Services
What's the right edit for you?
Don't book a proofread when the prose still needs shaping. Don't pay for a copyedit when the plot structure is faulty. What level of editing does your manuscript really need?
I've written a book but I haven't shown it to anyone.
= Coached Manuscript Assessment
My budget-friendly option – get a big-picture evaluation with coached guidance.
I can't see the wood for the trees!
= Developmental Editing
Get the big picture on plot, character development and narrative perspective.
The sentences feel awkward.
= Line Editing
The story works but the prose doesn't. Identify issues and address repetition, inconsistency and unclarity.
I keep catching typos.
= Copyediting
Improve the prose – address word choice and syntax, and the mechanics of style, grammar and punctuation.
It's been copyedited. I'm finally ready to go to print!
= Proofreading
Proofreading – the final polish.
Coached Manuscript Assessments
My coached manuscript assessments are a cost-effective way for early-career writers to receive a comprehensive editorial review of their manuscript. This service is specifically designed for early-career writers who have not previously submitted their work to editors or beta readers. Are you looking for objective feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of their initial draft, delivered in a supportive, constructive manner?
What's on offer? A coached manuscript assessment combines the in-depth feedback of a manuscript evaluation with the interactive guidance of book coaching. It considers the overall structure and content of a text. For fantasy fiction, this involves plot, character development, worldbuilding, narrative perspective and theme.
How does it work? 1. Submission: You send me a full draft of your manuscript, along with a list of any issues you'd like me to focus on. 2. Editorial review: I carefully read your manuscript, identifying and prioritising the top three-to-five issues. I prepare a detailed editorial report. This usually takes 2 weeks. I send you the report for consideration. 3. A 1-hour face-to-face meeting: We agree on a date for a Zoom meeting, in which we discuss the editorial report and possible solutions to any identified issues. Together we collaborate on making a constructive plan for your writing.
Story-level Services
Developmental Editing
The main aim of developmental editing is to help you deliver your story clearly and effectively to your intended audience. This involves in-depth work on issues such as plot structure, character development, narrative perspective and theme.
Does your first draft feel like it lacks a central cohesion or strong narrative flow? I will query the most crucial areas and help devise strategies to fix these problems.
A developmental edit looks at the big picture. It doesn't look at language conventions, layout and other mechanical aspects, which are dealt with in a copyedit.
Sentence-level Services
Line Editing
Editing of literary style at sentence and paragraph level.
You can expect substantive corrective work addressing clarity, chapter sequencing, character-trait consistency, dialogue expression and effectiveness of plot points, along with the mechanics of spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Copyediting
As an experienced copyeditor, I can offer a command of English punctuation, spelling, grammar, diction and usage. Addressing sentence structure, outline, word choices, flow, tense and consistency, I work with you to optimise your writing and ensure a clean and correct text.
Proofreading
Your manuscript has already been professionally edited at sentence level and may even be typeset for publishing.
A proofread is the final tidy-up to ensure no errors have slipped through and that it is correctly formatted.
Indexing
I offer back-of-the-book indexing for non-fiction and academic texts. Apart from books relating to the arts, culture and history, I also specialise in indexing for cookery books.