For independent authors
You’ve written a book, and you can't wait to share it with the world! I get you; it is an exciting moment. However, before you can finally hold the result of your labour in your hands, you should ensure it is as polished as possible. That way, your readers can enjoy it just as much as you enjoyed coming up with your captivating story or digging through your local archives.
No matter if your book is literary fiction, historical non-fiction, an epic fantasy, or a murder mystery, your manuscript will require editorial services like structural, line and copy editing, proofreading, or even fact-checking. Once we both are happy with the revisions, the manuscript can move into the layout stage (what it will look like when printed or published online)! Or you can start reaching out to publishers and agents to gauge their interest.
Let’s dive deeper into the services I can provide to assist you on your journey to becoming a published author!
Structural editing
Structural editing is all about the big-picture stuff. In a nutshell, the goal of structural editing is to make sure your manuscript makes sense from the first page to the last.
Does your story flow well? Are the ideas in your non-fiction easy to follow? Are your characters believable and consistent throughout? Are you guiding your reader towards a central point or idea, and if not, what's the main takeaway of your book? Are there any plot holes or unfinished secondary storylines? Do they need to be wrapped up, or are you intentionally setting up a series? Are the chapters in the correct order?
These are just some of the questions I'm gonna tackle as I read through your manuscript during the structural editing phase.
Line editing
Line editing is looking at your sentences and how they make up paragraphs.
Does your voice stay consistent throughout your manuscript? Is the language level appropriate for your intended audience? Do you use too much jargon or cliches? Are you repeating certain words or phrases too often (we all do)? And if you are using sentence fragments, is it intentional to create a poetic atmosphere?
I like to tackle line editing and copyediting at the same time, and you'll see why in a second.
Copy editing
Copy editing goes even more granular and looks at grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage.
Do you really need that comma? Is this name capitalized throughout? Are you writing for the Canadian or American market (or maybe even Australian or British)? Are the character names consistent, or do you have a Polly who used to be Molly?
I will develop a style sheet for your manuscript and note down any language and story particulars of your manuscript there. I will also fact-check any historical dates and events and real-world facts if your book requires that.
Layout
Layout is the stage when we take your finalized manuscript and put it in the format you want it to be printed in, with a nice font, images, your bio and acknowledgments, and other important details.
I'm happy to do a sample edit for you before you commit to working with me.
For publishers
I love working with publishers to provide their authors with fast and high-quality editorial services. I am available for:
- Structural editing
- Line & copy editing
- Proofreading
- Fact-checking
For businesses and marketing agencies
After spending years in marketing agencies in Toronto, I still love to help companies produce the best work they can for their clients.
I can help you with
- proofreading and performing quality assurance for your marketing materials (banners, social videos, TV spots, billboards, etc.)
- proofreading corporate reports, presentation decks, and manuals
- copywriting, especially for banking and travel industries
- web editing
Rates
My rates depend on the depth of the edits, length of your manuscript, and turnaround times. You can get an idea of the costs by reviewing the Editorial Freelancers' Association's median rates, as my rates will match those.
