Services

Beta Reading

While a full developmental edit (see below) is the best way to get thorough feedback on a manuscript’s strengths, weaknesses, and ways to move forward, beta reading is an affordable alternative for writers who want general feedback on their manuscripts. When I complete a beta read, I read your manuscript with an eye for the biggest-picture strengths and weaknesses. I look for places where your characters’ motivations may not match their actions and I check that the central plot arcs and conflicts make sense and tell a good story. After reading through your manuscript, I write a short two-to-three-page letter with my reactions and some basic suggestions, full of encouragement and support as you move on to begin your revisions.

Rate: $0.01 per word

Developmental Editing

Developmental editing, also known as content editing or substantive editing, is the earliest stage of editing, where the editor works with the author to strengthen a story’s plot, character, conflict, and more. When I complete a developmental edit, I read through your whole manuscript once to get a feel for the story. At the end, I write down my initial thoughts—strengths, weaknesses, questions I may have. I then read your manuscript a second time, this time taking careful notes about specific aspects of the text. Finally, after two read-throughs of the manuscript, I write an extensive letter to the author detailing the manuscript’s strengths, my questions, and my suggestions for ways that you can revise the plot, characters, tone, and more. At this point, you take over, incorporating my feedback and reworking the manuscript.

Rate: starts at $0.04 per word

Stylistic Editing

The second stage of editing is stylistic editing, or line editing. This takes place after a developmental edit, once the author feels confident that the overall story is in the best shape it can be. Stylistic editing works on the paragraph level to smooth and polish sentences. At this point, I make sure that your characters’ dialogue is consistent, that your writing flows smoothly, that your sentences are varied in length, and so on. When I complete a stylistic edit, I read slowly through a manuscript, primarily using margin comments to suggest specific ways that an author can strengthen sentence flow and writing tone.

Rate: starts at $0.035 per word

Copyediting

Copyediting is the final stage of editing before a book is formatted. Whereas stylistic editing ensures that writing flows smoothly from one sentence to another, copyediting looks at each sentence individually to correct spelling and grammar. This is also where I check for consistency throughout your text to ensure that if a character has blue eyes on page 12, she doesn’t have green eyes on page 67. When I copyedit, I work with a style sheet. This is a document I create for each project to track spelling and grammar choices in your manuscript, as well as character details, name and place spellings, treatment of numbers, and more.

Rate: starts at $0.03 per word

Jewish Sensitivity Reading

If you are not Jewish and your book has Jewish characters, or if you think your book might include Jewish stereotypes or tropes, a sensitivity (or authenticity) read is the best way to ensure that your book is not accidentally doing harm. When I complete a sensitivity read for Jewish topics, I read your book to make sure that antisemitic stereotypes are not being used in harmful ways. If your book has Jewish characters or any of the following, you may want to consider a sensitivity read:

• characters with hooked noses, greasy hair, and sallow skin (like Severus Snape, Dracula, or most witches in fairy tales)
• greed/fondness for money
• witches, goblins, vampires
• lizard people
• world domination
• conspiracy theories in general
• cabals
• ritual murder (blood libel)
• characters with goat/devil horns

Rate: dependent on project