Many authors submit their manuscripts to a professional editor in order to receive line edits and structural changes to pitch their manuscript to agents, publishers or prepare to self-publish. We offer the following types of editing services to authors: Manuscript Quick Edit, Editorial Assessment, Structural Edit, Copy-Edit, and Proofreading. Below are details on what each type of edit involves.
Manuscript Quick Edit-This is quick, budget-friendly feedback for the first ten pages of your book or short story. The editor provides feedback on your story’s hook, voice, point-of-view, setting, character development, dialogue, prose etc., plus recommends next steps for your writing journey. Book in your Manuscript Quick Edit here.
Agent Submissions Copy-Editing– Britta takes extra care to look at your work from the point of view of an agent (having served on panels with them at conferences). As an editor and a judge of writing contests, she also has a great deal of insider knowledge regarding the next steps literary agents are taking: submitting your work to acquisition editors at publishing houses and pitching your work onward to other markets. She is able to look at your work from the dual lens of artistry and how to make it more marketable. Book in your Agent Submissions Copy Editing here.
Editorial Assessment-the editor reads the entire work and compiles an editorial report outlining what is working, next steps, but will not have margin/in-text comments. Usually an editorial report consists of 5-10 typed pages of notes on the overall story’s development, voice, prose, characterization, point of view, setting and ideas for revision. For non-fiction it will focus on how well the author is able to sustain the reader for the specialized focus of the book and whether or not each section holds up to the claim of the focus of the subject in addition to the voice, prose, tone and diction.
Structural/Developmental Edit The editor looks at the big picture story structure: what’s working well in addition to changes that will improve the existing story. We will focus on the story’s development, voice, prose, characterization, world-building and the developing genre. There are comments in the margins throughout the manuscript regarding suggestions for revision and author’s can opt-in for additional line edits. This is best for a new manuscript that has had a few revisions.
Copy-edit This stage is always after significant revision (we recommend that you’ve been through at least three or more full drafts and at least one editorial assessment or one round of beta reading). The big-picture issues with your book are mostly done. The editor will use tracked changes to address all errors they find, highlight what is working well, and what still needs further clarification with in-text comments. The following are main focuses of a copy edit: descriptive inconsistencies (character, locations, blocking, etc.), POV/tense (to fix any unintentional shifts), word usage and repetition, dialogue tags, sentence structure, consistency of voice, spelling, grammar, capitalization, usage of numerals, and any lingering big picture issues.
Proof-reading–This is the last stop before publication. Manuscripts are extremely polished before they reach this stage. The editor will ONLY look at:
Inconsistencies in spelling and style
Inconsistencies in layout and typography
Confusing or awkward page and word breaks
Punctuation/grammar/syntax mistakes
Dialogue or reference tags that are misplaced
Incorrect captioning on any illustrations and page numbers in the contents
All changes will be tracked, along with places where larger edits will need to be completed by the author (related to layout/typography) if there isn’t a clear way forward for the editor to make a stylistic determination.
