Frequently asked questions.

Currently, I specialize in the following genres: commercial and book club women’s fiction, historical fiction, suspense/thriller, romance, fantasy, light sci-fi, and all young adult.

I am open to working in all other fiction genres on a project-by-project basis.

I don’t do any nonfiction with the exception of memoir, depending on the project.

I look at all the major elements of story to include in my feedback: plot, structure, character arcs, setting, narrative voice, point of view, theme, story question, premise, genre, worldbuilding, and any potential technical issues. Since every project is unique, I might add elements not listed here that are relevant to your work specifically. Depending on your publishing goals (traditional or self-publishing) I also provide insight on where it fits in the market.

My feedback is thorough, clear, and user-friendly. I incorporate links to helpful articles in my report to assist in understanding of key ideas, and sometimes will provide plotting or structural suggestions in addition to pointing out areas of need.

Unfortunately, I am unable to offer representation or personally refer my editorial clients to agents as this is an ethical conflict of interest. My editorial business is separate from my role as a literary agent.

However, if you would like help with the querying process, I can offer tips and insight for how to be successful through my consultation services or any of the publishing packages I offer.

A heavy developmental edit includes feedback directly in the manuscript using the Track Changes comments in Word. This allows you to receive insight into your project on a line, paragraph, and scene level, in addition to the full, comprehensive report.

An editorial assessment includes the same comprehensive report covering all elements of story, but I do not add feedback in the manuscript. This edit still will give you deep, thorough insight, but more “big picture” rather than scene and paragraph scrutiny.

A light manuscript evaluation includes a deep read with a shorter report and no feedback in the manuscript. The report focuses on overall impressions and the main areas to address during revisions.

The short answer is, yes! The longer answer is that my editorial services focus on pointing out concerns with the current manuscript and explaining why they are problematic. While the report might offer a suggestion or two as an example of how you might go about replotting (for example, I might say, “X and Y element are missing from Act 1” or “the pace needs to pick up around the midpoint” or “eliminating X subplot will allow for more page time to better develop Y subplot”) there are so many different ways to approach a plot or structure problem that it would be impossible to go into too much depth in a report.

Help with plotting and structure is best done through my consultation or book coaching services. Here, we can work collaboratively to get at the heart of your book, get the creative juices flowing, brainstorm ideas, and work on outlining a new structure, if necessary. The ability to talk with you about your vision for the book is an integral part of offering specific plot advice. If the edits reveal that you might be struggling with plot or structure, coaching and consulting are your next best steps!

In a heavy developmental edit, I will do some line editing solely to point out examples of how to polish sentences. In the reports for all editorial services, I will point out any consistent technical issues so you have an idea of what might need work during revisions. However, my editorial services do not aim to fix these issues throughout the entire manuscript. This would fall under a copy edit or proofreading service. I do not currently provide copy editing, but if you are in need I have several good copy editors I can recommend.

The exception to this is a query letter edit, where I deep-edit each line to make the pitch as strong as possible.

My pricing is by the word and based on several factors: the type of service, complexity of the edit, strength of the writing in the sample, and genre. Certain genres take longer to edit than others and this is taken into account when quoting. (For example, sci-fi and fantasy tend to be more complicated than women’s fiction or romance.) If you are requesting a fast turnaround, this may also impact the quote.

I have experience editing short stories. If you tell me the word count limit and what contests you are submitting to, I can tailor my edits around those goals.

My turnaround time is anywhere between 2-6 weeks depending on what type of edit you are looking for and the word count. You will be given a clear start date and deadline. Please let me know if you are working within a specific timeline and I will try to meet your needs!

A 10% deposit is required upon booking to hold your spot that will be applied toward the last payment. Then, half is due on the agreed upon start date, and the remaining balance is due within 48 hours of the deadline. If I’m finished earlier than the deadline, I will first check with you to make sure you’d like to receive it early, as payment will be due within 48 hours of receiving the edits. (Extra time consideration given to clients paying with a check.)

Here is an example of what a payment plan might look like for a project with a $1,000 total:

$100 due upon booking to hold your spot

$500 (half the total amount) due on the start date

$400 (remaining balance of the second half minus the initial deposit) due on the deadline or within 48 hours of receiving the edits.

I take Venmo, Zelle, and personal check (must clear before edits begin).

I can also take credit card, but a 3% processing fee will be added to the total.

Cancellations two weeks or more prior to the start will receive a full refund of the deposit. Any cancellations received under two weeks before the start date will result in loss of the deposit.

Because many projects require I block off multiple weeks of my schedule to devote to one client, and because I often book far in advance, I do have a cancellation policy in place. Last minute cancellations, unfortunately, mean that not only do I potentially lose several weeks of work, but I don’t have enough time to fill that spot. I understand that there are unforeseeable events that might require an author to need to cancel or postpone to a later date and I try to work with my clients as much as possible.

I provide an editor-author agreement that details out specifically the services (especially helpful for clients who want more than one), rates, payment plan, cancellation policy, and other important information to know upfront before we enter into a collaboration. For my book coaching clients, this agreement includes in writing what we discuss is the best personalized plan for your project.

Newer authors who seek developmental editing to gain the full scope of insight into their work while also learning more about the craft

Authors who are close to pitching and want someone to scrutinize by scene and paragraph in addition to a comprehensive evaluation addressing story elements

Authors who feel that their content and plotting is mostly complete and would benefit from a more microscopic approach

Authors who are looking for a “big picture” evaluation of their work but not yet ready for scene or paragraph level commentary 

Authors who are in early stages of their draft and think they may have significant rewriting, plotting, structuring, or developmental work to do

Authors who have hit roadblocks with querying agents and want insight into what, if anything, is preventing them from moving forward

Authors in the early stages who want an overall impression of their work and some direction before they dive into revisions

Authors who want to fine tune any last-minute developmental points before taking the next steps towards publication. 

Self-published authors who are close to launching their book and want a professional opinion to smooth out any potential problem areas beforehand