Editing

In the twenty years I’ve been a professional editor, I’ve worked with hundreds of authors, helping them polish their stories and strengthen their voices. I specialize in novel-length genre fiction, including romance, science fiction, erotica, and fantasy, but have experience with a wide array of projects, including academic papers, games design, and short fiction. I’m known for being thorough and detailed, but I also understand that the editorial process is stressful for authors, and try to make it as painless as possible. I feel that editors and authors should aim to have a collaborative, not adversarial, working relationship.

If you’d like to talk about how I can help you, discuss other services, or request a brief complimentary sample edit, please contact me by emailing

I provide developmental edits and line edits, book coaching when you’re stuck, and manuscript cleanup for those of you who are reissuing older works. I also help polish—or create—things like blurbs, synopses, and author bios. If you’re self publishing, I can provide manuscript formatting services. A full explanation of these services is below.

DEVELOPMENTAL EDITS: This is big-picture editing. I’ll read the book (or a portion thereof) and send you back notes on the overall story–character and plot development, stylistic issues, plot holes, places where things drag, etc. The goal is to identify the weaknesses (and strengths!) of a book so you know where you should focus your editorial efforts.

  • Partial manuscript (up to 20,000 words): $250 flat fee
  • Full manuscript evaluation: $.015 (1.5c) per word

Evaluation of a full manuscript of 50K, for example, would cost $750. This is the most cost-effective way for many people to get editorial support, and arguably ensures that you’re not paying for work (proofreading, etc.) that your manuscript isn’t yet ready for.

LINE EDITS: This is going over the manuscript with a fine-toothed comb to find misspellings, grammatical errors, belts that get taken off twice, awkward sentences, and other nit-picky details that are easy to miss. I’ll also be keeping an eye out for cliches, passive writing, POV slips, repetitiveness, and other things that bog down your manuscript and make it less awesome than it could be. If you’ve ever wanted to have someone go over every single sentence of your manuscript and point out all the places that your word choice seems off, this is what you want.

  • $0.04 (4c) per word

A line edit of a 50k manuscript, for example, would cost $2000.

DEVELOPMENTAL + LINE EDITS: The whole shebang. This is a comprehensive edit. Once I get the manuscript, I’ll read it over, and then send you notes on the overall story, including the plot, characterization, pacing, and themes.  I’ll provide feedback and act as a sounding board while you consider how to revise. Then, once you’ve integrated whatever revisions you decided on, I’ll give the book a thorough line editing, making sure that it’s the very best book that it can be.

  • $0.045 (4.5c) per word

In other words, $2250 for a 50k manuscript.

MANUSCRIPT CLEANUP: If you’ve gotten the rights back to a previously published work that could use a little polishing before you republish it, this is for you. We can talk about what this will entail—maybe you have fundamental disagreements with your former publisher’s style guide, or would like to update the language to be more reflective of modern sensibilities and understandings. We can do that!

  • $0.01 per word in most cases
  • Rates may vary if there are substantial changes being made

Cleanup of a 50k manuscript is $500 unless you’ve made substantial alterations (like adding new chapters) or you’re asking that I make substantial alterations (such as converting the file from using UK spellings to US ones). It is not things like new paragraphs here and there, or a file in which you’ve changed the regionalization.

EDITORIAL FOLLOW-UP: I want you to be comfortable and feel that you understand the suggestions I’ve made, so all editorial services include several rounds of email discussion after you’ve gotten your edits back. If you’d like me to review the changes that you’ve made, further edits are available at a heavily discounted rate.

BLURBS, SYNOPSES, AND AUTHOR BIOS: Maybe you want your blurb tightened—or maybe you’d like someone to write your synopsis for you, or to coach you through creating your author bio. I can do that! Please contact me to discuss your specific needs.

  • Rates start at $25

COACHING: One of my authors refers to this as novel whispering. If you’re feeling stuck in your novel, or are overwhelmed every time you try to think about how you’re going to tackle revisions, or could otherwise use some guidance, this might be for you. This is a one-on-one conversation about your story: where it is, where it’s going, and what you need to do to get it there. It can take place on the phone, over Skype, or through a chat platform. You do not need a completed manuscript for this service.

  • $65 for an hour
  • $150 for three hours

MANUSCRIPT FORMATTING SERVICES: One of the downsides to self publishing is that you’re responsible for everything, including the fiddly, tedious job of formatting. The good news is that I can do it for you. You provide a completed manuscript, blurb, and cover, and within 72 hours you’ll get back a formatted, ready-to-upload manuscript.

  • $75 for a bundle of three major formats: ePub, Mobi, and PDF
  • $10 per retailer for customized purchase links to your other works