Be sure to check out my books for writers!
Bringing Your Story to Life
Polishing Your Prose
This service is for authors who are satisfied with the content of their books. Copyediting includes checking punctuation, spelling (including proper nouns used in the book), grammar, and usage. You could also see sentences reworked to remove passive voice when that’s appropriate or transitions smoothed out. It can also include double-checking continuity or wrangling references.
My goal is to make sure that any style conventions you use seem deliberate and consistent and not like errors, preserving everything that makes your voice unique. Each editing project is a little bit different in terms of what is needed, and you'll get the full benefit of my extensive experience in how I apply rule and style.
I work on book-length projects in Microsoft Word, using industry-standard style guides and tracked changes.
The prices for copyediting depend on the length of the book, when you'd like the edit completed, and what needs to be done. Your copyediting quote begins with a free sample so you can see what a copyedit looks like for your project.
Developing Your Story
Successful authors have a few things in common. These authors have support, and their the books go through more than just a single copyediting round.
In this step we figure out what works and what doesn't. You get detailed information and actionable advice so you don't have to hunt around on Google, finding advice that is confusing or won't work for you. Typical pieces for this service are::
- Identify and suggest resolutions for problems with structure, logic, organization, and presentation
- Evaluate the material's relevance to audience, including case studies
- Identify areas that need further clarification or example
- Resolve point of view and narrative distance (this is the top problem I see in fiction)
- Create properly developed and realistic characters
- Check overall use of storytelling tools such as manipulating tension, show versus tell, characterization and character arc, dialogue, action beats, pacing, and more
Refining Your Story: The Doctor is IN!
“I've written a book, and now I need help!”
“I can't revise anymore. I’m just too close to it.”
“I don't understand what the agent said I should do.”
“I’m just too busy to fix this, but I want it done.”
This is where a book doctor comes in.
A book doctor creates content in your unique voice and is a heavier revision than a typical edit would be. A book doctor is similar to a ghostwriter with one important difference: Book doctors don't create as much new material .
Perhaps you need help implementing a storytelling technique such as point of view or dialogue, or there's a big piece missing for your readers that needs a bit more research. Maybe you've got a a good flow, but the point is buried and you need to rearrange whole sections and include transitions to help readers navigate your idea. Maybe you've gotten specific feedback for publishing but just don't know how to implement it.
This service starts by clarifying your need. Then, we meet and discuss what you'd like to do with the feedback about the book so I have a handle on where you want your book to go, and how you want it to be.
Telling Your Story
There are few things more frustrating than feeling like there's a block around publishing your book. You can't see the block, but you sure do feel it. So, the book remains unpublished. The goal of getting that book out there remains incomplete, nagging you in those quiet moments. You see others holding their books up, announcing the launch. Screenshots of the sales. That can seem out of reach for you when you're staring at the screen for what feels like the thousandth time, the memory of the bursts of inspiration—and the thrill—fading fast.
Do you need someone to help you tell the story?
You need a ghostwriter, someone who works with you to write the book. You still have the credit for the book, but through interviews and meetings to work through the chapter contents, I will write the book for you to take you to the next step.
Ghostwriting relies heavily on your input, so the time it takes depends on your availability as well. We can schedule a brief meeting to talk about how much ghostwriting will cost.