Services

Contracting anyone to work with your words requires trust and respect. To hire an editor is to invite them to work with your words. This can be very confronting for any writer, regardless if they are a beginner or experienced one. Many authors come to me with stories of how they have been treated in previous edits where an editor has not been clear, has lectured or has expected them to know things about the craft of writing that they did not understand. Some of them have even walked away discouraged, not wanting to write another word for many years. It happened to me in the early days of my writing career, so I know how it feels. This is also why it's one of my priorities to maintain an honest and respectful relationship with all my clients: one that helps you grow and learn rather than walk away disheartened. 
I offer all types of editing and specialise in structural editing reports. A structural edit report is a deeper form of manuscript assessment. It shows you what may not be working in your story, what could do with development or what takes a reader away from the plot and characters, and gently offers suggestions for improvement. A structural editing report is an assessment that will show you how to revise your manuscript rather than revise it for you. 
The Macquarie Dictionary says to edit is to arrange for publication; to revise and correct.
Editing is a multi-layered process that ranges from ensuring your book or story has a solid foundation to checking facts, grammar, spelling,  simplifying sentences and to proofreading for simple errors. If you are unsure what level of editing you need – no problem. All projects are individually assessed and quoted. 
The editing process prepares your written work to be the best it can be before publication. If you are seeking traditional publication, there is no need to copy edit as the publishing house will arrange copy editing. 

Developmental and structural editing

If you have taken the novel as far as it can go and feel you need assistance, a structural report can help highlight the strengths and weaknesses of your manuscript and offer suggestions to help.  Writing is an intimate process and sometimes it's difficult to remain objective. 
One of my specialities is looking at the structure of your story. There are so many things to consider when writing a novel. Here are just a few:
  • Is the characterisation right?  Are the characters believable?
  • Would this really happen to this character, or that one?
  • Where are we? Does the reader know where the characters are? 
  • Is the plot not detailed enough or too detailed? Does everything connect?
  • What about the pace - too fast, too slow?
  • Does the point of view (POV) work?
  • Is this book right for the target audience or another audience?
Perhaps you've been working on your manuscript for years, have got the story as far as you can and need a fresh set of eyes to have a look.  Whatever the reason, an independent evaluation is always useful.  This type of edit will allow you to look at your manuscript in a new light and perhaps show you things about story structure that you hadn't considered,  and will assist you to find solutions to your story problems in a non-invasive and encouraging way. 

Copy editing

If you are preparing to self-publish, copy editing is a must! A copy edit will look at grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, word usage and clarity of meaning, and if specified, fact checking. A copy edit will generally pick up things that are not seen by the author. 

Rates

My rates for a structural report for a novel-length work range between $800-$2,400. As each manuscript is different, how much the report costs will depend on a number of factors including the size of the manuscript, the complexity of the report and how long the report takes to prepare. Quotes will be provided prior to any work being commenced. 
Copy editing rates are set at $55 per hour, but quoted as a job rate rather than quoted hourly.