services & Pricing
Below you will find a list of the services I offer. However, no two authors are the same. The industry recognises these separate services as different jobs, but you may be interested in picking and choosing or combining services. I am more than happy to talk over your needs and will ensure I know exactly what you are looking for before beginning an edit.
For this reason, I will ask to see a sample of your work in order to quote and suggest the right kind of service for you. A sample usually comprises two to three pages that includes both narrative and dialogue taken from somewhere in the middle of the work (the opening pages of a novel are often the most worked-on and not representative of the full manuscript). This will enable me to assess your work and understand how much will be involved in the edit and how long it will take. I also provide a sample editing service, which allows the client to see how I work and assess whether I am a good fit for their project.
Following any edit, you may return with questions via email or arrange a consultation to discuss the edits. Follow-up edits may be scheduled for all or part of the work. These will be quoted separately.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Developmental Editing
£1.00 per 100 words
A developmental edit looks at the structure, story, pacing, continuity, characterisation, intent, and direction of your work. It is most appropriate to early drafts of a manuscript, or works where the author is not confident about the direction of their book or whether elements of the story are working. The edit includes includes:
Detailed in-manuscript comments on characters, pacing, setting, and style
A 4-6 page report on your work with clear, actionable points
An hour-long discussion can be arranged post-edit to answer questions and soundboard ideas and suggestions for improvement
Copy Editing
£0.50 - £1.20 per 100 words
A copy edit provides a thorough, line-by-line edit focusing on grammatical elements of writing and writing style, without looking at the overall story elements.
A line edit would include:
Correction of spelling, punctuation and grammar
Detailed continuity checks
Checking readability, whether your writing is active and dynamic
Tone and syntax
Checking quotations and fact-checking where relevant
A full style guide, either working towards an existing style (e.g. Oxford Style Guide or Chicago Manual of Style) or building an author’s style guide to ensure consistency throughout the work
A line edit does not cover rewriting or extensive re-drafting - this is not a service I provide. A copy edit is suited to later drafts and manuscripts where the author is confident in the story aspects of their writing. Copy editing can be considered one of the ‘last checks’ over a manuscript. For this reason, it is often confused with proofreading.
Content Edit
£0.60 - £1.00 per 100 words
A content edit combines the developmental and copy edit to give a comprehensive edit of both structural and line-by-line issues in the manuscript.
Content edits include:
Everything that is covered under a line and development edit
A 3-5 page overall notes summary on the manuscript
A style guide
An hour-long discussion can be arranged post-edit
This is my most popular service. It is suited to writers who want an extensive edit or perhaps who are working on their first manuscript and would feel the benefit of a very thorough edit. A content edit is usually provided where an author has got as far as they feel they can get with a manuscript but don’t feel it is quite ‘ready’ or ‘working’ yet. A content edit is only recommended where there are not extensive copy edits to be made, as rewrites may be required following the developmental aspects.
Manuscript EVALUATION
£1.20 per page
A manuscript evaluation is a critical assessment of a novel. Unlike editing, this is less about grammatical issues and instead focuses on the overall plot and readability of the work, with an eye for whether it is appropriate to the chosen market. This kind of review is recommended for people with a complete manuscript ready to submit to ensure it is hitting what agents and publishers are currently wanting from this area of the market. I request that all manuscripts being sent for an evaluation be formatted with a size 12 font and double-spaced.
An evaluation contains:
A thorough 5-10 page report, using MS word
Comments on the following topics: Target Readership, Story, Character, Dialogue, Narrative, and Editorial Issues
Recommendations for any additional editing
I offer copy editing on all disciplinary fields, including university assignments, theses/dissertations, journal articles, and monograph manuscripts by arrangement. This includes:
Spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections
Referencing checks against desired style guide
Please note, I do not check quotation accuracy, only the referencing format.
I offer developmental editing for written work in the arts and humanities disciplines. This is a new service I am piloting, and a discount is currently available on this work. This service is recommended to help academics find and promote their arguments, write in an appropriate way for the type of work, and improve the qualitative aspects of their writing. Academic developmental editing includes:
Initial meeting to discuss the purpose of the work, desired publication route, and any existing feedback on the work
Comments on the manuscript and a report on the key developmental points for improvement, including any consistent writing issues
If desired, a follow-up meeting to discuss the implementation of the recommendations
For undergraduate and postgraduate students, I also offer half-hour consultations on writing advice, either written or face-to-face (over Zoom call) . These are charged at a flat rate of £20, and will look at one piece of your writing to highlight the top three ways to improve your academic writing right now. This might include grammar, structure, style or referencing. These sessions are great for looking at drafts of assignments before submission, or for discussing feedback you have received from assessors. Please note, I am not able to comment on the content of your work in these sessions, just your style of writing. For help or critique on the substance of your writing, please speak to your tutors.
academic editing
£1.00 per 100 words
15% student discount
Part-qualified with the UK Society of Indexers in indexing. The fee includes an initial consultation to discuss the project, compilation of the index, and one set of correction revisions. I take work in any area of the arts and humanities, but particularly specialise in Gothic, gender studies, contemporary media, and genre media. For combined indexing and proofreading, please enquire using the web form or by email.
INDEXING
£50 flat fee + £0.60 per 100 words