Count on my editing and publishing work to polish and advance your book. Starting with a full draft of your manuscript, or there's a good beginning? A development edit can help. I deliver the full spectrum of edits, from the earliest that grow the book in development to those in between that polish language and make storytelling effective and moving.
Many books benefit from development editing. Together we find the solutions that answer the question of "What goes in here?" Evaluations cover narrative, vocabulary, structure, and voice, with my notes inside Word as deep annotations, as well as an editorial letter. Development editing improves books in progress. You better understand choices about story flow, deciding what to include and what can be set aside. Development editing is 2-3 cents a word. If your manuscript is unfinished, that is often the best time to get a development edit.
Every writer needs line editing. This work establishes how we express ideas and story elements that are already in place. It's revising sentences, along with maintaining consistency, style, all while preserving your voice. After a line edit, you move to copyediting, the step where I correct and shape books to follow common usage. This cleanup of grammar and punctuation makes the writing clearer. Finally, if you've moving your book into the world yourself, there's proofreading, to catch what we missed.
The difference: Copyediting is for a finished book that needs its language polished before you offer it to an agent or publisher. Line edits make your choices clearer. Development editing helps you create the best book from the ground up. Together we craft story structure, plot, characters, and themes. An editorial letter, plus notes in the margins, is your guide to changes.
I use Zoom at a deeper level. While we talk, Zoom records our meeting. Afterward, you get a transcript. It helps you focus on our discussion without the need to take notes. You can refer to the evaluation's nuances as you redraft for development.
Let’s talk about your project: 512-657-3264. I’ll test-edit a 10-page double-spaced sample of your book for free, so you can decide if we’re right for each other. Projects usually begin with a call so everyone can get to know one another. This is personal work.
Editors and agents want to see your story summarized before deciding to read more. A book blurb is your introduction, doing its good work inside your query. For traditional publishing deals, a brisk synopsis and a compelling query get your foot in the door and demonstrate you know your book and its theme. I can develop from the start alongside you for these proposal tools, as well as evaluate your drafts. If you’re trying to lock down how your query’s Compel paragraph looks, we should talk. Compel is most exacting of a query letter's Four C’s.
Agent and title research: Using the latest industry databases and published-comparable book searches, I’ll help you track down the agents to whom you’ll submit queries, synopses, and manuscript samples. Your comps show an agent or an editor that you know where your book fits in your genre or field. Comps work in two aspects, the add-to, and the also-bought. If you can complete the sentence that starts “This book is for readers of” then you’ve begun your work on comps.
Proposals: These are a blend of development editing, copyediting, and research. A proposal is a marketing tool that’s powered by samples you’re selected from your book, plus your vision of who might buy it and what can be done to promote and sell it. They're a standard for nonfiction books and also helpful for fiction.
How it all works
We start with an introductory meeting via phone, FaceTime, even Skype. I get to know you and your project. With your sample in hand, I can customize your quote. There’s a straightforward Services Agreement for the project. You send me a complete file with your work to establish the deliverables, payment schedules — and set goals and deadlines.
The biggest boost to your success as an author will be the investment of your time to revise after you receive your development edit. We’ll find practices to keep you creating, too. When you keep working, you are making progress toward completing your book. Finishing School, another workshop service, is a program to discover your habits and align your efforts to achieve completion.
