Over all these years, I've never had anything but enthusiastic, positive feedback on my edits to people's manuscripts -- and that's saying a lot.
I know that's unusual, because I've hired many, many beta readers, editors and proofreaders for my books. And though I take criticism well, and many of the editors were excellent, many of them have not been so good. Even the helpful ones have often made errors, missed important issues, misunderstood things that other people found obvious, and so on. Some editors have been horrendous! So I know the vulnerability of giving your work over to someone for feedback.
So this is a point of pride for me: to continue to make sure editing clients are thrilled.
Hourly rates:
You can hire me with hourly rates at $70 per hour, depending on what's needed. If you'd like to book ten hours in advance, you can do so for $600. You can use those credits at any time for any number of short stories, blog posts, query letters, MFA applications, and so on.
Or, you can hire me per word of your finished manuscript. The amount per word depends on what you want done.
This is the one to choose if you are wanting to brainstorm and a developmental edit before you have finished the full manuscript. You may get started this way while your idea is still inchoate, and then once you have the manuscript ready, switch to per word rates.
My PayPal.
Per word rates:
Simple proofreading: 2 cents a word for one pass. (3 cents a word if you have an unusually high number of errors - one pass ** - see below.) This is a good level of proofing if you are going to submit to a publisher. If you're the publisher, and no one else will be proofing it before publication, hire me for Proofreading deluxe.
Proofreading deluxe: 3 cents a word. Two passes. This includes copy editing, so if there are sentences that could be made clearer or more graceful, avoiding repetition, etc., then I'll suggest those changes and you can decide to change accept those changes. I'll also make some notes on things you can do to clarify sentences, make them more powerful, rearrange paragraphs etc. Then, once you've addressed those things, you can re-send the manuscript. I'll do my best to make it right.
Light revision: 4 cents per word. Two passes. Looking at characterization, line edits, suspense, organization, proofreading, pacing, POV, etc. You expect that you'll probably keep the manuscript around the same length by the time you're done, with the same protagonist and antagonist, time frame, and so on, but are prepared to rethink the whole thing if need be.
Full developmental edit: 5 cents a word if you've drafted the entire manuscript, but feel it may need to be completely re-thought regarding the POV, humber of characters, if you should remove or add chapters or subplots, if you're worried it may be redone to fit the genre or make it fit a different genre, etc. Three passes.
Preparation for publishing: 6 cents a word. As many passes as it takes. Getting it polished and perfect. You can rethink it, change it, try again, get help with the book description and formatting, book cover, query, author bio, website, whatever you need.
Beginning to end: 7 cents a word of the final manuscript. In this case, you estimate the final word count and pay me in installments, so that by the time we're done, I've gotten paid per word, but you can still begin with only a paragraph sketch about what you want to write. This includes a phone call to brainstorm if you like, lots of back and forth emails, suggestions for reading materials, instruction on things you may need to learn, whether it's suspense techniques, how to manage POV, genre conventions, etc.
Heavy instruction as you write your book plus complete edit and proofing plus marketing: 8 cents a word of final manuscript, paid in installments until we know what the word count will be. This includes Skype, phone, teachings on how to write and market, get reviews, enter contests, blog about your book, create a newsletter, a Facebook author page, etc. If you're submitting to a publisher, I'll help with that, and if you're publishing yourself, I'll be there for you.
Email me to discuss hiring me. If you'd like a free sample edit or consultation, I can do that.
**If you have time, want to practice useful skills and are considerate, think about this: if you were messy about writing your manuscript and didn't go over it to polish it to the best of your abilities, you may be just being a bit lazy by asking me to change every few words to the right spelling, punctuation and so on. Is that really what your biggest, brightest self wants to do?
I may send you one of my videos, audios, articles or presentations and ask you to consider changing some things that you co consistently throughout before sending the manuscript to me, if you want me to do a polished proofreading. It's up to you if you decide to take me up on that; I'll take on your project in any case, but if your manuscript is riddled with errors, you will need to pay the one cent higher rate per word.
Coaching
I love to coach writers! Check out the Store page if you'd like to book me for an hour or for informal coaching or customized classes I make just for your needs, style and goals. Coaching is not just about one manuscript, though it can include editing. But it's about your story, creative and career goals, your weaknesses and strengths, helping you decide what form and genre to write in, to decide if you should pursue fiction-writing, how to combine blogging and social media with publications, getting through writers block, prompts, encouragement, decisions about going to conferences and seminars, connecting on social media, Pinterest, research, applying to MFA programs, etc.
I can point you to which writers you should read, what movement or label your work fits into and the history of that subgenera (like New Wave Fabulism, New Weird, Surrealism . . .) how to promote your writing on Medium, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, with author interviews, paid reviews, getting customer reviews, blurbs by other authors, keeping track of submissions, writing a great bio, using Word, Scrivener, Vellum, ProWriting Aid, KDP, Author Central, Kobo.
If you write short stories, novelettes and novellas, I can guide you through NewPages, Poets and Writers, Duotrope, Submittable, contests, Pushcart Prize, networking with other writers on Facebook.
I can also guide you if you are interested in becoming an editor or writing instructor.