Structural Editing

This is the big-picture edit involving a comprehensive breakdown of plot, characters, setting, story arc, pace, narrative style, POV and chronology – this edit is designed to shape your manuscript, so you can be ready to copyedit and prepare your book for publishing or pitching.  My work begins by reading your manuscript twice- then working through it chapter by chapter and studying the following:

• Plot: Does the sequence of events  take the reader from the beginning to the end?
• Structure: How is the plot organised?
• Story Arc: Does the story arc keep the reader engaged?
• Chronology: How does this work with the story arc? Does the timeline of events match up?
• Time lines:  Do they contribute to the pace and structure of the story?
• Dialogue:  Does the dialogue move the story forward? Does it give the characters a voice?
• Setting: How clear is the setting and time period. How does this impact on the way the characters speak, act and live in this story setting.
• Characterization:  Are the characters well-rounded or one-dimensional? How do they fit in with the story and the protagonist? Are there any unnecessary characters?
• Pace: The speed at which the story unfolds. Is the pace effective and appropriate for the story?
• Chapter length: Chapter length contributes to the pace of the story; the right length can contribute to a well-paced, page-turning read; the wrong length, can slow the action down, resulting in loss of interest from your reader.
• Point of View: In each chapter or section, readers should understand who the narrator is—whose eyes they are seeing through, whose emotions they have access to, whose voice dominates the narrative. How does Point of View impact the reader’s understanding of the characters and the storyline?
• Narrative style: Is the narrative style engaging and how could it be elevated?
• Tense: Is the story told in the correct tense and how does this contribute?

I will also include a brief summary of where your book may fit into the current marketplace.

. The aim of this edit is to assist you in re-drafting and developing your script to a professional standard to then either pitch or publish.

A structural edit will take 3-4 weeks to complete – memoir and non-fiction may take 4-5 depending on standard of the manuscript and the subject matter. The fee includes one more round of feedback of your next draft. This must be requested within six months of the editing report being handed over to the author.

A letter of Agreement, to be signed by both the editor and the author, will be presented upon booking my services and a payment of 50% of the fee is required on the day the manuscript is delivered to me. The remainder of the fee is due on the day the editorial report is delivered to the Author.

Copyediting

A copy edit will improve grammar, style, punctuation, spelling and sentence construction, remove unnecessary text and highlight repetitive words, phrases and ideas that may slow the pace of your story. My copyedit covers basic fact-checking, language efficacy and layout suggestions. I will copyedit your entire manuscript once, then offer one more pass after you have read it and made changes. A copy edit is charged by the word. Line editing is more detailed and can improve the overall style, quality, pace and clarity of your writing. A line edit is also charged by the word.

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As Beta reader, I provide feedback from a reader’s point of view. I report on the following: Does the plot make sense? Is the story engaging? Is the story well-paced? Is the ending predictable? Does the story take me on a journey with the protagonist? How do I feel about the characters? – Who do I like and who do I dislike? Is the author’s aim clear to me as a reader? Does the story fit the proposed story genre? Beta reading can take place before or after a structural edit or manuscript assessment. Beta Reading is between $350 and $450 depending on the genre.

Proofreading

Proof-reading is the final part of the editing process before your book goes to print. This is the time to pick up the small glitches, the spelling errors; the misplaced comma, the doubling up of words or phrases (it happens!) Always get a second pair of eyes on your work. Before you do that, you can also use Grammar and Spellcheck in Word to pick up common errors and clean up your work before handing it over to a proofreader. N.B I do not offer a Proofreading Service, however I am happy to refer you to a colleague.