Manuscript Development
My manuscript development services are outlined below. For any questions about any of these services or to make a booking please use the contact form found here.
A short (and free) sample edit is the best way to see if an editor is a suitable match for both you and your project. I encourage first time clients to book a sample edit, you can enquire about doing so through the link above.
I am most experienced with the genres of fantasy and romance (and their extensive sub genres) but I also have some experience with mystery, historical fiction, and science fiction. I am not a suitable choice to edit non fiction or horror and as such will not take on projects in these genres.
Payment plans are available on request.
Structural Editing:
The goal of this edit is to strengthen your writing at the story construction level whilst maintaining your unique authorial voice. I will assess the big building blocks and general mechanics that compose your story and help you whip your manuscript into shape to ensure it lands firmly within the realms of genre and audience expectations.
This service includes comments in the manuscript and a comprehensive editorial report covering the crucial elements of storytelling, including:
- Narrative voice
- Tense, pacing, and general flow of the story (is the action and pacing appropriate for the genre and will it keep the reader turning pages?)
- Language and word choice
- Clarity and readability
- Worldbuilding (is it consistent and believable?)
- Point of view (is the story being told from the right perspective?)
- Characterisation (are your characters well rounded and believable? Are there any inconsistencies in character appearance or behaviour?)
- Plot (Does the story start and finish in the right place? Are there any plot holes? Also looks at the chronology of events, sub-plot, and individual character arcs for consistency and relevance to the main plot.)
Given the nature of this type of edit, substantial rewrites of scenes, chapters, or even the whole manuscript may be necessary so there will be no marking up of grammatical or spelling errors as there is no point in fixing things at a sentence level if there is a possibility that they will be rewritten or deleted.
Price: $0.010 AUD per word
Beta Reading / Manuscript Assessment :
An assessment of the manuscript from the point of view of a reader. Includes a report on what is working and what isn’t, audience and genre expectations, and what your next steps might be for the manuscript.
A good service to book if you are unsure if you need a full structural edit or not. (if we decide that you do need a structural edit and you book one with me, you’ll receive 20% off the cost of the structural edit)
Price: $120 AUD flat rate up to 50,000 words, then $0.0015 AUD per word thereafter.
Early Stage Critique:
Have you only just started your project and hit a snag? Or are you wading through the soggy middle and losing sight of the story and why you are even bothering writing it? Written yourself into a corner and not sure how to get out? Or maybe you just need someone to read what you have and tell you it will all turn out okay.
This service is for unfinished manuscripts that are still in the first stage of drafting. I can provide feedback on as few as one or two chapters right up the final stages of the draft when you are not quite sure how to stick the landing. It is the type of feedback you would expect from a critique partner or alpha reader.
Price: $20 AUD flat rate for up to 10,000 words, then $0.0015 AUD per word thereafter.