, I will
  • Identify problems related to overall clarity and accuracy and develop solutions
  • Improve the order and presentation of information, reorganize paragraphs, sections, or chapters, and revise sections when needed
  • Write or rewrite segments of text to improve readability and flow of information
  • Consult with you about issues and incorporate your responses to create a new draft
  • Address character development, narrative development, and character arc

Fees

$0.02-$0.20 / word
$30-$60 / hour​

Copy editing/Line editing

When your manuscript is just about ready to publish, this step checks for all kinds of problems that often go unnoticed by the people ​closest to its development. My job here is to:
  • Correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, syntax, and word usage while preserving the author's meaning and voice
  • Check for or impose consistent style and format
  • Read for overall clarity and sense as they relate to the intended audience
  • Query you about apparent errors or inconsistencies
  • Note permissions you may need in order to publish copyrighted material
  • Prepare your manuscript for the next stage of the publication process
  • Cross-check references, various graphics, and other features for consistency within your text
  • Check for adherence to your selected style guide (for manuscripts, the Chicago Manual of Style is generally preferred; whatever you choose, or don't choose, our goal here is to ensure you are consistent in your choices)

Fees

$0.01-$0.02 / word
$30-$50 / hour​

​Proofreading

This is generally the last step before your manuscript is really, really ready. In its most basic form, proofreading checks for basic mechanical errors such as grammar, but its history and purpose go deeper. I'll make sure your final draft matches the changes we agreed upon previously. In addition, I'll:
  • Check for problems with general layout
  • Fix errors and inconsistencies that may have escaped us previously
  • Read for typographical errors and sense
  • Verify links for your online publications

​Fees

$0.01-$0.015 / word
$25-$35 / hour​