Details and Other Information

Understanding Editing Rates: Different editors charge different rates for their services, and the reasons why are as variable as editors are. However, the Editorial Freelancers Association has a handy calculator to help you learn what is typical for different types of editing here → EFA Rate Estimate Calculator.

What’s a Style Sheet and Word List? This is a document that lists relevant project details. For example: all characters’ names and their correct spellings and any germane character details; locations and their spellings; notes regarding timing of story events; unique or unusual words or words spelled differently than the dictionary referenced for the manuscript; style and formatting decisions that differ from Chicago Manual of Style or the style guide referenced; foreign words and phrases; and much more. Copyeditors use these to ensure consistency and continuity throughout a manuscript or series.

Scheduling Lead Time: I am often booked three to six months out, though I do occasionally have last-minute openings. I encourage you to contact me at least three months before you plan to have your project edited in order to ensure preferred scheduling.

Reservations and Deposit: For projects estimated to cost $500 or greater, a deposit of 35 percent of the estimated total is required upon scheduling to confirm, hold, and guarantee a reservation. For projects estimated to cost less than $500, the full fee is required upon scheduling to confirm, hold, and guarantee a reservation. Deposits are refundable with a 30-day notice. All payments can be made online through Wave, Stripe, or PayPal. Other options may be available; please ask.

Privacy, Data Handling, Intellectual Property: I respect my clients’ privacy and ownership of their work. Nothing you share with me is ever shared with another source, including any LLM (Claude, ChatGPT, etc.). That includes emails, book titles, book content or ideas, your name and/or pen name, etc.

AI Considerations: I am a creative at my core with a long and storied romance with the written word. I appreciate a beautiful turn of phrase and an evocative, imaginative, exciting story more than anything. Because of this, while I understand the allure of using generative AI to produce a book, I prefer to work on stories produced by people. If you’ve used generative AI to generate the bulk of your novel and have done little self-editing to ensure the words of your story are mostly your own, I assure you it will be obvious to your readers, and obvious to me. So you have to ask yourself if your goal is to write a good book or to have a book written by an LLM with your name on it. That’s a personal choice, but as an editor, I prefer working on the good book you wrote yourself every time.

Let me know if you have any questions through my Contact page. I look forward to hearing from you.

If you’d like to read what some of my clients have said about working with me, please visit this page → Portfolio.

Quick Guide to Estimated Costs

Developmental Editing, 2¢ – 4¢ per word. Contact me to discuss package options.

Line-editing, 2.6¢ – 5¢ per word

  • 50,000 words: $1,300–$2,500.

  • 85,000 words: $2,210–$4,250.

  • 110,000 words: $2,860–$5,500. 

Copyediting, 1.2¢ – 2.5¢ per word

  • 50,000 words: $600–$1,250.

  • 85,000 words: $1,020–$2,125.

  • 110,000 words: $1,320–$2,750. 

Manuscript Critique, 1¢ per word

  • 50,000 words: $500.

  • 85,000 words: $850.

  • 110,000 words: $1,110.