Welcome to my Editing Services site!



A LITTLE ABOUT ME

I've had 30 years of experience as an editor of

newsletters (hard copy and online)

a journal

books

an encyclopedia

student papers

e-books (see some of them running down the column to your left)

novels

nonfiction books


A LITTLE ABOUT EDITING

No manuscript is perfect. If you look, you will always find a few errors. If you read a book from a major publisher, there will be an error or two (or more) in it. Take a look at the newspaper, and you'll see wrong pages referred to and missing words. Sometimes whole sentences or paragraphs are missing. My goal is to strengthen your work and make it more enticing to readers, not to make it perfect. It's the nature of humankind to make errors, so don't expect perfection.


A LITTLE ABOUT MY SERVICES

I offer both

Proof reading: to identify spelling and grammatical errors

Developmental editing for fiction  to identify  

a goal for each chapter that includes tension/suspense

where to start the story for greatest reader interest

appropriate character introductions and scene setting

one point of view/tense per scene/chapter

awkward sentence structure

stilted word use 
 
missing bridges between sentences, paragraphs, or chapters

a balance between showing, telling, and internal/external character response

dialogue that flows and sounds reasonable for the genre

the speaker via action

descriptions that entice the reader and/or foreshadow

weak/passive  verbs and suggest strong/active verbs that provide punch

backstory without info-dumping

a first and last sentence for every chapter that provides a hook that draws the reader in

repetitious phrases or words

other needs you request or become apparent as I read

Developmental editing for nonfiction includes suggestions for:

a clear outline that relates to the book title

front matter that matches chapters

a tone that engages the reader

stronger verbs that provide  punch and enhance reader interest

relevant figures that are numbered by chapter and included in a list of figures

content appropriate to reader level

appropriate references

other editing depending on your needs or those I identify as I read your work


About my Fees

I will edit the first page of your manuscript for free so you can see the kind of work I do.

If we agree to work together, the fee is one cent a word and includes the first page if you make the revisions I suggest. You will pay me through PayPal in advance per thousand words. You are free to only send me the first three chapters or whatever you think is relevant.


Testimonials

Fiction

 You always provide me with a perfect critique. I love the detail and the thought-provoking questions you ask. Each comment challenges my thinking and makes me look at things in a different light. That is what I crave in all the feedback I get. There are not many people in this world that are able to do that. Thank you for your time and effort. All your comments are placed in my special collection that I try to review when I start a new story.

Thanks,

Jay


Nonfiction

Dear Carolyn,

I received a copy of the book and I think it is absolutely beautiful. I will be requiring it for my students. I can't say enough wonderful things about the book and your abilities! I love the title, the content, the color, the size, and totally everything about it! Thank you for introducing me to this project and working with me on my first chapter. I learned a lot from your leadership and if you ever decide to do another nursing text, I hope you will give me a chance to evidence what I learned in my first go-around. I wish you well in all your endeavors!

Fondly - Jan

My Philosophy

I am not a ghostwriter and I don't change your content or intent. It is my hope that my editing will teach you many new things you can use in future books to strengthen your writing.

My Guarantee

I will not change the content of your work, only make suggestons that I believe will strengthen it. Then it is up to you to decide whether you want to make the suggested changes. If you like, I will look at your manuscript after you've revised it and will only charge you for the specific sentences I have to review. The charge in this case will be one cent for every two words, or half price.  If you wish additional editing on that manuscript, we can discuss additional charges. Most often, if you follow my suggestions, two go rounds are sufficient to bring your manuscript up to or above most published manuscripts.

If, after the first one thousand words, you do not agree I have strengthened your work, I will gladly refund your entire payment with the hope I've given you some things to think about when editing your own manuscript..


Fill in the box below to contact me with additional questions or to submit your first page and email address.

If we decide to work together, you'll return to this page and click on the BUY NOW button below.