Editing

IS YOUR MANUSCRIPT A TANGLED MESS?

 

It’s been months of cancelled social engagements and near-solitary confinement. The deadline to submit your manuscript looms over you like a storm cloud over a picnic.

300 crisp white pages lay neatly in your lap and you’re full of excitement as you settle down to read.

But after the first few chapters, you frown and wonder, “What on earth was I thinking?”

It doesn’t take you long to realise the whole thing isn’t quite up to scratch. 

How I can help 

You’ve spent months researching your topic with the sound of your writing voice in your head, so it’s virtually impossible for you to see your work objectively.  I can help with, either:

      • Developmental Editing or
      • Copyediting

Developmental Editing

My developmental edit is a big-picture edit to help you strengthen your manuscript. Specifically:

      • Your book idea, style and structure in relation to your intended readership
      • Your opening/closing ‘hook’
      • The phrasing of sentences and paragraphs to ensure clarity of message
      • Your overall voice and storytelling style
      • Language appropriate to your intended readership
      • The main point effectively conveyed in relation to your book’s message
      • Your knowledge/expertise effectively conveyed
      • Any holes, missing arguments, confusing ideas
      • Clichés, stereotypes, mixed metaphors
      • Appropriate sources cited with a complete bibliography if necessary 
      • Inclusive language
      • Whether you are leaving ideas on the table
      • Whether you need to cull
      • Overall strengths and weaknesses, with suggestions on how to improve flow

It will also include:

      • A 45-minute phone or video conference call to discuss any queries you may have
      • Annotations in the margin of your manuscript and a separate report
      • Two rounds of edits

Indicative Rate:

      • £40 per hour 

Why might you use this service?

This will suit you if:

      • You have a completed manuscript but feel overwhelmed with conflicting beta reader reports
      • Your manuscript is partially complete, but you feel stuck and unclear about how to move forward
      • You are a small or hybrid publisher on the lookout for a freelance developmental editor who can assist you on a project-by-project basis

If you have finished writing and need a final sweep-through, please see my copyediting service below.

Copyediting

My copyediting service ensures your completed manuscript is as polished as it can be before your publisher finalises typesetting/proofreading and then publication.

This is a thorough, line-by-line edit to check:

      • spelling
      • grammar
      • punctuation
      • sentence structure
      • consistency, clarity and flow
      • whether other mistakes or ambiguities have arisen.

I will also check:

      • if the table of contents is correct
      • chapter and/or sub-headings are appropriately placed
      • footnotes/endnotes are correctly indexed
      • illustrations are captioned

You can expect

    • A 45-minute phone or video conference call to discuss any queries you may have
    • An annotated manuscript (red-lined with comments in the margin)

Indicative Rate:

    • £35 per hour 

Why might you use this service?

This will suit you if:

      • You have a completed manuscript and need a final sweep-through to ensure it is as polished as it can be before publishing it
      • You are a mainstream (or smaller/hybrid) publisher on the lookout for a freelance copyeditor who can assist you on a project-by-project basis
NEXT STEPS
Contact me to discuss your project.