Prices
For all services except editorial consulting, I base quotes on word counts. The range reflects the quality of the project and the level of technicality. For example, if I copy edit a book with extensive footnotes or endnotes, the rate per word will likely be higher.
All editorial services (except consultation) include up to two hours of phone or video calls (at no additional cost).
Talk with me
I offer a free 20-minute initial consultation (with no further obligation) via phone or video call. You can tell me about your manuscript, your goals, and anything else that might be helpful for me to know.
Genres I edit
Novels (except horror, romance, & science fiction)
Memoirs
Short-story collections
Poetry collections
Dissertations
Christian nonfiction and theology
Editorial assessment
$.015 to .02 per word
If you have a draft of a manuscript and you’re not certain how to proceed with revision, an editorial assessment is likely the place to begin! When I perform an assessment, I provide you with feedback on macro-level aspects of the work, such as the structure, characterization, narrative arc and plot, point of view, voice, and content (among other areas). I note what is working well and what could be improved.
An editorial assessment does not include in-text comments or edits in the manuscript itself. Rather, the assessment is a document of several pages.
Developmental editing
$.03 to .05 per word
If you are looking for in-text comments and example edits along with macro-level feedback, a developmental edit is for you.
Just as with an editorial assessment, in a developmental edit I focus on structure, characterization, narrative arc and plot, point of view, voice, and content. I also note in passing micro-level aspects of a work.
Line editing
$.025 to .05 per word
Line editing involves improving your manuscript’s style. I scrutinize the work at the sentence level, examining tone, clarity, and readability. To improve consistency in those areas, I focus on syntax, word choice, and any filler content. Although it’s related to copy editing, line editing is more narrow in its scope.
Copy editing
$.025 to .05 per word
If I copy edit your manuscript, I am checking spelling, word choice, number usage, capitalization, mechanics, grammar, and punctuation. I am also checking for consistency within the manuscript, such as with characterization, setting, descriptions, and plot, among other areas.
Moreover, I check for any incorrect statements. If a novel describes mesquite trees along the James River in North Dakota, I would double check if those trees actually grow there. (The answer, by the way, is no.)
Dissertation editing
$.03 to .05 per word
As someone who has edited dissertations (and who has written one!), I understand the process, the challenges, and the rewards. This service can be tailored to the stage you’re at in the process. For some clients, I have provided copyediting, and for others I have provided developmental editing.
Regardless of the type of editing, I am fully competent in checking citations and bibliographies in APA, MLA, and CMOS.
Editorial consulting
$50 per fifty-minute session
These sessions are focused on your manuscript and/or any writing-related assistance you’d like. And as noted earlier, all other editing services include up to two hours of post-feedback phone or video calls.