Editing, Book Coaching & Research Assistance
FREE 30-MINUTE EDITING CONSULTATION:
This free 30-minute consultation is to see if I am a good fit for your project. It is a telephone call or a Zoom meeting. It does not require any advance forms on your part, but do make a note on the confirmation page of the materials you must have on hand for the meeting.
Click this link to schedule FREE 30-MINUTE EDITING CONSULTATION $0.00
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1g-wFYPqYuOkqDUq25-fJncpN_H5aAhoHl-qh-Uq88dw/edit
OPTION 1: EDITORIAL ASSESSMENT LETTER
$395.00 plus tax
I will read up to 25,000 words (100 pages) of your typewritten manuscript, and you will receive a detailed multi-page analysis letter from me describing the strengths and suggestions for improvements. This is a LETTER ONLY sent to you via email. There is NO use of Word Track Changes. There is NO meeting. If you want me to read any amount over 25,000 words, please contact me to discuss pricing. If you want to have a meeting before and/or after, you must schedule Virtual Office Visit in addition to this option.
Click this link to schedule an EDITORIAL ASSESSMENT LETTER $395.00
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1g-wFYPqYuOkqDUq25-fJncpN_H5aAhoHl-qh-Uq88dw/edit
OPTION 2: EDITORIAL MAP Rates $170.00-370.00 plus tax
An editorial map is a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of a manuscript that is presented in the form of a spreadsheet. When I prepare an editorial map, I deep scan a manuscript listing all the important elements per chapter such as setting, characters in the chapter, bullet points about what happens in the chapter, and more. An editorial map helps a writer see on a spreadsheet what’s happening where, when, and who is doing something. It will sometimes help fix timeline problems.
Editorial map of a manuscript up to 100 pages: $170.00
Editorial map of a manuscript up to 200 pages: $270.00
Editorial map of a manuscript up to 300 pages: $370.00
Click this link to schedule an EDITORIAL MAP.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1g-wFYPqYuOkqDUq25-fJncpN_H5aAhoHl-qh-Uq88dw/edit
OPTION 3: DEVELOPMENTAL EDIT AND COMMENTARY (EVALUATION) $0.049 per word plus tax
$0.049 per word plus tax and service charge. Flat rate applies to nonfiction and fiction any number of words. The developmental edit FOCUSES ON THE BIG PICTURE/CONTENT of the document and will be done in Word Track Changes.
Story elements such as character, plot, pacing, action, dialogue, and general effect are assessed in a developmental edit. For nonfiction elements such as content, intended audience, research, tone, pacing, quotes, general effect, and organization are assessed in a developmental edit. Developmental editing may assess mechanics, style, grammar, spelling, etc. Please understand that these items will only be noted in Track Changes and not changed in the document for the writer. It is the writer’s responsibility to make the changes to their work after they receive the developmental edit. Minimum $75.00 per manuscript applies.
Please click this link to schedule a DEVELOPMENTAL EDIT & COMMENTARY.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1g-wFYPqYuOkqDUq25-fJncpN_H5aAhoHl-qh-Uq88dw/edit
OPTION 4: SAMPLE EDIT 10 PAGES, NO MEETING, $122.50 plus tax
I will provide a sample edit of ten pages, preferably the first ten pages, with comments in track changes and a detailed editorial feedback letter. This does NOT include a meeting (email, telephone, or Zoom.) The feedback email and letter will provide options, prices, and instructions for moving forward with a full manuscript edit. If you want to have a meeting before and/or after, you must schedule Virtual Office Hours in addition to this option.
Click this link to schedule SAMPLE EDIT 10 PAGES NO MEETING $122.50
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1g-wFYPqYuOkqDUq25-fJncpN_H5aAhoHl-qh-Uq88dw/edit
OPTION 5: EDIT OF 10 PAGES PLUS 30 MIN MEETING $247.50 plus tax
This option includes a thorough edit with comments in track changes, an editorial feedback letter, and a 30-minute meeting via Zoom or telephone AFTER the edit is completed and returned to you.
Click this link to schedule EDIT OF 10 PAGES PLUS MEETING $247.50
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1g-wFYPqYuOkqDUq25-fJncpN_H5aAhoHl-qh-Uq88dw/edit
OPTION 6: RESEARCH-PUBLISHERS $270.00 plus tax
Customized research based on your genre of ten active independent and/or small PUBLISHERS who state on their websites that they publish your genre and are currently open to submissions. You will receive a Google doc listing the name, mailing address, and website link for each publisher. There will be no phone numbers or specific editor names provided. You may request more than ten publishers. Contact me for prices. NOTE: I do not take every publisher research project, and I do not research agents. If you want to have a meeting before and/or after, you must schedule Virtual Office Hours in addition to this option.
Click this link to schedule RESEARCH-PUBLISHERS $270.00
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1g-wFYPqYuOkqDUq25-fJncpN_H5aAhoHl-qh-Uq88dw/edit
Option 7: VIRTUAL OFFICE VISIT 30 MIN. $125.00 plus tax
This is a 30-minute chat preferably via Zoom but can be done on the telephone on any ONE of the following topics:
Query letters
Synopsis writing
Genre discussion
Writing life
Submission advice
How I edit
After you schedule a VIRTUAL OFFICE VISIT and payment is received in full, I will email you with instructions and a Zoom link.
Click this link to schedule a VIRTUAL OFFICE VISIT 30 MIN. $125.00
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1g-wFYPqYuOkqDUq25-fJncpN_H5aAhoHl-qh-Uq88dw/edit
Option 8: PROOFREADING $0.029 PER WORD plus tax
Minimum $75.00 per manuscript applies.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1g-wFYPqYuOkqDUq25-fJncpN_H5aAhoHl-qh-Uq88dw/edit
Option 9: COPYEDITING $0.039 PER WORD plus tax
Minimum $75.00 per manuscript applies.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1g-wFYPqYuOkqDUq25-fJncpN_H5aAhoHl-qh-Uq88dw/edit
Option 10: BOOK COACHING FICTION & NONFICTION plus tax
Be brave. Write a book. Let me help you every step of the way.
INDIVIDUAL COACHING SESSIONS ON SPECIFIC QUESTIONS $100.00
$100.00 per hour plus tax for one-to-one sessions via Zoom, email, telephone, Google docs, and/or letter customized to your writing needs. Schedule one or twenty sessions. The hourly rate is the same.
Click this link to schedule INDIVIDUAL COACHING SESSIONS $100.00 PER HOUR
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1g-wFYPqYuOkqDUq25-fJncpN_H5aAhoHl-qh-Uq88dw/edit
Or
“SLOW & STEADY” THREE-MONTH BOOK COACHING PACKAGE $3,000.00
$3,000.00 plus tax. The “Slow & Steady” three-month package is perfect for any stage writer and book. Here’s what’s included:
_Initial 30-minute consultation via Zoom/telephone to determine if we are a good fit is FREE.
_Initial 500-word assessment letter of your manuscript if you already have something written
_Two one-hour bi-weekly meetings via Zoom per month
_Customized writing craft lesson on some element of writing a book applicable to your stage as a writer
_Review of my edits on your 20-page submission
_Review of your Progress Journal
_Assignment(s) to be completed before the next virtual meeting
_Additional resources
RESULTS ACHIEVED IN THE “SLOW & STEADY” THREE-MONTH PACKAGE
_120 professionally edited pages with my ideas in Track Changes
_Your questions answered via email and in private virtual meetings
_Six virtual meetings (via Zoom)
_Brainstorming along the way
_30 progress journal entries
_Six customized writing craft lessons
_Email correspondence
_A book coach contributes to a variety of elements including the writing process, outlining, avoiding writer’s block, time management, goal setting, organization, brainstorming, polishing/perfecting, accountability/meeting deadlines, first draft analysis, and initial discussion about publishing depending on where the writer is at the beginning of the coaching program. The final product of book coaching depends on where the writer is at the beginning of the relationship.
_This package must be completed over three consecutive months.
_Option to continue after the initial package on a month-to-month basis.
Click this link to schedule “SLOW & STEADY” THREE-MONTH BOOK COACHING PACKAGE $3,000.00
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1g-wFYPqYuOkqDUq25-fJncpN_H5aAhoHl-qh-Uq88dw/edit
Editing Definitions
EDITORIAL ASSESSMENT
An editorial assessment is an overview of a manuscript with respect to very general impressions such as general impact, plot, writing style, industry-specific items, character development, structure, and any other elements that add or detract from the manuscript. This is generally delivered via a detailed letter to the author.
EDITORIAL MAP
An editorial map is a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of a manuscript that is presented in the form of a spreadsheet. When I prepare an editorial map, I deep scan a manuscript listing all the important elements per chapter such as setting, characters in the chapter, bullet points about what happens in the chapter, and more. An editorial map helps a writer see on a spreadsheet what’s happening where, when and who is doing something. It will sometimes help fix timeline problems.
DEVELOPMENTAL EDIT
A developmental edit is a “big picture” assessment of a document. This normally includes style, structure, form, character, and audience. It does not address sentence construction, misspelled words, punctuation, grammar, or syntax. The result of a developmental edit provides a writer with the first or overall impression of the manuscript. The developmental edits should be noted in Microsoft Track Changes so the writer can see exactly where in the document the editor is commenting. Writers should consider the editor’s comments as they revise and reshape the manuscript.
COPYEDIT
A copyedit digs into the nitty-gritty of a manuscript for things such as consistency, grammar, punctuation, word choice, typographical errors, and more. Copy edits are traditionally provided in Microsoft Track Changes. It is line-by-line coverage that finds errors and makes suggestions for correcting them. Copyediting is where style guide (i.e., Modern Language Association, Chicago Manual of Style, and others) standards are applied and emphasized. Writers should consider the copy editor’s comments as they revise and reshape the manuscript.
PROOFREADING
The proofreading of a manuscript should occur only after one or more of the above editing procedures have been completed. The proofreader looks at everything from the front matter to the back matter with an eye toward an error-free document that is ready for formatting and publishing. It is wise to have more than one set of eyes assess a manuscript in the hopes of achieving the best document possible. The goal is a smooth, error-free read.
GHOST EDIT
When a writer wants an editor to make the changes for them, they ask for a ghost edit. The ghost edit is the copy edits made to the manuscript by the editor. Where the copy editor notes the issues in Track Changes, the ghost editor notes the change in Track Changes AND revises the manuscript with the change. A writer should be aware that sometimes substantial changes will be made to a manuscript with this edit, but the document will be ready for proofreading after a ghost edit that has been accepted by the writer.
AUTHOR VOICE
There is and always has been stimulating discourse on exactly what “writing voice” is and how to develop it. In the simplest terms, author voice is a compilation of the words, sentence structure, tone, and more that a writer chooses. An author’s voice develops over time but only if they write a lot! Regardless of the editing type, I do my best to retain and support an author’s voice. Content, style, and details contribute to voice, but I like this quick explanation best:
“Voice is the personality behind the writing.” -Adair Lara, author
I highly recommend reading
Writing Voice: The Complete Guide to Creating a Presence on the Page and Engaging Readers
From the editors of Writer’s Digest.
General Notes
Important General information
There are no refunds. This is a service product that sometimes results in products such as a letter or comments in Track Changes. I cannot get my time back after spending it. I guarantee that I will do the work. I do not guarantee that you will like it.
My areas of specialty: journal therapy, art journaling, short story, novella, novel-length fiction in a variety of genres, non-fiction books and articles, academic papers in the arts and health/fitness/wellness, creative non-fiction, personal essay, memoir, legacy letters, blogs, white papers, limited children’s and middle-grade fiction, and newsletter copy. I’m most comfortable editing in MLA and Chicago Manual of Style formats.
Most work is completed in two to six weeks from receipt of payment in full unless other arrangements have been made (except for book coaching.) Quicker turnarounds are charged an additional fee.
A signed agreement and payment in full are required before any work is started.
I reserve the right to refuse projects because of schedule constraints or unsuitability.
Payment via PayPal and Square (all credit cards accepted at these sites.)
I can only work with English submissions at this time.
I offer a 5% discount on all services to veterans and first responders.
https://linktr.ee/joyeheld