Unlock your book's potential

Each story is different because each writer is unique. I offer a range of solutions to fit the needs of clients. If you come to me looking for a proofread but I can see you need something else, I will tell you. I want to make sure you're getting the right advice from the beginning. A good editor/writer collaboration should also provide the opportunity to learn. The better fit an editor is for your work, the faster you can take your writing to the next level.

My prices reflect the writing and editing experience I've built up over the years. I've also been through the fiction editing process myself, so I know how it works.

Whether you're a beginner or a more experienced writer, please check out the sections below.

" I wanted to update a novel which I’d written some ten years ago, and Kate gave me an in-depth assessment of the manuscript. Her comments were hugely insightful and helped me see the changes I needed to make to tighten up the text..."

Most beginning and emerging authors fall into stage one. What I see often are authors rushing to the copy editing stage without having had an assessment of the content.  If there are plot holes or major style issues, a copy edit won't fix those. To get it right from the start, I offer three solutions to help new authors find their writing feet.

Or maybe you're an author with several books published, but one of them has average reviews and read through? A full MS critique could help you to figure out why.

If you have several books published and you're looking for feedback on the strength of your story, a story critique  might be for you.

I will read your manuscript and offer a detailed  critique of the following:

Character Authenticity/Action Plausibility

Big Picture Story Assessment

Plot Issues

Is Pacing Appropriate to Genre?

Is your story a page turner?

Are you burying pacing under a shifting POV?

I will also suggest ways you can fix the issues I find.
 
Please note, this is a critique of the story from a reader's perspective only. If you want a deeper editorial assessment, where I also check your style and offer solutions to correct issues that might lose readers, then a full manuscript assessment (story and style) might be for you.

Price: $540/€450/£400 for a novel circa 80,000 words.

Minimum charge: $230/€195/£175

Sometimes a story critique isn't enough to fix the deeper issues with a writer's style. If your MS has major technical errors that 1: might be losing you readers, or 2: would delay the start of a copy edit, a full technical review of your story (including style) could be for you.

I will read your novel in its entirety and provide you with a detailed report, focusing on the following:

Changing Point of view

Show versus tell

Chapter Assessment

Issues with Characters

Deeper Style Issues

Flow and Pacing (When to create tension, when to hold back)

Continuity, Authenticity, Plausibility etc...

I will use examples from your MS to create a detailed technical report on what works well and what things you need to improve.

Price: $720/€600/£540 for a novel circa 80,000 words.

Minimum charge: $230/€195/£175

"A highly recommended professional whether you are looking for the editing of a new or already-published book."

For authors who have worked with a developmental and/or line editor to perfect structure and prose, and who have a good writing style...

BASIC OR MEDIUM could be for you.

This is for authors with a solid style and whose work is fairly free of errors. The focus on this edit is to fix copy and tidy up some remaining style issues. It assumes the story has also been through some type of developmental review.

What I will do:

Correct errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, syntax and word usage.

Identify sentences and passages that might need reworking, and offer solutions.

Make all capitalis(z)ation, punctuation, numbers, hyphenation, use of abbreviations, etc. uniform across the manuscript. I use The Chicago Manual of Style and Webster’s Dictionary when working on novels written in US English, and I use The Chicago Manual of Style and Collins English Dictionary when working on novels written in British-English.

Fact check.

When you’ve considered all my comments and edits and reworked your novel where necessary, you send your manuscript back to me, and I will review your changes to ensure everything is as it should be.

What you get:

Fully copy-edited manuscript (two passes, one full & one final quick pass to review outstanding issues)

A style sheet noting the uniformity I applied across the manuscript. This is useful for authors writing in a series.

5 hours of clean-up editing included.

Price: Subject to a review of sample

This is for authors whose sentence structure and style may need deeper work than a BASIC copy edit can provide. It assumes the story has also been through some type of developmental review.

What you get:

A more detailed edit than BASIC to fix deeper style and copy issues. (two passes, one full & one final quick pass to review outstanding issues)

A style sheet noting the uniformity I applied across the manuscript.

5 hours of clean-up editing.

Price: Subject to a review of sample

For authors with a good grasp of writing and who have worked with a developmental editor/beta readers, but the copy still needs a heavy edit to address issues with style and structure...

HEAVY or THE WORKS could be for you.

The focus is on style and copy, and identifying any lingering developmental issues.

This is for authors whose MS might need more work to fix deeper issues with copy and style such as: information in the wrong place, scenes lacking transitions and POV confusion.

I will also provide a report of developmental issues I found along with the first pass. It  assumes the story has also been through some type of developmental review.

What you get:

Fully copy-edited manuscript (two passes, one full & one final quick pass to review outstanding issues)

A report (at the same time as the first pass) pointing out any lingering developmental issues.

A style sheet noting the uniformity I applied across the manuscript.

5 hours of clean-up editing.

Price: Subject to a review of sample

The focus is on style, copy, and larger developmental issues.

This is for authors who are concerned their MS might still have structural issues that will need fixing before publication. It assumes the story has  also been through some type of developmental review.

What you get:

An initial full read to identify deeper issues with prose, style and structure, PLUS a detailed editing report that will delve deeper into any issues (structural or style) that I found during the first pass of your book.

MEDIUM copy edit (two passes, one full & one final quick pass to review outstanding issues)

A style sheet noting the uniformity I applied across the manuscript.

5 hours of clean-up editing.

Price: Subject to a review of sample

This is the final polish before publication and focuses on mechanical and typographic errors.

A proofread will not fix problems with the copy, content or structure of a story. If there are deeper issues with your manuscript, I would prefer to let you know from the outset than have you pay for a proofread you don't need yet.

This stage follows on from a line edit and/or a copy edit, and is the last stage before publication.

It corrects the smallest typographic and mechanical errors that may have slipped through the earlier edits.

What you get:

Fully proofread manuscript (one pass). Included is a check to ensure consistency across the board, and to catch any minor grammar, punctuation, syntax and word usage errors that may have been missed during the full copy edit. Note: it is not a copy edit.

Price: Subject to a review of sample

If you require two passes (that is, you need me to review and correct any changes you make after I send the MS back), there will be an additional cost to cover the extra hours.

Get in touch to discuss your needs, or if you want something I'm not listing here.

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