Books may well be the only true magic. — Alice Hoffman
Yes! And—no!
The straight truth: every editor in the world offers different levels, types, and ways of freelance book editing, on a spectrum from big picture to minute detail.
Magic Words focuses on transforming the words that make up your overall story. I like to get beneath the surface, down to the ingredients of your story potion, and tweak an eye of newt here and a wing of bat there. All that boring stuff you were supposed to learn in tenth-grade English class? Yeah, that’s my jam. I know (and love!) all those rules, so you don’t have to remember if a comma comes before or after the quotation mark.
I use The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed., which is the holy book of publishing. I’ve read it (yes, all 1000+ pages of it) cover to cover more than once. Heck, I even have a certificate from the grammar wizards that wrote it! (University of Chicago, that would be.)
Whether your story needs a featherlight touch or a complete review of every word and sentence, my job is to make sure your book is free of goblins and gremlins so you can present or submit your work with confidence.
(common names: line, substantive, stylistic, or heavy copyedit)
A Style Tune Up fixes anything that might take your reader out of the story and the mesmerizing fantasyland you’ve created so you can keep them hooked and gushing about how brilliant a writer you are. In a Style Tune Up, I will:
STARTING PRICE—FINAL PER WORD
COST WILL DEPEND ON THE COMPLEXITY
AND CLEANLINESS OF YOUR MANUSCRIPT
(common names: copyedit, light copyedit)
A Nuts and Bolts copyedit catches those slipups and typos, those bugbears of the English language, and any brain farts that crept in during the arc of writing your manuscript (e.g., Aldric’s eyes are green not blue)—you know, all those annoying mistakes that sharp readers like to point out in their negative reviews. Oops! In a Nuts and Bolts copyedit, I will:
STARTING PRICE—FINAL PER WORD
COST WILL DEPEND ON THE COMPLEXITY
AND CLEANLINESS OF YOUR MANUSCRIPT
(common name: proofread)
A Polish and Shine is the final, final, FINAL step before the book is published. It’s one. last. review before the book heads to the printing presses and changes are allowed nevermore. Usually (but not always), this type of edit occurs on a typeset and designed proof of the final book. Usually (and, yes, always), it happens after all the editing above has been done. In a Polish and Shine, I will:
STARTING PRICE—FINAL PER WORD
COST WILL DEPEND ON THE COMPLEXITY
AND CLEANLINESS OF YOUR MANUSCRIPT*
*Discount available if combined with another editing package
(common names: manuscript evaluation, editorial assessment, deep beta read)
But, what if you’re not at the editing stage yet? What if you have half a draft, or 50,000 words (looking at you, WriMos), or a couple of chapters and a rough outline? Can I help you then? You bet! A Story Diagnostic is a read through of what you have, no matter what shape it’s in, from a professional reader who knows your genre, knows the writing craft, and knows how to point out what works and what doesn’t without killing your motivation. It’ll get you back on track or set you on a new, better road to publication. In a Story Diagnostic, I will:
STARTING PRICE—FINAL PER WORD
COST WILL DEPEND ON THE COMPLEXITY
AND CLEANLINESS OF YOUR MANUSCRIPT*
*Discount available if combined with another editing package
Learn more about the Magic Words editing process.
Still confused? You might find the answers you seek,
padawan, if you read these FAQs.