Meet The Editor
I am proud that I am often called a “word nerd.” I give my parents full credit for giving me my start in my love for words, reading, and writing as a child. I was what you might call a thrill-seeker as a youngster, which quite frequently resulted in exploits outside of my safety zone. But rather than relying on traditional forms of discipline, my parents would send me to my room and require me to write an essay on what I did wrong and why it was wrong. I usually added an epilogue about how I would never, ever do it again. This rather frequent exercise later developed into my talent for editing.
I graduated with a Masters Degree in English (Creative Writing) from Louisiana State University (Geaux Tigers!) and worked for a number of years as a litigation paralegal and legal editor. I was extremely fortunate to discover an avenue which allowed me inside the door of freelance editing.
I am blessed with a good education, a keen eye for detail and consistency, and a genuine love for reading (and often, unsolicited editing of ) anything I can find.
It is my belief that the responsibility of an editor certainly involves suggesting changes to your book. But it is also an alliance…a collaboration between author and editor.
If you think I may be able to help you realize a manuscript that is strong and reflective of your voice and talent in the finest way, please contact me. I promise to work tirelessly on your behalf from the first sentence to the last and to deliver a comprehensive and solid result.
It is rare that an opportunity to do what you sincerely love emerges as a profession. I am truly grateful every, single day for my editing gift. This is why I offer affordable, yet professional, editing services. I believe that being able to make a small living doing something I absolutely enjoy is, quite simply, enough.
Proofreading
This involves marking grammar, spelling, punctuation, and wording errors. It includes words or phrases that are misused, corrections to idioms, and inconsistent prose. I am very quick to catch cliché’s and problems with consistency. (For example: “She put the cash in her pocket.” Then a few pages later, “She removed the cash from her purse.”)
Content Editing
Typically, this is done before proofreading and involves a writer who wishes to learn how they can add or remove content which allows the reader to experience more “show” and less “tell.” I will make suggestions to areas that need a deeper probe, tangential areas that could be rewritten in another way (or in some cases, removed,) character and plot development/enhancing, pacing, redundancies, and making areas that I like to call “cooking the meat before it’s thawed,” more robust. I may suggest something like: “It seems implausible that Peter didn’t detect Heidi’s earlier lies. Consider having him get suspicious around page 32 when she couldn’t remember her mother’s phone number.” I always work to “tune in” to each manuscript by doing outside research, including speaking with the author and others that are familiar with the subject matter, and thinking about your book way, way too much. (No charge for any of these!) I also work to ensure that the author’s voice remains unchanged.
Payment
A simple agreement is sent to you once you have expressed true interest and I have agreed to the requested task(s). This agreement outlines my responsibilities, provides a timeline, and covers payment arrangements.
I accept PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle. One-half of the total fee is due before I begin, and the remainder is due after I notify you that my editing is complete.
For line (content) editing, I charge .02 (USD) per word for manuscripts up to 70,000 words.
For proofreading, I charge .01 (USD) per word regardless of the length.
For both proofreading and line editing, I charge .0225 per word. Because I am performing both tasks at the same time, I bundle the fee.
I review every manuscript twice to decrease the chances of missing necessary edits or changes.
I also offer query letter and synopsis composition assistance. The query letter and synopsis are absolutely crucial, often overlooked tools in finding and landing an agent or publisher. These works are incredibly difficult to compose and to get just right. My fee for this is $40.00 (USD) per hour.
Please contact me for anything unusual, and I am sure we can work it out.
