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Professional Editorial Services

Editing for every aspect of the publishing process – for writers of fiction and general nonfiction

No credit card required

Affordable

FAST

Free sample edits

How Can We Help?

We are as detail-focused as we are creative, and as friendly as we are professional.

Affordable

We offer competitive pricing on our editing options to help you avoid breaking the bank for quality service.

None of our options go over a single cent per word.

Fast

We pride ourselves on our quick delivery times and offer a RUSH and even an EXTRA RUSH option for those on a time constraint.

REGULAR: 14-17 days
RUSH: under 14 days
EXTRA RUSH: under 7 days

Free Sample Edits

Try before you buy with any of our editing offerings. We offer free samples on all of them. Send us a sample of your writing and let us demonstrate our skills.

We will send you a professional editing sample within 24 hours at no cost or obligation.

Content Editing

$0.016 per word

Comprehensive story-level feedback.

Big picture analysis of your writing

Professional structural assessment

Feedback through margin comments

Critique of written presentation, flow, consistency of thoughts

Analysis of elements such as plot, character development, voice, timing, and more

Notes on characterization, story structure, tone, pacing, world building, and more

Corrections based on most up-to-date industry style guidelines

Editorial letter

Free sample edit

Line Editing

$0.014 per word

Extensive edits at the sentence level.

Sentence and paragraph level analysis

Professional structural assessment

Correction of phrasing, sentence structure, subject-verb agreement, and more

Analysis of sentence level elements such as writing style

Improvements in clarity, continuity, and flow

Notes on use of language

Extensive in-line editorial feedback

Corrections based on most up-to-date industry style guidelines

Free sample edit

Copy Editing

$0.012 per word

Detailed removal of all errors at the sentence level.

Spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization

Numbers, hyphen use, lists, figures

Gender neutrality, pronoun-antecedent agreement

Redundancies, wordiness, triteness

Vague generalizations, weak sentence style

Organizational weakness, lack of focus

Extensive in-line editorial feedback

Corrections based on most up-to-date industry style guidelines

Free sample edit

Proofreading

$0.010 per word

Final quality assurance check for any remaining errors.

Detailed check for any remaining writing and formatting errors

Focused evaluation of appropriate formatting for genre

Typos, grammar mistakes, punctuation errors

Corrections based on most up-to-date industry style guidelines

Free sample edit

We accept fiction and general nonfiction and edit according to the industry style guide:
The Chicago Manual of Style.

An editorial contract is required to sign prior to start of services.

See below for a more in-depth description of each editing level.
Still not sure which editing level to choose? Just ask! We are here to help.

**NOTE: If you are looking for a story coach or developmental editor, we do offer this as well!**
Please see our Coaching & Consulting service for this option.

The Different Levels of Editing

View our offerings in more detail

Content Editing

Line Editing

Copy Editing

Proofreading

DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING

Developmental Editing: “Tree Planting”

Developmental editing is often done even before the first draft of the manuscript is written. The tree planting process is meticulously planned and strategized before it can be completed to grow into a lush forest.

Developmental editing (better referred to as story coaching) exists to help you craft strong narratives and gain insight into how to go about piecing together all the elements that will make up your story—before you even finish your first draft, and in some cases, before you even begin writing.

Story coaches coach you through developing a strong plot, relatable characters, and a great story arc.

We do offer this option, but we offer it under our Coaching & Consulting service, since it really falls under coaching more than it does editing. You can think of it as a preventative measure or jumping off point to prepare you for writing your first draft. If you have a great idea but are struggling to bring it together and need some outside input, then a developmental editor is the right choice for you.

What You Get:

We coach you through the process of creating an outline for your story that includes a strong narrative and story arc.

We show you how to create the ideal story form and help you overcome foundational weaknesses.

We help you organize and build on your story’s main plot, including the conflict and resolution, as well as any subplots (if applicable).

We brainstorm with you your goals and the message you would like to convey through your book, if any.

We help you develop relatable and dynamic characters; we also identify points of growth and change to complete their character arcs (for example, internal vs. external conflict, goals, growth, personality, motivation, consistency of character, and more).

We help you take care of the details before you begin, so you have those in mind (in your subconscious) as you write your story.

We make sure the details match your market, such as genre and subgenre, ideal word count, point of view, dialogue, setting, organization, readability, appropriate story structure (which includes pacing, tone, voice, theme, balance, resolution, and how the story ends), whether a serialized narrative or a series of books is appropriate, and more.

We help you identify plot holes, inconsistencies, or other confusing aspects of your story.

We help you build your scenes and may suggest cuts to scenes that don’t serve a purpose for your plot; conversely, we may suggest adding to scenes if they require further narrative or descriptive development.

We ask targeted questions to help you gain insight into your story and how you approach the creative process.

We focus on how all the elements of your story work together.

We analyze and critique your ideas for publishing success.

CONTENT EDITING

Content Editing: “The Forest”

Dive into the forest that is your story. Craft strong narratives and gain editing insight at the highest level. Strengthen your story arc, character development, and plot. These form the foundation of your story.

Content or structural editing focuses on editing at the story level. This includes plot, characters, setting, pace, timing, tone, voice, scene, point of view, dialogue, organization, readability, and more. It is the most in-depth editing service available for storytellers.

Content editing is the first stage of the editing process. It is your ideal choice if you have just completed your manuscript or piece of writing and would like a fresh pair of eyes to look over the big picture parts of your story and make sure everything fits together in a cohesive structure. Choose this option if you desire honest feedback and thorough professional guidance on your story’s overall presentation.

Content editing overlaps some with developmental editing. However, a content editor will take on a completed manuscript draft while a developmental editor will help writers with only partially completed manuscripts or before beginning the process of writing that first draft.

What You Get:

We evaluate your writing as one cohesive storytelling structure, including critiques on flow, presentation, and consistency of thoughts.

We organize your writing while giving extensive high-level feedback, corrections, and suggestions throughout your document’s comments section.

We provide professional, structural analysis of elements at the story level, such as plot, characters, setting, pace, timing, tone, voice, scene, point of view, dialogue, organization, readability.

In addition to the copious amount of notes we insert into your document’s margins, we provide an editorial letter that will highlight your book’s strengths and weaknesses in all the story-level elements.

We help you strategize your revision plan and set you up for publishing success.

We ensure writing and formatting adheres to industry style guidelines (i.e. The Chicago Manual of Style, which is the industry standard for all fiction genres as well as general nonfiction).

We edit according to Professional Editorial Standards for Structural Editing.

LINE EDITING

Line Editing: “The Trees”

If your manuscript or piece of writing is a forest, then the individual sentences are the trees that make up the forest. While content editing deals with the forest in its entirety, line editing zeroes in on the individual trees and also on how they cluster together.

Line editing (also referred to as stylistic editing) is editing at the sentence and paragraph level. It addresses your use of language and how you communicate with your reader.

Line editing improves the clarity, continuity, and flow of your writing—line by line. It focuses on writing style as well as structure (syntax and semantics). It corrects phrasing (including appropriate transitional phrasing), subject-verb agreement, and more.

With line editing, you receive in-line editorial feedback and remarks throughout your manuscript as well as comments in the margins explaining the suggested changes.

Line editing is the writing industry standard, and as such, it is the minimum level of professional editing recommended for writers before they publish or submit their work for publication.

What You Get:

We deliver extensive in-line corrections through your document’s track changes function.

We provide a thorough analysis at the sentence and paragraph level, paying careful attention to writing style and structure, language use, dialogue, communication style, continuity, clarity, and flow of writing.

We correct errors in phrasing, sentence structure, subject-verb agreement, and more.

We ensure writing and formatting adheres to industry style guidelines (i.e. The Chicago Manual of Style, which is the industry standard for all fiction genres as well as general nonfiction).

We edit according to Professional Editorial Standards for Stylistic Editing.

COPY EDITING

Copy Editing: “The Branches & Roots”

Like line editing, copy editing focuses on the individual elements that make up the forest. Copy editing deals with the branches and roots, and how they cluster together. Without the branches, the tree would simply be a stump in the ground. Without roots, the tree would fall over and cease to exist.

Copy editing is most often what people think of when they hear the word editing. It is also the most popular form of editing, since it includes the basics—the bare minimum requirements for a passable book.

Copy editing involves checking for grammar, spelling, and punctuation. It ensures consistency in style, word choice, and compositional spacing. It focuses on eliminating jargon and repeated words.

Choose this option as your final edit or if you have no planned changes after—right before formatting, proofreading, and then publishing.

What You Get:

We provide extensive in-line corrections delivered through your document’s track changes function.

We look for and correct errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, numbers, hyphen use, lists of items (if applicable), numbering, table of contents (if applicable), table and figure numbers (if applicable), gender neutrality, formatting, incorrect word usage, and more.

In addition to the above, we look for and correct redundancies, wordiness, triteness, vague generalizations, weak sentence style, organizational weakness, and lack of focus.

We provide you with a style sheet and final checklist you can submit for proofreading, which is the final step of the process before publishing.

We ensure writing and formatting adheres to industry style guidelines (i.e. The Chicago Manual of Style, which is the industry standard for all fiction genres as well as general nonfiction).

We edit according to Professional Editorial Standards for Copy Editing.

PROOFREADING

Proofreading: “The Bark”

Proofreading is the bark of the editing ecosystem. It looks at the surface layer of the piece and scans for any final finishing touches that might have slipped through the cracks in previous editing steps.

Proofreading is the final step in the editing and publishing process, the last quality assurance check before your work is set to publish or submit to be published. Your piece is formatted at this point and has gone through the previous levels of editing.

This final check includes looking the piece over for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and subject-verb agreement. Choose this option if you are confident in your piece and just need a second set of eyes before publishing.

What You Get:

We correct any remaining typos, grammar mistakes, and formatting errors throughout your piece. Copy and paste error? Extra line break? Misplaced modifier? Forgot to close a quotation in a line of dialogue? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

If you had your work copy edited prior to proofreading, we recommend asking your copy editor for the style sheet and final checklist (if applicable) and submitting that to us for proofreading.

We ensure writing and formatting adheres to industry style guidelines (i.e. The Chicago Manual of Style, which is the industry standard for all fiction genres as well as general nonfiction).

We edit according to Professional Editorial Standards for Proofreading.

The Natural Steps of Editing

Our editing options are listed in order of the natural stages of manuscript editing. Content editing should always be done before line editing, line editing should be done before copy editing, and so on. Proofreading should always be the last step.

Step 1:

Content Editing

The most comprehensive form of editing. Think big picture: story arc, character development, plot.

Step 2:

Line Editing

Editing at the sentence level — line by line. Think writing style, paragraph structure, phrasing, continuity, and flow.

Step 3:

Copy Editing

Editing at the most basic level, the bare minimum for publishing — grammar, spelling, punctuation, word choice.

Step 4:

Proofreading

The last quality assurance check before publishing — the final run-through for any remaining spelling, grammar, or formatting errors.

Free Sample Edit & Price Quote

Interested in our editing services or a free sample edit? Let us know your needs. We look forward to collaborating with you.
Make sure you use a correct email address as we will send your price quote via email.
Check the last option if you would like help deciding which editing level is best for your writing goals.
Any questions or concerns, instructions, or special requests for your editor.

Additional Booking Info:
All our editing services require a 50% non-refundable deposit and a signed editorial contract at the time of booking and prior to start of services.
Our no-obligation sample edit is not included in this and does not require a contract nor a payment method on file.

Would you prefer to speak with us over the phone or through a Zoom call?

Not sure which editing level to choose?