Services
I work with fiction, drama, and creative non-fiction.
Before we start…
…we chat. You want to make sure you’re comfortable with me, and I need to make sure I can help you. So book a free 20 minute consultation and we’ll talk about your manuscript and what you’re looking for.
Read & Report—see your options clearly
Maybe you’re unsure of what you need. I can read your manuscript and report back to you with recommendations. A bit of R&R can work wonders. If you’d like to see a sample report, click here.
I charge a reading fee, which I’ll deduct from the cost of any service you choose (except for Manuscript Mentoring) following this report.
Manuscript Mentoring—guidance and tailored support
What this looks like depends on what you want.
From developing an idea from scratch to emergency team surgery on a flatlining draft, it can be whatever you need, at whatever stage you’re at.
We’ll work together to get your manuscript to where you want it to be. It’s highly collaborative and can be very intense work. It’s a ton of fun.
Want to know more? Get in touch.
Developmental Edit*—the big picture
A developmental edit focuses on what your story is, its shape and progress.
Understand your story: what it’s about and how to get there
Develop your plot and nail the structure
Make each chapter earn its place
Wake your characters up and make them count
Fix those false starts, threads that lead nowhere and missing links
A developmental edit gives you confidence to nail a compelling, purposeful narrative.
I’ll send you a comprehensive manuscript analysis including:
an overview of the needs of your story, plot, structure, pacing, and character development
detailed attention to key points
a list of recommended actions
We’ll follow up with a video or phone discussion. After that, if you have follow-up questions, I'm happy to respond by email.
Additional follow-up sessions by phone or video chat can be arranged if desired. (Additional fees apply.) If you think you’ll want to go through multiple iterations of this process, consider the Manuscript Mentoring service which can be crafted to your needs.
Line Edit*—make it sing
A line edit focuses on how you tell your story: your words, your voice.
Fine-tune your narrative style, and build tension, mood and atmosphere
Use pace to drive your story forward
Bring dialogue to life
Land the punch where it’s needed in paragraphs and chapters
Polish out detail problems such as continuity issues, tense complications, and head-hopping
Cut the excess to make your words shine
A line edit will help your story come alive.
I’ll return your edited manuscript in Pages or Word format. Comments, suggestions and edits will be tracked within it for you to make the final decision.
I include a copy edit with this service. It's hard to get a true feel for what works if grammar or even spelling problems are interfering. This isn’t a substitute for a final proofread.
If you have follow-up questions, I'm happy to respond by email.
Follow-up discussion sessions by phone or video chat can be arranged as needed. (Additional fees apply.)
Copy Edit—nuts and bolts
A copy edit ensures that you're sticking to conventions of language. I can work in British or American English (28 years in Michigan put to good use). I include this service with a line edit. I can also offer a copy edit as a final proofread for existing clients if desired.
Spelling
Grammar
Punctuation
Clarification of confusing sentences and paragraphs
Consistency and continuity–I'll make sure that if your protagonist puts down her phone on a table, she doesn't take it out of her pocket on the next page.
These are a writer's basic tools. I'll make sure every comma is in its right place, your tenses are consistent, and Spellcheck hasn't been lying to you (which it can do). Some writers have preferences for particular punctuation forms or grammatical conventions, so of course we can discuss that. You'll receive:
Your manuscript in Word or Pages format, with all corrections tracked.
It’s rare to need a follow-up discussion, but I’m always happy to respond to questions by email.
Querying—give it wings
You've written your book. (Congratulations.) It's time to send it out to seek its fortune.
All you have to do is knock the socks off those agents and publishers.
Query letters, synopses, pitches and one-line zingers, as well as a jewel-polish of your first 10,000 words—I can help you hone your submission materials until they hop. Existing clients only, please: I don’t work on querying for books I don’t know.