What I Can Do For You
What can I do for you? Well, that really depends on what editing you need done. Every writer and every manuscript has different editorial needs. Some writers are sticklers for good grammar and never have an issue with catching their own typos, but maybe need a bit of help with the plot development. Some writers have excellent plots and solid writing, but can’t check their own grammar. A lot of authors fall between the lines and could use a bit more help in different areas.
If you’ve never had an editor before (or if you’re new to hiring editors on your own) you may not know what an editor can do or what you really want from an editor. So, to give you a hand, I’ve broken down my services and fees so you can find what’s right for your project and your budget.
Prices are in Canadian dollars and do not include tax (HST).
Manuscript Analysis
Manuscripts 100,000 words or less – $750-1000
Manuscripts over 100,000 words – $1000-1250
For authors who aren’t quite sure what kind of editing they need, or new authors who want a general editing experience, this is by far the best value. I’ll take your manuscript, read it, make notes, and give you feedback on everything. And then I’ll give you the tools to improve it. I won’t be spending time hunting down your typos and checking that you’ve spelled phantasmagoria the same way every time, but I will tell you if it needs to be done. And I’ll give you all the notes on substantive and developmental editing that you might need.
Developmental Editing
Hourly fee – $45
Pages per hour – 6-12 (1,500-3,000 words)
Developmental editing – sometimes called structural or substantive editing – helps with content and structure. Instead of checking your grammar, I’ll be helping you reorganize your plot or clarify your overarching message. I will move things around, strengthen your sentences, and suggest changes. This form of editing is a bit more hands-on for the author, as it often involves a bit of rewriting and more than one read through of the draft.
Stylistic Editing
Hourly fee – $45
Pages per hour – 3-8 (750-2,000 words)
Stylistic editing is a form of line-by-line editing that doesn’t involve in-depth grammar correction. Instead, my job is to make sure that everything reads well and is appropriate for your readers, and for your chosen style. I will be clarifying your sentences, smoothing out any rough patches in the writing, checking that it is appropriate for the reading level of the audience, and making sure you abide by whatever style guide you have chosen. This includes checking the formatting for tables and figures.
The style guides I am familiar with include: MLA, Words into Type, Chicago, APA, and the industry standards for graphic novels.
Proofreading
Hourly fee – $35
Pages per hour – 9-15 (2,250-3,750 words)
Proofreading is the absolute final read through before something gets sent out. After a work has been copy-edited and checked for spelling and grammar, a proofreader will go through it and make sure that the copy-editor didn’t miss a typo, or a misplaced comma. After all, even the best editor is still fallible. Most traditionally published authors will never hire their own proofreader before they go to publication. However, this sort of editing can be very useful for a self-published author, or a short story writer who has already done their own copy-editing.
Copy-Editing
Hourly fee – $55
Pages per hour – 2-10 (500-2,500 words)
Copy-editing is chiefly responsible for making your work look respectable and read well. This is the point where an editor is removing any and all typographical errors, bad grammar, and choppy or confusing wording. This is where an editor makes sure that your technical language is consistent and that your protagonist’s Aunt Mary doesn’t turn into Aunt Charlotte. This is where an editor fixes all your its/it’s and there/their/they’re problems. Copy-editing is the polished finish on a written work. If you’re confident in what you’ve written and how it’s structured, and you just want to clean it up and show it off, you’re looking at copy-editing.
Mixed Editing
Hourly Fee – $45
Pages per hour – 4-12 (1,000-3,000 words)
Are you looking for editing that tackles everything at once? Many, many authors only want one or two complete edits of their manuscript. Instead of tackling developmental, stylistic, and grammatical editing stages separately, mixed editing approaches all of a manuscript’s issues at once with an emphasis on edits that will make the most improvement.
This sort of editing is customized to exactly what your manuscript needs. Holes in the plot and run-on sentences are addressed at the same time. Imagery, characterization, sentence formation, metaphor, and punctuation are all considered. If your manuscript needs it, you will find a comment about it either in-text or in the accompanying report.
This is also the sort of editing that is often used by agents and publishers to save time (and therefore money) and is a great way for a new author to learn their manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses. Whether you’re on a tight deadline, a tight budget, or just don’t edit in stages, mixed editing provides depth, polish, and customization for your work.
Short Stories
Price per 250 words – $7
Up to 15,000 words
For stories up to 15,000 words. Short stories are a favourite of mine; I subscribe to several short story magazines and am always delighted to get a chance to work on short fiction. Short story editing is a form of mixed editing, meaning that comments cover everything from characterization and plot pacing to grammar and dialogue and are tailored specifically to the needs of your story.
Still not sure what type of editing is best for you? Contact me for a sample edit and I can give you my opinion and help you choose your style.