Editorial
Line Editing
A deeper edit, meant for manuscripts that you feel need a bit more help with rewording sentences, organizing paragraphs, minor rearranging of the flow, assessment for missing information or things that could be explained better, and so on. Line editing includes the services under copyediting just below. There is typically a bit of back-and-forth with line editing as we work through problems in the manuscript.
Copyediting
Meant for manuscripts that are complete and that you are happy with, content-wise. A copyedit is a final polish for spelling, grammar, punctuation, usage, style, consistency, continuity, and clarity, while maintaining the author’s voice. As applicable, formatting and matching references and notes, basic fact-checking, timeline verification, checking figures and tables, and the like. It includes generation of a comprehensive stylesheet (and timeline, where applicable). You will review the copyedit and send it back to me for finalizing, but there is typically not a lot of back-and-forth, if any.
Proofreading / Cold Reading
A final, last-eyes-on-the-project read of publication-ready pages (PDF of layout, or in Word if you’re destined for ebook-only publication) for errors in spelling, grammar, and layout, in addition to egregious errors in style, consistency, and continuity. This can be traditional proofreading (comparing typeset pages to manuscript pages word-for-word) or — what is more common these days — cold reading (simply reading the typeset pages without word-for-word comparison). I will alert you about anything that may cause problems in printing or ebook production. This service is only for books that have already been professionally edited, and is not a substitute for copyediting. (In my experience, most indie authors who think they need “just a proofread” actually need a copyedit.)
Slugging
Checking that changes marked on previous proofs were correctly incorporated into final proofs and did not cause new problems.
Formatting
Applying Word styles to your manuscript’s various elements to prepare it for transmittal to layout or ebook production.
Fees
Each project is unique, thus there is no one-size-fits-all pricing for the services I provide. My fees are competitive with those of other experienced publishing professionals. Please email me for a personalized quote for your project.