Book Editing Services
Budget Options & Manuscript Boosts:
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Core Services:
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What is it? With a taster edit, I evaluate two chapters from the middle of your manuscript, and provide either a sample assessment, or edit or proofread of a 2000-word extract, whichever is applicable. This allows you to see how I would work on your full manuscript and if I could provide the value you're looking for.
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No obligation to proceed if you're not ready to commit further. Either way, you'll have learned what your manuscript may need next, how an assessment, edit or proofread works, and the value they can add to your manuscript.
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Who is it for? Authors who'd like some feedback on what is or isn't working with their manuscript, and/or want to test if I'd be a good fit for them and their work.
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Cost £49
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BONUS If you decide to proceed to a core service, the Taster Edit cost will be deducted from your final fee.​​
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What is it? With Read & Reflect, I read your manuscript in its entirety and report back to you with a brief outline of my understanding of your work, what it needs next, and providing you with a quote if I'm certain I can be of value. Then, the choice is yours whether to proceed or not, based on if you feel I'd be a good match for you and your book, and if it meets your budget.
No obligation or awkward conversations - simply book a slot if you'd like to proceed to a full service, or sidle away if you'd prefer not to. Either way, you'll have learned what direction to take your book in next.
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Who is it for? Authors who are not sure which editing service they might need, and/or just want to test if I'd be a good fit for their complete manuscript before committing further.
Cost £249
BONUS If you decide to proceed to a core service, the Read & Reflect cost will be deducted from your final fee.
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What is it? With a Boost, I both copyedit and proofread the first 10,000 words of your manuscript, in preparation for querying with agents and publishers.
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Who is it for? Authors who want a polished sample for querying purposes, but don't currently want a full manuscript edit or proofread.
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Cost £299
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BONUS For an additional cost, I'll edit and proofread your query letter and synopsis, and/or assist you in compiling a list of suitable agents/publishers to target.
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What is it? Your opening chapter is one of the most important elements of your novel. As well as setting the tone for the rest of the book, many online retailers offer a free sample preview for readers to test before they buy, and this will include your first chapter. So starting your story well is crucial in many regards. With a First Chapter Review, I'll provide you with feedback in the form of a short report on strengths and weaknesses, and offer guidance if required on how you could improve the chapter for greater impact.
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Who is it for? Authors who would like an honest assessment of whether the opening of their story is strong, compelling, and fitting for the genre. For chapters up to 4000 words.
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Cost £35
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BONUS If you decide to proceed to a core editing service at a later date, the First Chapter Review cost will be deducted from your final fee.​​​
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What is it? By the time your readers reach the first 10,000 words of your novel, they'll have a firm understanding of your story's world, its characters and events, and be thoroughly intrigued about how things will develop. At least that's the hope. During a First 10k Words Critique, I will review all the elements of the narrative that I address in a full manuscript assessment – from hook, to voice and tone, dialogue, setting, characterization, plot and pacing, and more. The report you receive will include strengths and weaknesses, and offer guidance on which aspects of the narrative could be worked on for greater impact, and how.
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Who is it for? Authors who would like feedback on how their manuscript is shaping up, but without the expense of a full manuscript assessment.
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Cost £85
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BONUS If you decide to proceed to a core editing service at a later date, the First 10k Words Critique cost will be deducted from your final fee.​​​
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What is it? Your characters are not simply chess pieces on your story board. The most compelling and memorable stories deliver an emotional experience, and largely this is derived from your characters. They are the ones who will keep your readers engaged throughout your book. During a Character Analysis, I will evaluate your characters over a 10,000–20,000-word sample of your manuscript, and provide you with a report that will include feedback on character complexity, originality, voice, dialogue, relationships/dynamics, and more, plus actionable ways to deepen or clarify characterization.
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If you'd like the analysis to include the complete character arc(s), please get in touch for a quote.
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Who is it for? Authors who feel there's something off about their characters, or that their characters are flat, or are simply not sure if their characters are coming across well enough - and therefore would like help assessing only the characterization element of their manuscript.
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Cost £85–£155
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BONUS If you decide to proceed to a core editing service at a later date, the Character Analysis cost will be deducted from your final fee.​​​
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What is it? Ironically, dialogue in fiction isn't just about the things your characters say - it includes how they say it, what they don't say, and what they really mean. When done right, dialogue can: evoke emotion, simmer with subtext and tension, create conflict, reveal character, and advance the plot. With the Dialogue Checker, I will review the effectiveness of your dialogue over a 10,000–20,000-word sample, and provide a report that details its strengths, weaknesses, and how you could make it more impactful.
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Who is it for? Authors who struggle with the dialogue aspect of their narrative, and would like guidance on how it could be strengthened.
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Cost £85–£155
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BONUS If you decide to proceed to a core editing service at a later date, the Dialogue Checker cost will be deducted from your final fee.​​​
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What is it? Pacing isn't just important to fast-moving genres such as thrillers – it's relevant across all genres. The right rhythm keeps readers hooked: building tension in the fast moments, and giving space for emotion to exude from your narrative in the slower ones. With a Pacing Tune-Up, I will review a 10,000–20,000-word sample of your manuscript, and provide feedback on where and how the narrative could be trimmed to maintain pace sufficient to the scene and your genre, or where you could allow more room for readers to pause for breath.
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Who is it for? Authors who would like guidance on where and how to tighten their narrative for greater impact.
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Cost £85–£155
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BONUS If you decide to proceed to a core editing service at a later date, the Pacing Tune-Up cost will be deducted from your final fee.​​​
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What is it? Over the course of writing a book it can be easy for your narrative voice to slip, but often less easy for you to gain enough distance from the work to notice it. Maybe you feel there's something off about your narrative, or that there are flat spots, but you can't pinpoint what's causing it specifically or how to fix it. With a Voice Consistency Check, I'll review a 10,000–20,000-word sample of your manuscript and provide feedback on the tone, clarity, authenticity, and consistency of the narrative voice – as well as offer guidance on how it could be strengthened where necessary.
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Who is it for? Authors who are not sure if the tone, style, and point of view of their narrative voice is clear, consistent, or compelling enough.
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Cost £85–£155
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BONUS If you decide to proceed to a core editing service at a later date, the Voice Consistency Check cost will be deducted from your final fee.​​​
Core Editing Services
The 3 core services I offer address each of the key stages in a manuscript's development. You may be looking for assistance with just one of these stages, or a combination of them, or perhaps you're not sure. To help you clarify what your manuscript may need next, these stages, in order, are:
- Manuscript Assessment - The 'Build' stage, evaluating the strength of the structural foundations;
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- Copyedit - The 'Sculpt' stage, ensuring effectiveness, clarity, consistency and flow at sentence level;
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- Proofread - The 'Spit & Polish' stage, clearing up any last typos, grammar and style issues.​
As copyediting is the most requested service, we'll begin with that below.
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When might I need a copyedit?
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You're satisfied with the overall structure and plot of the book, you've edited as much as you can, and now you'd like a second pair of eyes on it as you feel there's room to make the narrative tighter and more effective.
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What will you address?
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Sentence-level effectiveness
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Fix continuity issues
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Tie up loose ends/highlight plot holes & how to fix them
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Smooth inconsistencies
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Correct timeline or timing issues
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Ensure dialogue is used effectively
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Smooth out narrative tense, POV, or voice inconsistencies
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Ensure consistency of chapter/narrative break placements
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Assess balance of show and tell
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Remove unintentional repetitions, vary repetitive vocabulary
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Iron out weak spots
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Be mindful of language, for consistency purposes and as it correlates to narrative style and genre
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Flag any areas that may be problematic to readers or publishers (e.g., non-conscious language when used unintentionally), or anything that's jarring or doesn't fit within the narrative context and/or the genre - suggesting alternatives
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In short, I'll address anything where there's potential to maximize your narrative's effectiveness. Clear errors and inconsistencies will be adjusted directly on the manuscript and flagged for your reference, whilst other potential areas for improvement will be explained and suggestions provided in my comments for your consideration and final decision.
The priority is to retain your original voice and style whilst enabling the narrative to flow freely, removing any obstacles to reader immersion.
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How much will it cost?
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£0.013–£0.018 per word, depending on the work required, including a £250 deposit due at the time of booking.
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Please get in touch in the first instance so we can discuss your requirements. For a tight deadline or short notice, the fee may be higher. For budget constraints, you may prefer a 3-month payment plan.
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Want to know how I'll copyedit your book and what you'll receive on completion? Click here.
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When might I need a proofread?
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The book is structurally sound, you're happy that the narrative is effective at the sentence level and consistent throughout, it flows well and with nothing narrative-wise that could trip a reader up and spoil their enjoyment of the story. You're almost ready to publish or query, but there may still be spelling, grammar, or stylistic errors that you'd like clearing up so the book is in a professional, polished state.
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What will you address?
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​​Spelling, punctuation & grammar, according to your book's genre and style
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Spelling & numerical style, ensuring consistency throughout
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Consistent & clear layout & formatting
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Ensure front matter & back matter are correct & styled consistently, if applicable, e.g. title pages, copyright, contents, about the author, other books by the author, etc
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Check consistent usage of hyphens, typeface, en & em dashes, ellipses, serial (Oxford) comma, chapter headings & all other punctuation & elements relating to style
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In short, I'll ensure every last detail of your book from first word to last is in order and professionally presented.
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How much will it cost?
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£0.009 per word, including a £250 deposit due at the time of booking.
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Please get in touch in the first instance so we can discuss your requirements. For a tight deadline or short notice, the fee may be higher. For budget constraints, you may prefer a 3-month payment plan.
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Want to know how I'll proofread your book and what you'll receive on completion? Click here.
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When might I need a manuscript assessment?
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You've worked on several drafts of your manuscript and now you're finding it difficult to distance yourself from it in order to assess if it's working, if it's any good, and how it might be received by readers. You thought it was going well, but now you're not so sure, you're filled with doubt and wondering if there's something missing but can't quite grasp what it is. You need someone to confirm if you're on the right track.
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What will you address?
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The big-picture, structural elements of:
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Plot & plot progression, subplots, & overall structure
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Narrative voice, point of view, & tense
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Style & language
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Pace
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Characters & character arc development
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Antagonists & stakes
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Setting & scene
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Timeline & timing
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Show/tell balance
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Dialogue
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Language
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Themes
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Genre & target audience
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Strengths & weaknesses
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Where to next
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In short, with your genre and goals in mind, my extensive report and in-line pointers on the manuscript will detail how each of these elements perform both independently and as a unit in realizing the story's potential and aiding reading experience; and if necessary, suggest improvements that could be made to maximize effect.
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How much will it cost?
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£0.010 per word, including a £250 deposit due at the time of booking.
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Please get in touch in the first instance so we can discuss your requirements. For a tight deadline or short notice, the fee may be higher. For budget constraints, you may prefer a 3-month payment plan.
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Want to know how I'll assess your manuscript and what you'll receive on completion? Click here.
Tina is both friendly and professional. When working on my manuscript her attention to detail was second to none and she was respectful of my 'voice'. The end result is a narrative that is still very much mine but feels polished and clean. I will certainly come to her in the future with more of my work.
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D.S. Smith, author of the Knights of Elyssa series