Hi! I’m Kim—I help writers of the marvelous, fantastical, and strange harness their literary magic and create their best work.
Finding the right editor is so important.
Especially when you write magical realism, speculative, weird, or genre-bending stories.
You need someone who understands your creative quest.
Writing is thrilling. Creating worlds, characters, creatures, societies, systems, and deciding how they all work (or don’t work) together—it’s like nothing else. But bringing a story from draft to ready for readers isn’t a one-person job.
Whether your story is:
-
- still in the idea phase and you need to talk through its character arcs, plot holes, or fine-tune your outline
- a first draft that you instinctively know isn’t quite working but aren’t sure why
- has been through several revisions with beta readers and is ready for line or copy editing
- finished (woo!) and you need help crafting a query letter that leaves agents wanting to know more, polishing a synopsis, tightening your opening pages, or guidance navigating next steps
I can help! I’m a trained editor who can help your book reach its full potential because I’m passionate about stories just like yours. Together, we’ll get your story ready for your readers.
Book a free discovery call with me today
to learn how I can help with your story and to find out if we make a good creative team.
Story Coaching
Imagine working with someone who knows your story and characters almost as well as you do and can help you work through every doubt, roadblock, flat character, and plot hole your story encounters.
Working with an editor who really cares about your story as much as you do and provides helpful feedback as you write saves you loads of time and frustration.
Instead of trudging through your novel alone and then sending it off to beta readers who give you a laundry list of things that aren’t working after your novel is already finished, imagine working through your book with an editor who cares about your story and gives you personalized feedback as you write. Imagine having someone hold you accountable to your word count goals as they cheer you toward the finish line.
That sounds good, right? That’s because it is. A book coach makes writing a novel so much easier. It’s like hiring a developmental editor, an accountability partner, and a coach all squished into one person. It’s a great way to work through your book because not only will you get editorial feedback every step of the way, but your book will also require less editing when it’s finished. I coach authors through books at every stage—whether it’s still an idea and you haven’t written a word yet, or you’ve already written a few drafts.
We can meet weekly, every other week, or even monthly—you pick the frequency that works best for you. Each coaching session includes a combo developmental and line edit of your submission and a one-hour video coaching session.
I offer two coaching packages:
$200 for up to 2,500 words
$300 for up to 5,000 words.
I also offer add-on coaching sessions for authors who I have completed an edit or manuscript evaluation with me at a special rate of $70 per hour.
Kimberly is a writing lifeline. I needed a book coach to help get my manuscript back on track. I set the bar high: a professional who understands my genre (magical realism/speculative literary,) will help to keep me on pace, tighten my lines, brainstorm with me when I’m stuck and respect my sometimes- experimental writing style. It was a big ask! I interviewed several editors/coaches before connecting with Kimberly and from our first exchange, I’ve never looked back. She has been pivotal to my creative life and my development as a writer. I highly recommend her for your projects.
Developmental Editing
It’s hard to turn your book over to a stranger. It’s even harder to turn it over to a stranger knowing their job is to find the plot holes and flat characters. I know how taxing the editing process can be on authors, but when you’re working with the right editor, you stop thinking of it as editing and start thinking of it as collaborating. Because that’s what developmental editing is, a creative collaboration where we work toward the common goal of making your book the best it can be for your readers. I’ll help you improve your manuscript’s structure, style, plot, characters, dialogue, and tone while preserving your voice, because this is your book.
Whether you’re a professional writer who knows what a developmental edit involves or you’ve been told you need a developmental edit but you’re not sure why—you can trust me to treat your story with creativity and compassion.
My developmental editing rates are based on your manuscript’s needs and start at 4.5¢ per word.
Kimberly is an excellent developmental editor, because her priority is understanding the story. Her method has always been to identify the strength and virtue of core ideas and suggest the most effective way to organize and communicate them. She has the professional experience of knowing what a reader needs and the best way to deliver an impressive impact. She is unbiased, objective, and focused on the virtue of the story itself while championing the writer’s voice. Writers need a diamond cutter, and Kimberly is a dedicated master of the craft.
Line Editing
If you really want your story to sparkle, consider investing in a line edit. A line edit happens after you’ve worked through any big picture blunders in your book and before you correct mechanical oversights. A line edit tightens your story at the sentence level and will help you identify and address the places in your manuscript that might make your reader pause, or worse, take them out of the story.
This includes identifying things like inconsistent character voice, inauthentic dialogue, awkward analogies, phrases or words that don’t quite fit, areas where pacing can be improved, scenes that would benefit from additional description, paragraphs that need polishing, and writing that draws too much attention to the author, all of which can pull the reader out of the story. I always provide revision suggestions to the author where appropriate.
Working with you was the best decision I’ve made for my writing. Your comments, advice, and critiques pushed me to improve in ways that I don’t think I would have done on my own. Thank you so much!
Copy Editing
If your story is where you want it at the sentence level, then you’re ready for a copy edit. Woo! Getting to this point is not for the faint of heart. I mean, you wrote and revised a novel. You’re kind of amazing.
If you’ve ironed out your manuscript’s big picture issues and any line editing you might want to perform, then you’re ready to tidy up the grammar.
Today’s publishers expect you to present your story in its best form, and if you’re self-publishing, then the burden of creating a professionally edited book falls entirely on you. Copy editing is a critical stage in the editing process that cleans up the mechanics of your writing and gives it that ready to share shine.
I’ll go through your manuscript line-by-line and tidy up your grammar, spelling, style, punctuation, and usage.
Have a smaller project you need copy edited? I also copy edit short stories, flash fiction, newsletters, website copy, grant proposals, and marketing campaigns. I will make sure the focus stays on your story and not your punctuation.
My copy editing rates are based on your word count and the level of editing your manuscript needs. My copy editing rates start at 3.5¢ per word.
I reached out to Kimberly following a recommendation from a fellow editor. The task at hand was to edit and proofread the Summer 2021 issue of Revealed x Curve Magazine, which is a 40-page highly editorial and content-rich trade publication. After an introduction via Zoom and a brief email exchange, I knew that I found the right person for the project. I was right. Kimberly is a delight to work with. She is a professional with excellent written and verbal communication skills, and, what is paramount when dealing with a complex project, punctual. Her editing style is clean, kind, and yields well-written, easily digestible, and elegant content that is a pleasure to read. Kimberly preserved the voice of each writer, which I value highly, being a writer myself. She was able to correct a myriad of grammar and punctuation issues, weed out typos, and improve the style. The result is the best edition of the magazine to date. I highly recommend Kimberly and can’t wait to work with her again.
Special Packages
Accountability Support
$50
Need a deadline to meet your writing goals? Have trouble prioritizing your own writing? I’ll be your accountability coach! I’ll meet with you for a half-hour via Zoom. You’ll set a writing goal—time spent writing, word count, or a scene/chapter goal—and we’ll discuss your progress. And progress is relative—it’s all about meeting an attainable goal that you set. The goal is to get you back to a place where you can prioritize your writing goals without a check-in. Together we’ll find a writing routine that works for you. During our Zoom chat, we’ll talk through your progress, plot roadblocks, characters who aren’t sticking to their arc, world-building woes, and anything else you might be struggling with in your story.
Note: This package does not involve me reading any of your work, providing feedback, or editing any pages.
Who does this help? This is helpful for writers who are motivated by a deadline. It’s also great for people who want to talk through their story as they write but don’t want edits or feedback on their writing yet.
“What If” Mini Workshop
$150
Plot holes? Not sure what comes next? Can’t see a way forward? Lost sight of a character’s arc? Not sure how to wrap up the subplot you forgot about? I got you.
In this one-hour, Zoom brainstorm session, we’ll talk through your story, where you’re stuck, and the plot issues you can’t see past. I’ll ask questions that help you find solutions. Together, we’ll create a list of ideas and possibilities for your story.
To get the most out of our hour, I’ll send you a questionnaire to complete before our session. I’ll also send you an recording of our Zoom call so you can
Note: This package does not involve me reading any of your work, providing feedback, or editing any pages.
Who does this help? This is great fit for writers experiencing writers block or for writers struggling with big picture problems in their story. It’s also a nice fit for writers who outline and want to tighten it before they start writing.
Agent Pitch Prep
$300 – 750
Literary agent pitch prep! This is an excellent service for writers who finished a book and have completed any developmental, line, and copy editing the story needs. If you want to traditionally publish and are ready to start sending your story to literary agents, then this package is for you. I’ll tighten up your query letter, synopsis, and the opening pages of your story to get your novel in pitch-perfect shape. I offer two packages to accommodate different needs and budgets:
Opening Pages – $300
Includes edits and feedback on your query letter (up to 1,000 words), synopsis (up to 2,000 words), and the first ten pages of your story (up to 2,500 words), and a one-hour Zoom chat to discuss your pitch package and next steps.
First Fifty – $750
Includes edits and feedback on your query letter (up to 1,000 words), synopsis (up to 2,000 words), and the first fifty pages of your story (up to 12,500 words), and a one-hour Zoom chat to discuss your pitch package and next steps.
Who does this help? This is perfect for writers who finished a book and want to be traditionally published. If you’re ready to find an agent, then you need these pages to be as tight and polished as possible.
Manuscript Evaluations
2.5¢ per word
I offer full and partial manuscript evaluations for authors who want a high-level overview of what’s working in their manuscript and what can still be strengthened. It’s a great option for authors who want an editor’s professional opinion of their work before they hire a line or copy editor or start sending it out to literary agents. In the manuscript evaluation, I’ll provide big-picture feedback on the story’s arc, pacing, plot, character development, dialogue, and setting. You’ll receive a document that outlines what’s working well and what you can strengthen, and I’ll also include comments in the margins to help you better understand what’s working and what isn’t. Manuscript evaluations are an invaluable tool that gives you an overview of your novel’s strengths and weaknesses. I offer a bonus next-steps guide at the end of my evaluations to help you take the guesswork out of what you should consider doing next, because I know how overwhelming it can be to receive a manuscript evaluation.
Who does this help? This is perfect for writers who want to learn what is and isn’t working in their story so they can make revisions before they move on to a line or copy edit. It’s also a great tool for writers who have been submitting their novel to agents but haven’t received any requests yet—it can help identify any red flags in the story that might prevent agents from requesting the novel.
Let’s talk about your story
Hi! It’s nice to meet you!
I’m Kim Schebler, a professionally trained editor who is passionate about preparing magical realism, fabulist, speculative, weird, and genre-bending stories for their readers.
My editing philosophy embraces bending the rules to preserve an author’s voice and style while always remembering the reader.
You should work with me if you want an editor who can sharpen what makes your work marvelous. I’ll help you create a book that’s both accessible to readers and true to your vision.
Proud member and active participant in the following organizations:
