Let’s organize your creative chaos together!
Having a good relationship with your editor is crucial. You need to know she is on your side and believes in you and your project.
I want to make you comfortable and confident that your manuscript is in safe hands. Before we get started, we will discuss your journey thus far, the current status of your project, and the goals you have set.
Before sending me your manuscript, make sure it is properly formatted. You can find my formatting guidelines here.
And please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Service/Cost
Rachel’s Signature Service (priced hourly specific to the project)
In this service, I give you the works. All of my skills and experience are at your disposal for whatever your project needs to accomplish your goals. We can work together live through Microsoft Word’s online collaboration feature, so you can see my suggestions and comments as I make them, or you can check on your “baby” daily or as often as fits into your schedule. Avoid the angst of waiting weeks or months to see what I’ve done with your manuscript and prevent the overwhelm of having to deal with my suggested changes and comments all at once.
Your project can be in any shape when we start this service—from an idea in your head to a finished manuscript.
Proofread*/$0.02 (two cents) per word
This service comprises a comprehensive review of your final manuscript after it has been professionally copyedited. Proofreading is intended to correct errors made during typesetting, formatting, or file conversion of the final document and will identify any serious errors not caught during copyediting.
If you haven’t had a professional editor look at your manuscript yet, it is not ready for proofreading.
Read & Confer/$0.008 (eight-tenths of a cent) per word [$100 minimum]
Read & Confer gives you the best value for the least amount of money. I’ll read your entire manuscript and then confer with you for one hour about its strengths and weaknesses, ways to improve your writing, and the next steps you need to take to achieve your long-term goals. The conference medium will be your choosing; we can discuss the manuscript via telephone, video chat, or an in-person meeting. Additional conference time can be purchased for $15 per fifteen-minute interval.
If after we confer you decide to move forward with further editing of the same manuscript, the cost of this service can be applied to the cost of any per-word service except a final proofread.
Line-By-Line Copyedit/$0.045 (four and a half cents) per word
In a line-by-line copyedit, I check for spelling, grammar, usage, punctuation, clarity, and consistency. I can also verify quotations as an optional inclusion in this service as long as you specify the source material for the quotations.
This is where I get into the nitty-gritty details of the manuscript. Every word, punctuation mark, sentence, and paragraph is analyzed to ensure it is correct and appropriate. This service is time intensive and the cost often surprises unprepared authors. It is, however, essential to creating a work of excellence. If you are committed to publishing a work that stands a head above the competition, don’t miss out on a thorough line-by-line copyedit.
Content Edit (Substantive/Structural Edit)/$0.07 (seven cents) per word
This service includes a detailed evaluation of flow, consistency, pace, and readability. I make revisions directly on the manuscript and clarify and correlate its parts to correct these issues. With this service, I identify structural and organizational problems as well as issues such as plot holes or character development needs.
This edit focuses on the big picture. It is not intended to catch errors that will be corrected in a line-by-line copyedit.
Developmental Edit/Varies based on project
Do you have an idea? Maybe a few notes? But you don’t know how to bring it together into a complete manuscript? This service may be what you are looking for.
In a developmental edit, I coordinate your project from rough draft to complete manuscript. This includes coaching and mentoring while I help you progress from an idea to a finished work.
Index/$0.04 (four cents) per word
Indexes help your readers locate information in an easily accessible way and exponentially increase the practical value of your text.
With this service, I give the entire manuscript an intensive review and analysis to identify words, phrases, and ideas that should be listed in the index. Then I write, organize, and edit the index.
Indexes can be written only after final page proofs have been created.
* Rachel’s “No-Typo Guarantee”
If you hire me for a final proofread of your manuscript and you find a single typo after I return it to you, I’ll proofread the whole thing again for free. This guarantee is subject to the terms listed in your signed editing agreement.
