Services
Finding the right service from the right editing professional can be a confusing and stressful process, especially if you are new to the publishing world. Different literary professionals call levels of service by various names and the process of figuring out what you need and what is a fair price to pay for it can be overwhelming.
Within this section, you will find brief descriptions of all the services I offer, followed by a link to more detailed outlines of who the service is best for and what exactly you get with each service. I have done my best to keep my pricing model as straightforward as possible, with no need to go through an assessment process for most services. But, if you have any questions at all about the information you see here, please feel free to contact me through my Get In Touch page. I am always happy to answer questions. It is literally what I do!
Currently Accepting Clients For April 2024
Full Manuscript Evaluations
Editorial Letter
$1400 for up to 70,000 words
$15/1000 additional words
An in depth assessment of the strengths and areas in need of attention within your work, including the plot, characters, voice, point of view, dialogue, world building, and conflicts. Comments throughout the manuscript may be included when warranted to offer further insight and examples. The amount of comments can differ depending on the strength of the draft and how best to communicate all relevant points.
Editorial + Opening Line Edit
$2000 for up to 70,000 words
$15/1000 Additional Words
An Editorial Letter with Page Notes, plus Line Editing of the first 5,000 words of your manuscript. This edit will assess flow, phrasing, and word choice in addition to big-picture items covered in the letter and can give you an idea of what might still need to be addressed before sending a manuscript to submission or to copy editing.
Agent Submission Critiques
Submission Package
Evaluation
$500
A detailed evaluation with page notes of your query letter and first 10,000 words, including up to two query letter revisions.
Query Letter Editing & Coaching
$300
A detailed evaluation with page notes of your query letter, including suggestions of comparable market titles.
First 10,000 Words Evaluation
$300
A detailed evaluation with page notes of the first 10,000 words of your manuscript.
Other Services
Short Fiction
& Excerpts
$300 for first 10,000 words
$12/1000 words additional
An editorial letter detailing all of the major strengths and weaknesses of the piece. Service includes page notes.
Writing Coach
$100/Session
$400/5 Sessions
Clients can divide each one-hour time slot between our Zoom chat or an evaluation of pages sent before the session (5 pages/10 minutes), according to their needs.
Speaker & Panelist
for Pricing Assessment
I love sharing my knowledge on writing, editing, and publishing. I also bring decades of experience as a performer, host/MC, and event planner.
Full Details
Editorial Letter (SUBSTANTIVE or DEVELOPMENTAL EDIT)
Best For: Those who are still in the “big picture” stage of editing and want a professional opinion on what is working and what needs work. You might have yet to show your novel to anyone yet or have only shown it to a few people close to you or beta readers. This service is for those who are ready to start thinking about getting their book published for the general public, either through self or traditional publishing channels.
Description: First and foremost, this is an evaluation of how your story is functioning as a whole. I will look at things like plotting, characters, narrative point of view, progression of conflict, story structure, pacing, dialogue, descriptive voice, writing style, tone, and the overall themes. This report is meant to show you the greatest strengths and weaknesses of your piece, and to guide you towards a superior next draft. This is a stage of editing that EVERY BOOK should go through! It is the first step in creating a story that is not only great to the writer, but is also the best version for readers.
Material Critiqued: A full-length fiction or creative non-fiction manuscript of at least 50,000 words. This could be a first draft or twentieth. It should be the draft where you have completed all that you can on your own and are now ready to start building your team to make your book the best it can be!
You Receive: Your completed editorial letter of at least 1000 words, which will include a detailed evaluation of all points raised and will give suggestions and prompts to help guide you to solutions, where needed. There is no guarantee that each section described above will be discussed, but I will do my best to address those areas where I think readers, agents, and acquiring editors might have questions or concerns. Essentially, this evaluation will cover the greatest strengths of the draft, as well as the most pressing areas up for revision.
Liner notes or comments may also be included in this service. This is at my discretion, where the further along a manuscript is, the more notes will be included. These notes are meant to offer examples, provide further insights, and provide comments on smaller details within the manuscript. These notes may be limited on manuscripts in earlier stages or notes could be moved into the letter, where they can be elaborated on more easily. Either way, everything that I see and believe should be addressed within your next draft will be addressed somewhere!
Cost: $1400 for the first 70,000 worlds. $15/1000 for additional words.
Read a sample of a Manuscript Evaluation here.
EDITORIAL + LINE EDIT
Best For: Those who are in the later stages of drafting and would like insight into all of the above, plus want to get feedback on their prose on a more line-to-line basis. This service is great for those that are planning to submit to agents and publishers (as the first 10k words can make or break a deal!) and those who are self publishing and are approaching copy editing.
Description: This service is the most in-depth version of substantive editing. It assumes that the manuscript is at the stage where you have done most of the developmental work and are now ready to start looking at the details of your writing. You will receive everything from the above service plus a thorough line edit of the first 5,000 words. This will get into the grit of your writing, checking for mistakes, assessing the voice and style, and will make suggestions for improvements in dialogue, descriptions, and action.
This is the only level of service I offer where I will make suggestions of chances to sentences, words, and grammatical elements. Though, this service does not take the place of a copy edit. It is meant to give you insight into everything that I see within those pages.
Material Critiqued: A full-length manuscript. This must have gone through at least one assessment by a professional editor.
You Receive: An Editorial Letter and line edits on the first 5,000 words of your manuscript.
Price: $2000 for the first 70,000 words ($1400 for the letter, plus $600 for the line edit.) $15/1000 additional words.
Submission Package Evaluation
Best For: Those who are putting packages together to send out to literary agents and acquisitions editors at publishing houses.
Description: Every agent and editor has their own process for choosing a new client or book. While some will start with the query letter and synopsis, others will move straight to reading the opening chapters. This service is meant to help you build the strongest package possible to get your manuscript noticed over the hundreds of others they have sitting in their inbox. With these gatekeepers to traditional publishing, you only have one chance to make a first impression. I have spent years working to understand what agents and editors are looking for, both in terms of quality of work and trends within the current market.
Material Critiqued: Query letter and the first 10,000 words of your novel manuscript.
You Receive: A letter of at least 800 words of notes talking about all aspects of your submission package. This will include information about the publishing industry and standards, as well as developmental notes and suggestions on your first chapters to help you present your best possible work. This service includes page notes throughout.
Price: $500 for the standard package. You can also include your 1-2 Page Synopsis for critique for an additional $100.
Query Letter Edit & Coaching
Best For: Those who are preparing their submission package for agents and acquisition editors. This service is ideal for those who have a difficult time finding the right elevator pitch for their book and outlining its finer points in only a few paragraphs.
Description: When it comes to convincing an agent or publisher to work with you on getting your book onto shelves, your query letter is the greatest marketing tool that you have. This one short document is meant to not only explain what your book is about, but also show a bit of its character and uniqueness, hint at where it would fit within the current market, and sell you as a great author to work with (one with a promising long-term future in the business). I have worked with agents and studied the wants of editors in multiple genres for the past few years and want to pass on that knowledge to you. I combine this industry knowledge with a background in film & television — a genre known for quick and dynamic pitches that grab people’s attention. With this service, I will work with you through multiple drafts of your query to find that ideal blend of sales pitch, heart and reflection of your literary talent.
Materials Critiqued: Up to three drafts of your query letter.
You Receive: Detailed page notes on your first draft, as well as comments given through email. With additional drafts, I will send comments through email and page notes if I feel that they are still needed.
Price: $300
Note: For this service, full payment is due after delivery of your initial critique. It is up to you to decide if further edits are needed and to submit additional drafts.
First 10,000 Words Critique
Best For: Those who are getting their novel ready for submission to agents and publishers. This is also a great service for those who are not yet at the stage when they are ready for a full manuscript evaluation but want a critique on their overall writing style, their premise, and these crucial opening pages.
Description: Most agents follow the same process when assessing your work — you need to first hook them with a great query letter. If you do that, they will start reading your opening pages. While it might seem cutthroat, agents and editors are looking for your best possible work and to be gripped on every page if they are going to consider working with you. One misstep could have them putting your book down and moving onto the next on the pile (which usually includes hundreds of submissions). This service is an in depth critique of those opening chapters that could make or break your book’s success. I will look at the story elements (plot, characters, conflict, and POV) as well as how it fits with current market trends and expectations.
Materials Critiqued: The first 10,000 words of your work (approximately, according to the end of the closest chapter).
You Receive: At least a 500-word critique letter detailing all of the major strengths and weaknesses of your piece. This letter will focus on plotting, character development, writing style, and the presented themes of the book. It will also give suggestions based on the current market trends and expectations. This service includes page notes.
Price: $300
Short Fiction & Excerpts
Best For: Short story and novella writers, as well as those looking for feedback on a portion of their novel.
Description: An evaluation letter that examines all of the major story elements of your work. This letter will include feedback relating to the plot, characters and their development, conflict progression, dialogue, pacing, and overall writing style and story execution. Plus, you will get page notes throughout the manuscript. This letter will be in a similar style to a full-length Editorial Letter + Page Notes.
Materials Critiqued: Any fiction or creative non-fiction writing of under 50,000 words.
You Receive: An evaluation letter of at least 500 words. (Letters tend to be longer for longer pieces.)
Price: $300 for the first 10,000 words + $12/1000 words additional
Note: This service is mostly reserved for those writing short fiction and clients who combine coaching and editorial letters with periodic reads of excerpts of their manuscript in progress. Please get in touch if you are looking for a partial manuscript evaluation and are not a current client. I would love to discuss best options with you!
Writing Coach
Best For: Those in their early stages of writing who are looking for advice, prompts, and an accountability coach. This service is ideal for those looking for additional knowledge about the publishing industry, as well as those who would like consistent help with their work in progress. Many writers engage my help when planning out their first draft all the way through to sending their completed manuscript out to agents and publishers.
Description: This service gets you a writing tutor, industry insider, and cheerleader to help you reach your own writing potential. As your coach, I will work with you to help create a plan that has you creating on your own schedule, with check ins either weekly, bi-weekly or when needed. You have the opportunity to submit pages for review as many times as you choose or we can just talk through questions and problem areas. This sessions usually take place over Zoom.
Materials Critiqued: Whatever you choose! With this service, I will look at your manuscript through to your agent submission materials. I can even look at your marketing copy and back matter, if you’re working towards self publishing.
This service is divided into one-hour sessions. This time will be split between reading, if pages are sent, and our Zoom session.
You Receive: A custom-built coaching plan that works for you and your writing process. This service is usually done mostly through email but can be catered to your ideal method of communication.
Price: $100/hour. Please contact me for more details.
Speaker & Panelist
Over the past few years, I have found a passion for hosting publishing events, bringing together members of the editing and writing communities. I have done this as an executive member of the Toronto branch of Editors Canada, as a podcast host and as a student organizer while in the Toronto Metropolitan University Publishing program.
In addition to my knowledge of the publishing industry, I also have a wealth of experience as a speaker and performer. I studied acting and voice performance at the university level and spent two years as an Entertainment Host for Carnival Cruise Lines. Alongside hosting and facilitating panels on writer’s craft, editing and business topics, I have also organized and hosted trivias, games nights, and other activities for up to 500 guests.
Get In Touch if you are looking for a host, speaker, or panelist for your upcoming event.
Upcoming Speaking Engagements:
– Northern Hearts Virtual Conference, September 15-17, 2023 – Writing Is Rewriting Workshop
