All manuscripts should begin with a developmental edit, but unfortunately, first-time writers may be unable to afford that service. As a retired schoolteacher on a budget, I understand your frustration. If you cannot afford a developmental edit, the manuscript review may be what you need.

What is the cost of the manuscript review? I charge a flat fee of $500.00 for a review of a 40,000-60,000-word manuscript. Longer manuscripts are priced $100.00 more for every 10,000 words. Shorter manuscripts are $100.00 less for every 10,000 words.

If you decide that you are ready for the next step, the developmental edit, I will apply the $500.00 manuscript fee to your developmental edit.

What is included in the manuscript review?

I will provide an editorial report on the strengths and weaknesses of your manuscript. I will recommend books, articles, and ideas to help with your next draft.

We will schedule an initial phone call before we begin to ensure we are on the same page. There is no charge for this call. We will schedule another call after you receive the editorial edit to discuss the editorial report and answer any questions that you may have. Feel free to email or call me if you have any questions during the process.

All manuscripts should begin with a developmental edit before polishing details like sentence structure and grammar. I will tell you where your book is strong and where it needs more work. I will read your manuscript twice. On the first pass, I will take notes detailing strengths and weaknesses. The developmental edit is not a copy or line edit, so I will not flag problems with sentence structure or mechanical errors. If I see significant problems with these issues, I will address them in the editorial report and suggest ways to improve.

On the second pass, I will use Microsoft Word and Track Changes. I am looking for the “big picture.” Does your opening scene grab the reader? Does your opening scene set the time and place? Does your book conform to the genre you are writing? Is your point of view effective? Do you head hop from one character’s point of view to another? Are you showing, not telling? Is your plot well structured? Do you have plot holes? Plot holes are inconsistencies that do not fit with the plot such as Caroline’s eyes are green in chapter one but brown in chapter two. What is your tone? Does your tone fit your genre and story? Is your book free of informational dumps that slow the pace? Have you used effective sensory details? Are your characters believable? Does your protagonist change and complete the character arc? Are you using strong action verbs and avoiding passive tense? Is your dialogue effective and engaging? What kind of dialogue tags are you using?

What is the cost of the developmental edit? I charge a flat fee of $800.00 for a 40,000-60,000-word manuscript. Longer manuscripts are priced $100.00 more for every 10,000 words. Shorter manuscripts are $100.00 less for every 10,000 words.

What is included in the developmental edit?

We will schedule an initial phone call before we begin to ensure that we are on the same page. There is no charge for this call. We will schedule another call after you have received the editorial edit to discuss the editorial report and answer any questions that you may have. Feel free to email or call me if you have any questions during the process.

I will provide a marked-up manuscript, a style sheet, and a detailed editorial report with suggested structural changes. I will also recommend books, articles, and tips for improving your writing.

Most editors price the line edit and copy edit separately, but they overlap so much that I prefer to offer them as one package using Microsoft Word, Track Changes, and The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS). On the first pass, I will complete the line edit which includes sentence structure, word choice, inconsistencies, tone, repetitive words, filler words, dialogue and dialogue tags, and verb tense. On the second pass, I will complete the copy edit which includes correcting typos, spelling, grammar, punctuation, word usage, misplaced modifiers, and lack of parallelism. You will receive a marked-up manuscript with suggestions. I will also suggest books, articles, and tips for improving the manuscript.

I charge a flat fee of $800.00 for a 40,000-60,000-word manuscript. Longer manuscripts are priced $100.00 more for every 10,000 words. Shorter manuscripts are $100.00 less for every 10,000 words.

We will schedule an initial phone call before we begin to ensure we are on the same page. There is no charge for this call. We will schedule another call after you have received the editorial edit to discuss the editorial report and answer any questions that you may have. Feel free to email or call me if you have any questions during the process.

I will provide a marked-up manuscript, a style sheet, and a detailed editorial report with suggested changes. I will also recommend books, articles, and tips for improving your writing.

The proofread is the last of the edits. It addresses the same issues as the line and copy edit. The difference is that proofreading is completed after formatting. New errors can accidentally be introduced or missed in earlier editing and formatting. Once the manuscript is proofread, it should be ready for publication.

I charge a flat fee of $600.00 for a 40,000-60,000-word manuscript. Longer manuscripts are priced $100.00 more for every 10,000 words. Shorter manuscripts are $100.00 less for every 10,000 words.

We will schedule an initial phone call before we begin to ensure that we are on the same page. There is no charge for this call. We will schedule another call after you receive the editorial edit to discuss the editorial report and answer any questions that you may have. Feel free to email or call me if you have any questions during the process.

 I will provide a marked-up manuscript, a style sheet, and a detailed editorial report with suggested changes. I will also recommend books, articles, and tips for improving your writing.