By ‘literary,’ I mean that I provide support to authors of creative writing such as short stories, novels, non-fiction books (including narrative non-fiction.)
The Process
The first step is to send me a brief summary of your writing. Simply tell me what it is (i.e. a novel or a short story in what genre, an article, a blog post) and what exactly you’re looking for in a genre
Before we move forward with a full edit, you can send me a 1000-word selection of your work and I will provide a complimentary sample edit to help you determine if you want to proceed with a full edit.
When we agree to move forward together with my editorial services, I will send you a checklist of the editorial considerations you want me to keep in mind as I work on your manuscript. This includes things like the use of Canadian, American, or British spelling, which specific style guide, if any, you want me to follow (in general, I will default to Chicago Style and Canadian spelling if the style guide is not specified), as well as any specific instructions you want to be aware of.
Then, I will ask you to send me your manuscript either as a Word document or via Google Docs. I will make my edits with the Track Changes feature activated, meaning that you will be free to accept or reject any changes I make when you receive the edited manuscript back from me. I will also make annotations throughout the document with my editorial suggestions.
Manuscripts will be returned only after I have received payment. The edited manuscript will also be returned with a brief editorial letter highlighting anything I think needs to be brought to your attention in the manuscript and recommending next steps for your manuscript.
Considerations
My editing rates are based around increments of 250 words because this is the approximate number of words on a standard double-spaced manuscript page.
For the purposes of calculating my prices, a page means 12-point standard font, double-spaced. On average, that means about 250 words per page.
Prices listed in Canadian Dollars and not include taxes. Applicable taxes are calculated based on client location and will be clearly identified in the invoice I send to the client.
Services over $100 require a $35 deposit.
International clients will be billed in US Dollars.
Canadian clients can make payments via e-transfer or PayPal. International clients can make payments via PayPal.
I am comfortable work with fiction, non-fiction, as well as copy for businesses and organisations. Although most of my experience in editing fiction comes from Fantasy and Science Fiction, I am open to all genres.
If your manuscript contains significant mature content such as graphic depictions of sex or violence, please let me know when giving me your summary. This kind of content isn’t a dealbreaker, but I do appreciate knowing what I’m getting into.
I provide preliminary consultations and debriefing sessions via Zoom at no extra charge to my clients.
Beta Reading – $45 flat rate for up to 25,000 words (approximately 100 manuscript pages), then $1 for each additional 250 words
Beta Reading addresses a manuscript from the perspective of a casual reader, highlighting what did or didn’t work for the reader in terms of plot progression and characters. A Beta Read doesn’t provide editorial feedback, but may also recommend next steps in terms of what sort of editorial services will most benefit the manuscript.
A Beta Read will highlight any preliminary issues that need to be addressed by future edits.
Because a Beta Read is often a logical first step before a more comprehensive edit, I am happy to offered discounted package rates for clients interested in moving forward with my editing services after a Beta Read of their manuscript.
Copy Editing — $10.50 per 250 words
Less than 1500 words — $45 flat rate
The most barebones editing pass of a manuscript, this is generally for authors who are confident with the tone, language, and flow of their work and want to address any potential spelling, grammar, factual, or style issues with their writing — for example, typos, wrong words, em-dashes vs. en-dashes vs. hyphens, -ise vs. -ize, Oxford commas, and other rules that may vary based on the style guide being used.
This is the sort of Editing I’ve done for WhoWhatWhy‘s Covering Climate Now reposts, looking over articles originally published on other outlets and reposted to WhoWhatWhy as part of the international, multi-outlet collaboration on climate news and making sure they adhere to WhoWhatWhy’s modified version of the Associated Press style guide.
This is a particularly important stage for Canadian writers, since a Copy Edit is when a manuscript is checked for following the rules of Canadian English. Luckily for those Canadian writers, following the rules of Canadian English is literally my job.
Line Editing — $14 per 250 words
Less than 1500 words — $50 flat rate
This is the big brother of a Copy Edit, and where most of my personal experience as an editor has been, primarily working with Renaissance Press to prepare manuscripts for publication. In addition to catching the same technical errors as a Copy Edit, a Line Edit also looks for issues with how the writing communicates its ideas, editing for things like more natural or clearer phrasing, better word choice, reducing overused words, and internal consistency and logic.
A Line Edit is best for authors looking for feedback to improve how their writing communicates itself at a paragraph-by-paragraph level.
Developmental/Substantive editing — $17 per 250 words
A Developmental Edit is the most big-picture form of editing and the most involved and probably consequential edit a manuscript will receive. This is the stage that turns your first draft — and there are no good first drafts — or even just your preliminary idea into something that better reflects your ideal vision of the project.
As a long-time literary and academic writer myself, I’ve gained lots of insight into the process of reorganising and refining a work in progress into the best version of itself I can make use of that extensive experience to help you do the same.
A Developmental Edit is can happen at any step of the writing process. However, Developmental Edit is necessary before the small-scale technical and style issues can be addressed.
Because of how involved and in-depth (and important) a Developmental Edit is, my packages include up to three Zoom check-in sessions to discuss my feedback and suggestions at regular intervals throughout the process.
Proofreading — $8.50 per 250 words
Less than 1500 words — $40 flat rate
Proofreading is the Quality Assurance stage, a final check of a completed manuscript before publication to catch any lingering errors in its text or layout. This stage doesn’t offer editorial suggestions but will note anything that needs to be fixed — for example, typos, missing or improper punctuation, paragraph indents and spacing, issues with typesetting or font, missing or incorrect page numbers.
This is for authors who want one last set of eyes on the final, fully formatted draft of their work before it’s published.
For Renaissance, I have proofread final drafts of novels and other works of fiction. In my various projects for local non-profits, I have proofread newsletters, technical documents, and other publications intended for both the wider community and for use within these organisations.
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Emona Literary Services 