“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter.
It’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
Mark Twain
The Editing Process
I believe every story—and every author—is best served by following the Funnel Model of editing. This approach starts with the big picture and gradually narrows to the smallest details.
At the top of the funnel, we focus on structural elements: identifying pacing issues, fixing plot holes, strengthening themes, trimming unnecessary characters and subplots, deepening character development, and resolving inconsistencies in world-building. This bird’s-eye level of revision goes by many names, but it’s most commonly called developmental editing, which is the term I’ll use moving forward.
From there, we move into line editing, where the work shifts to the scene, paragraph, and sentence level. Here, the goal is to refine your voice and style—clarifying confusing passages, cutting filler that doesn’t earn its place, and choosing language that’s more precise and impactful. This is where your prose begins to shine, and I personally find it to be the most rewarding stage of the process.
Next comes copyediting, the technical phase. This is where we ensure the manuscript is both accurate and consistent. That includes checking timelines, names, places, and other story details, as well as correcting grammar, spelling, punctuation, syntax, and word usage. At the end of this stage, you should receive a clean manuscript along with a style sheet (sometimes called a “story bible”) that tracks key details to maintain consistency moving forward.
Finally, we reach formatting and proofreading. Formatting prepares the manuscript for publication by creating a printable version of your book and addressing layout and design issues—eliminating visual distractions like widows, orphans, and uneven spacing. Once that’s complete, a proofreader performs a final pass to catch any lingering typos or inconsistencies introduced during revisions.
So which type of editing is right for you?
All of them. Just not all at once.
While there is overlap between the stages of editing, that doesn’t mean a single pass is enough—or that you can skip over the early stages and expect a polished end result. The repetition built into the system is a feature, not a bug. In air travel, healthcare, and infrastructure, redundancy saves lives. While the stakes may not be that high in writing a book, it can still save your professional reputation.
Many aspiring authors begin by searching for a copyeditor, assuming their story only needs commas adjusted and the occasional spelling error fixed before it’s ready for its debut. After all, friends and critique partners liked it, and so did Mom—and Mom doesn’t even like the genre.
It’s also common for emerging authors to worry about losing their voice to heavy-handed line edits or to fear an editor won’t understand their vision and will somehow damage the story. If you encounter an editor who genuinely does that, fire them. Then go find a better one. A strong editorial process shouldn’t override your voice; it should refine it.
Many authors claim they can’t afford multiple editing passes, but if you want a publishing-house-quality book, your manuscript needs to go through all the same stages of refinement a publishing house provides. Making a book the best version of itself takes time, ingenuity, and a village—much like raising a child.
A skilled editor who supports you at every stage of your manuscript’s development is an essential part of your village. The right collaboration doesn’t just polish your work; it walks with you along the path toward becoming a stronger, more professional storyteller.
My services cover the three core stages of editing…
Big Picture (Manuscript Evaluation + Developmental Editing)
Line Editing
Copyediting
I do not offer proofreading or formatting.
The reason is simple: distance matters.
By the time a manuscript reaches the final stages of editing, both writer and editor become deeply familiar with the text. Just as you can become blind to issues in your own work, I also become too close to the manuscript after multiple passes. At that point, small errors are best caught by a fresh set of eyes—someone who hasn’t spent weeks inside the material. That’s where a dedicated proofreader comes in.
Process Integrity
I do not skip stages in my process.
You cannot hire me for a developmental edit unless I’ve first completed a manuscript evaluation. Likewise, I don’t take on line editing or copyediting unless I’ve completed all prior stages.
The only exception is if you’ve already completed those stages with a trusted colleague of mine.
This structure is intentional. It ensures each stage builds properly on the last, so your manuscript develops in a cohesive and meaningful way.
I care deeply about the quality of work that carries my name, and I don’t cut corners. I also care about my clients enough not to accept work in a way that would compromise results. My goal is always to support your investment of time, energy, and money in producing the strongest book possible.
Payments
Payments are due at the end of each weekly video call. I must receive payment before continuing to the next section of your manuscript.
This weekly structure is designed to keep things fair and flexible. It ensures I’m compensated for completed work, and it gives you the freedom to pause—or even to walk away if you determine my feedback isn’t serving you in the way you need. If you choose to take a break—whether for a few weeks or a few months—we simply pause and resume where we left off when you’re ready.
This model helps make the process more accessible, since you’re not required to pay large lump sums upfront. Instead, costs are spread out over time as the work progresses.
Timeline
The length of the process depends on your manuscript length, your preferred weekly word count, and whether you take breaks along the way.
As an example, for a 100,000-word manuscript working at maximum pace (with a cap of 10,000 words per week for developmental and line editing, and 20,000 words per week for copyediting), the timeline would look approximately like this:
Manuscript Evaluation: ~5 weeks
Developmental Editing: ~10 weeks
Line Editing: ~10 weeks
Copyediting: ~5 weeks
After that, your manuscript would be ready for proofreading and formatting.
A deeper dive into my process…
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I understand that receiving critical feedback on something so close to your heart requires trust. That’s why I recommend a video call as a way for us to get acquainted and determine whether we’re a good fit to work together. This call is a chance to discuss your story, my services, and to set clear expectations—what kind of feedback you’re looking for, what I provide, deliverables, timelines, and payment.
Before we meet, I encourage you to spend a few minutes thinking about any concerns you have about your manuscript or the editing experience in general.
If you'd like, you’re welcome to send a page or two of your manuscript or a brief plot outline in advance for an informal, off-the-cuff assessment.
If we decide to move forward, we’ll sign a contract and you’ll pay a one-time, non-refundable $200 deposit to secure your spot.
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Cost: $200 deposit
First, I read your manuscript cover to cover to understand the full picture. During this first pass, I leave in-document comments capturing my real-time reactions. These are instinctive, unfiltered responses—often critical, sometimes snarky, and not polished or “professional.” They reflect how I, as a reader, experience your story moment to moment.
At times, I may get completely absorbed and leave few comments (a good sign). Other times, I may note confusion, boredom, or frustration in the margins. These reactions are not a judgment of your work; they’re raw data. They’re for me, not you. I use them later to identify patterns and diagnose issues with pacing, clarity, character development, plot, and more.
You’re welcome to request these notes if you’d like, but take them with a grain of salt. They’re candid and imperfect by design, and they tend to focus more on what isn’t working than what is.
After the initial read-through, I create a detailed editorial report (typically 20–40 pages), offering chapter-by-chapter feedback. I take a full month (perhaps more for a longer, more complex story) to build this report in order to give my thoughts time to percolate. The report focuses primarily on big-picture elements—plot structure, character arcs, pacing, world-building, and overall story cohesion. I may touch on stylistic tendencies, but the emphasis at this stage is on strengthening the foundation of your story.
Once the report’s complete, we’ll meet for a follow-up video call (or two, if needed) to review the feedback together. This is your opportunity to ask questions, seek clarification, challenge interpretations, and brainstorm next steps. I’ll also recommend resources that may help you continue developing your craft. At this point, I’ll let you know whether I think we’re a good fit for continued collaboration or, if not, I can suggest another editor who may be better suited to your project.
From there, you take the time you need to revise and rewrite.
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Cost: $0.02 per word
We begin with a video call to discuss how your revisions are progressing and how you’ve felt about the process so far. We’ll also set clear expectations for this phase—what kind of feedback I’ll be giving, how it will be delivered, and how you can best use it.
You’ll submit your revised manuscript in sections. Each week, I review between 2,000 and 10,000 words*, leaving in-document comments and providing a short report on that portion of the text. As in Phase 1, this stage focuses on big-picture storytelling: plot, pacing, character development, themes, and overall structure.
I analyze each scene with the goal of ensuring it contributes meaningfully to the narrative’s momentum and purpose. I highlight areas that feel underdeveloped (unclear motivations, missing description, weak action) and flag sections that may benefit from trimming, restructuring, or relocation to improve pacing and flow.
I also offer suggestions to strengthen dialogue, prose, tone, setting, tension, conflict, and stakes. Throughout the manuscript, I check for inconsistencies, illogical developments, and factual inaccuracies. I identify redundancies and note where key information may be missing or unclear.
Beyond the scene level, I examine broader narrative threads—character arcs, world-building, timeline continuity, narrative voice, tropes, and thematic development—to ensure they are cohesive and effectively carried throughout the novel.
You review my feedback.
We video call again to discuss your work and my notes. This is a collaborative space to ask questions, get clarification, and push back if something doesn’t align with your intent. It also helps me better understand how to support you as we move forward.
You pay for the week’s work.
You revise the following week while I move on to the next section.
Once we’ve worked through the full manuscript, I recommend stepping away from the project for a bit. Refill your creative well, let the story rest, and give your ideas time to develop.
When you’re ready, return with fresh eyes and revise—strengthening the story with the needed changes we’ve identified.
Once your manuscript feels solid, you’ll be ready to move on to Phase 3.
*You choose your weekly word count (2,000–10,000 words) based on your budget and revision pace. At $0.02 per word, this comes to $40–$200 per week.
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Cost: $0.015 per word
As in previous phases, we begin with a video call to review your progress. Together, we clarify expectations for this stage and define the focus of feedback moving forward.
You submit Draft 3, and I begin noodling through your prose at the same pace of 2,000–10,000 words per week.
Feedback is delivered directly in the manuscript through comments and suggested edits. This is a hands-on, detail-focused stage with substantial markup—but don’t be alarmed by the volume of notes. Line editing is where the prose is refined at the sentence level to ensure every word earns its place on the page.
The focus is on trimming unnecessary or repetitive phrasing, improving flow and clarity, restructuring awkward sentences, and strengthening word choice. The goal is never to erase your voice, but to sharpen it—removing noise so your intent and style come through more clearly and powerfully.
At this stage, the writing becomes more immersive and intentional. Dialogue tightens. Description gains precision and texture. Emotional beats land with greater impact. Language begins to sing. Whether refining action, sharpening humor, or deepening mood, line editing aligns your prose with your vision and enhances the reader’s experience.
After receiving feedback, you review my notes and we discuss over video call. You share what resonates and what doesn’t. We clarify intent, resolve any misunderstandings, and explore solutions together.
You’re billed for the work completed during that week.
You then revise your manuscript during the following week while I move on to the next section of the text. This cycle continues until the full manuscript is complete.
Once finished, you take time to rest and absorb the resources provided. From there, you continue refining your work until each line carries its weight with precision and intent.
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Cost: $0.01 per word
We begin with a video call to review your manuscript’s progress and set expectations for this stage.
Copyediting focuses on grammar, consistency, and correctness. At this stage, I can move through your manuscript at roughly twice the speed of previous phases, so you can submit anywhere from 2,000–20,000 words per week, depending on your preference.
All suggested changes are tracked directly in your document, and you always have the final say on what to accept or reject. That said, these edits are largely technical rather than subjective, so I recommend you consider carefully before rejecting—especially if you’d prefer your readers not to notice recurring issues like creative spelling or word mix-ups.
When I introduce a grammar or usage correction for the first time, I’ll include an explanation. As we move forward, those notes will become more streamlined to avoid repetition.
Each week, you review my suggestions, and we meet to discuss any rules you’d like to better understand, along with final decisions on names, timelines, and other continuity details. These are compiled into a style sheet (your “story bible”) to ensure consistency moving forward and into any future projects.
We also address small but important style choices—like whether to italicize internal thoughts and whether to use “OK” or “okay”—so everything remains uniform.
You’re billed weekly for completed work.
Each week, you approve or reject changes while I continue with the next section. We repeat this process until the manuscript is complete.
Once the copyedit’s finished, we wrap up with a final video call. This is a chance to reflect on the project, decompress, and discuss next steps. I also welcome feedback on your experience to help improve my services.
If helpful, I can recommend trusted professionals for formatting and proofreading, as well as share contacts in the publishing industry, including acquisitions editors at select small presses.
If you’re open to it, I’d greatly appreciate a short testimonial and/or permission to use small, anonymized excerpts of marked-up pages as portfolio samples.
And if you enjoyed working together, repeat customer and referral discounts are available for both you and any writers you send my way.
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This service can be added onto a manuscript evaluation deposit. It is not a stand-alone service.
If your book is part of a series and depends on context from earlier installments, I’m happy to read as many previous books as needed to fully understand the bigger picture. This add-on is especially valuable if you’d like me to consider your characters’ backstories and prior arcs before offering feedback on where they are now—or where they’re heading next.
I charge a flat fee of $20 for each book you want me to read other than the one I’m providing feedback on. I do not give feedback on any of these books. This is purely to provide context for the book I’m working on and enable me to view the story through a wider lens.
Stephen King
“Only God gets it right the first time, and only a slob says,
‘Oh well, let it go.’”
