Developmental editing services

1. First-chapter critique & edit: (up to 15 pages): Detailed line editing and a critique to help your novel get off to a running start that compels reading.

2. Full manuscript read & critique: a thorough reading of the entire manuscript, annotation on the manuscript (Word and WordPerfect users only), and detailed notes on plot, characterization, and any narrative strengths or issues.

Note: the critique fee applies to a full story edit if you choose to go that route after the critique.

3. Full manuscript edit: editing on all aspects of the novel that involves three complete journeys through the manuscript, an exhaustive line edit, coaching and instruction throughout the manuscript, plus a critique letter.

See what this entails in how it works.

Sharpen your manuscript before an edit

If you read the Reader Reviews for Flogging the Quill, Crafting a Novel that Sells on Amazon.com, you’ll get an idea of how it helps writers with their craft.

Copyeditor  Laurel Robinson

Polishing prose for more than 30 years, Laurel can fix grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors; catch inconsistencies in logic and flow; and help you present your writing in its best light.

NOTE: We are not competitors in that she doesn’t (says she can’t) do the substantive editing that I do, and I am not as sharp on the copyediting side as Laurel is.

For a novel, you’ll get the best result with both of us, but the substantive side probably should come first so that the revisions you make can be checked by the copyeditor.