Editing

I provide a range of specialized editing services, broken down into three categories: developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading. With extensive experience across multiple genres—including fiction, nonfiction, technical writing, children's literature, and more—I offer tailored solutions to meet diverse literary needs.  

​

Developmental Edit

The developmental edit is the first round of editing that begins after you have written your manuscript and done as much self-editing as you can. This stage of editing handles the big-picture edits, including length, plot, organization, flow, voice, consistency, clarity, and any other issues with the general content. The goal is to improve the structure of the manuscript and make it readable and appealing to your intended audience. 

Edits at this stage will mainly appear in the form of comments and movement of large sections of text. I recommend that every author start with a developmental edit to address any large-scale issues that would be hard to remedy at later stages.

​

My developmental edit process includes:

• Two full read-throughs of the manuscript—one to view the book from a casual reader's perspective and another to provide detailed chapter-by-chapter feedback with an editor's expertise

• ​Tracked changes and comments throughout the document using Microsoft Word's review tools

• A personalized editor letter that summarizes my initial impressions as a reader and also provides a detailed overview of actionable feedback to elevate the manuscript

​

Copyedit

The copyedit narrows its focus down to the sentence and word level. This stage of editing aims to improve clarity, consistency, and correctness by scrutinizing grammar, punctuation, spelling, word choice, sentence structure, factual accuracy, and adherence to the preferred style guide. While I mainly default to the Chicago Manual of Style, I can adapt to accommodate genre-specific requirements or alternative style guides such as APA or MLA.

Edits at this stage mainly consist of tracked changes directly in the text, with comments explaining larger revisions or asking for clarification. This edit comes after the developmental edit but before the interior layout is typeset.

​

My copyedit process includes:

• ​Tracked changes and comments throughout the document using Microsoft Word's review tools

• A customized style sheet that standardizes manuscript-specific spelling, treatment of terms, and any intentional deviations from the main style guide

• A personalized editor letter that summarizes the major edits and gives a detailed overview of actionable feedback to polish the manuscript

​

Proofread

The proofread is the final "quality check" that comes after the book is typeset but before it is sent to print. For this reason, the proofread only aims to correct residual typos, grammatical inconsistencies, and layout discrepancies. By meticulously reviewing the finalized layout design, I ensure a polished, distraction-free reading experience for the audience.

​

At this point, the live manuscript is no longer housed in a Word document or Google Doc, so proofread edits are typically communicated through comments on a PDF export of the designed book layout. The layout designer will then transfer those changes into the project file (which is often an Adobe InDesign document or similar) and export the final press-ready PDF.

​

My proofread process includes:

• A thorough read-through of the designed layout PDF with detailed corrections and comments using Adobe Acrobat's markup tools

​

Pricing

Pricing will vary depending on the genre and length of your manuscript, the type of editing you require, and the publication timeframe. For a free quote, message me below with the details of your project.

​