Every writer knows that the writing process doesn’t stop with ‘The End.’

My goal as an editor is to make sure your voice is heard, preserved, and developed in the most effective way possible. We’ll work as partners to keep true to the characters you’ve created and the story they need to tell while polishing the work you’ve built so it shines. You can check out some of the works my clients have published here.

As an author myself…I get it. Everyone on Twitter is screaming at you to find an editor and a cover designer and marketing, etc. You want your work to stand up against any traditionally published book, but you’re paying out of pocket for all those things. It gets overwhelming and expensive quickly.

That’s why I launched this business. I want to deliver actually affordable editing services at a professional level specifically to self-published and indie authors. I want you to get the services you deserve without breaking the bank. I want to support the community I’m part of.

I am regularly opening new slots.

Depending on what services you need and your publication date, as well as whether or not I have any short-notice slots that need to be filled, I may be able to fit you in quickly. It’s always best to ask!

While I do operate on a First Come, First Served basis, I do give priority to marginalized authors and ownvoices stories with additional consideration given to intersectional identities. If I have only one slot open and two authors requesting services, this will be a factor in scheduling.

Services & Pricing

Full Edits

With many editors, you’ll get three options:

  • Line editing – looking for errors in mechanics and sentence structure.
  • Copy editing – tied closely to line editing but a bit more big picture in that we’re looking at clarity, flow, dialogue, even specific word choice. This usually also includes technical aspects of editing such as fact-checking and reviewing for plagiarism.
  • Developmental editing – an opportunity to help you focus the story and evaluate critical pieces such as plot, POV, character development, pacing, and conflict.

Usually, each of these has an individual charge with developmental editing being the most expensive portion as it is the most critical and most involved. Instead, I provide a service that includes all three steps in the editing process for one fee that is well below the industry standard rates.

  • Prices are based on total manuscript word count.
  • My rate is $0.0035 per word – for comparison, industry standards are $0.008 for line editing and up to $0.02 per word for developmental editing.
  • I offer a payment plan involving a 25% deposit, 25% due before I send back the first round of edits, and 50% due before the final edits are returned.
  • Any manuscript with a total charge of $100 or less qualifies for a payment plan with a 50% deposit and 50% due before I send back the final edits.
  • There is a minimum fee of $50; any project that would total less than this per word will automatically be charged $50.
  • I do offer proofreading at the same rate.

I charge less for higher-quality work because I know what being a self-published author is like, and I want you to be able to tell your story!

Copy & Line Edits

I can offer only copy and line editing at the same rate listed above. I don’t charge less for only these services because my rate for each or combined is still far lower than the industry average.

This may be the right choice for you if:

  • You’re a seasoned writer and/or you feel really good about your plot, character development, etc. (all the things that we’d look for in a developmental edit).
  • You’re in something of a hurry based on when you want to publish, and you want eyes on the manuscript to clean it up but without the potential of needing a lot of time or work.

Sensitivity Read

I will offer a sensitivity read that will evaluate your manuscript for language, character traits or arcs, plot points, etc. that may be problematic, dangerous, or even just less than optimal. I highly recommend this service if any of your characters have a marginalization different than your own or if you’re writing in a real-world culture that you’re not a part of.

Sensitivity reads are highly subjective, so it’s vital that your sensitivity readers are a member of the marginalized group or culture you need a read for. That being said, I will only offer this service for characters and cultures I am part of:

  • Disability and chronic illness (including terminal illness)
  • Mental health
  • Neurodivergent
  • Transgender (binary or nonbinary)
  • LGBTQIA+
  • White Native
  • Jewish
  • Ableism (in and outside of medical care and including things like fatphobia)

Please note that I will account for intersectionality. For example, if you have a Black nonbinary character, that experience (of a Black nonbinary person) is different from my experience as a white nonbinary person. I will not provide that sensitivity read.

If we come to the decision that I’m not the right sensitivity reader for you, I’ll do whatever I can to help you find the right person.

  • Prices are based on total manuscript word count.
  • My rate is $3 per 1000 words.
  • Any manuscript with a total charge of $100 or less qualifies for a payment plan with a 50% deposit and 50% due before I send back my notes.
  • There is a minimum fee of $50; any project that would total less than this per word will automatically be charged $50.

Book Coaching

This is perfect for new authors or authors who are feeling a little stuck partway through a draft.

I will review and critique the first 50 pages of your manuscript. You will receive comprehensive feedback regarding your opportunities in critical areas such as readability, character voice, consistency, and much more. If you have questions or areas of concern, we’ll go through those in detail together. I will also provide suggestions on how you can improve each of these areas for the entire manuscript as well as suggestions for your next steps.

  • Price is a flat rate of $200.

After you make changes based on my notes, I will also do one additional review of the new first 50 pages to identify the remaining areas of opportunity and improvements made. I will provide additional suggestions at this time as well.

The Editing Process

Below, you’ll find a form for you to fill out to begin the free consultation. You can expect a response to this—including a quote, answers to your questions, and any questions I may have—within two business days. If for some reason I am unavailable to respond within that time, you’ll receive an automated email letting you know right away.

After you accept the services, schedule, and quote based on the consultation, I’ll send you a contract and a deposit invoice from PayPal. You’ll sign the contract and email it back to me, then pay the deposit, which is generally due two weeks from the date sent.

Edits begin on the scheduled start date we agreed upon. You relax (or at least try to), and I’ll put in the work on your manuscript. What you’ll get back will be a marked-up document, changes tracked and comments added as well as questions asked where needed. Then it’s your turn to apply changes (or not), make additional notes or questions as you have them, and then return it to me for an additional round. We can do this for multiple rounds until we agree that we have a finished document.

Specifics
  • Manuscripts should be formatted in Times New Roman 12pt font. Double-space the entire document and use 1” margins all the way around.
  • Submit your manuscript using Word, Google Docs, or Open Office documents. I do have a preference for Word because Track Changes makes everything easier on both of us. If using Google Docs, I need to be given ‘editing’ permission. If you don’t have access to any of these programs, please let me know in your initial email.
  • Timelines for edits will depend on everything from genre to the number and intensity of edits needed to your writing style. I’ll give a schedule in the contract based on an estimate of between 10k and 25k words per week. We will also go back and forth for at least one round of edits for you make suggested changes, ask questions, etc. This can go on for multiple rounds and will depend on your needs.
  • I accept (and prefer) PayPal. If you need to use a money order, Venmo, or CashApp, I can accept that as well, but you will still get an invoice from PayPal for my records.

MSWL & Restrictions

I am eager to see all of your stories, but there are a few things that really excite me and that I have come to specialize in. My MSWL:

  • Romance of all kinds and in all genres. The queerer the better, and I’m especially interested if the romance involves at least one non-human partner. I would love to see more polyamory and BDSM in romance. Higher heat levels are always on my wish list.
  • Romances with asexual and aromantic people (anywhere on either spectrum) are more than welcome. Sex-favorable or sex-repulsed or anywhere in between.
  • Romances with established couples.
  • Transgender characters. Nonbinary and binary. Main characters and otherwise. Just…all the trans people, please.
  • Plays on popular tropes. So while enemies to lovers is great, if you can give me best friends to enemies to lovers, I’m even more excited. Child of the Chosen One instead of the Chosen One, that kind of thing.
  • Disabled and neurodivergent MCs.
  • All-queer casts and stories set in worlds where queerness is the standard.
  • Retellings of folktales, legends, and fables from oral traditions the world over.
  • Fairy tale retellings with unique twists.
  • Genres I love include slice-of-life stories and “cozy” variations of fantasy and sci-fi.
  • I’d love to see more comics and graphic novels. If you’re working on a video game, you’ll make my day.

My restrictions are based only on what is dangerous or problematic, not personal preferences. I have a blanket disclaimer that I’m not going to work on harmful stories, but some of these are common enough that I want to mention them here:

  • Romanticized abuse. This includes poor/un-educated representations of BDSM that turn it into abuse.
  • Incest.
  • “Romance” that includes a child and an adult. If your story is a romance between a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old who are in high school together, we can talk. I’m not going to edit a “romance” between a 17-year-old and a 24-year-old, though.
  • Historical rewritings that “reimagine” things like the slave trade or the Holocaust. Don’t send me a Nazi romance or a “reversed” Civil War.
  • Stories in which disabled characters are healed or cured to further the plot (especially by magical means, but I’m likely to distance myself from this no matter how).
  • Pro-colonization stories. We can discuss if this is science fiction or high fantasy, but if you’re writing in the real world, it’s likely I’m not going to involve myself in the story.
  • Zionist stories, whether blatantly or in theme. This goes for “reimaginings” of Zionism, too. (If you’re writing an anti-Zionism story, however, I’m all over that.)
  • I’m not totally averse to stories with cops as characters or cop romances, but I am going to examine the narrative carefully before agreeing to work on it.
  • Abuser redemption stories. Note that this is not the same as general villain redemption, which I tend to really enjoy.

Disclaimer

I’m good at what I do, and I’ve been doing it for a long time (you can see what some of my clients have said about working with me here). However, no editor can guarantee that your manuscript will be completely error-free. Editors are human too. In this industry, the generally accepted “mistake rate” is between 1 and 10 errors per 1000 words.

Editing and proofreading are different! A proofreader is given a manuscript that is nearly perfect and has already been edited to put final touches on, polish, and maybe make some formatting changes. I strongly recommend having your manuscript proofread before publishing.

I cannot guarantee that your book will sell, make you the next millionaire author, or that you’ll be picked up by a publishing house. No editor should ever make this guarantee.

You are hiring a disabled editor. There will be times when you get emails and edits from me at hours many people would consider unorthodox; I don’t ever expect you to reply at hours like those, but I appreciate the understanding that I may need to work at those times. There may also be some delays in returning your edits if my health changes unexpectedly, but I’m very good at communicating those delays (and avoiding them). You are hiring a disabled editor, though. Please keep that in mind and understand what it means before hiring me–for both our sakes.

You can find the answers to Frequently Asked Questions here.

Interested? Fill out the form below to start the conversation.

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