FAQ

The editor/author relationship is so personal, and I think it’s really important to find an editor who you vibe with, who gets your work, and who is great at what they do. It’s hard to know if all these stars align by looking at someone’s website, which is why I offer complementary 15-minute discovery calls and 1,000-word sample edits for authors who are considering working with me. These resources help us both know if we’ll work well together. Hiring an editor is a big decision that will hopefully blossom into a long, creative relationship with someone who is invested in your work. 

That’s ok! You’re not alone. Editing lingo can be confusing, and it doesn’t help that we all call things by different names and have slightly different outcomes for the services we provide. I’m happy to complete a sample edit for you and let you know what I think after you send me your full manuscript. But without reading the entire manuscript, it’s not really possible to know if your story needs a developmental edit. Most novels that have not been through rounds of beta readers or workshopped in a critique group will benefit from a developmental edit or a manuscript evaluation. You can also book a discovery call with me to discuss your goals for the novel and your options. I’m happy to help!

Sure! I am happy to help authors in any way I can, and I know it’s easier to work with someone you’ve already developed a relationship with. If this is a one-time request—like website copy—then just send me an email with a link to your website so I can give you a quote. If you want to arrange a more steady blog post/author newsletter editing schedule, then get in touch and we’ll try to work out a plan that’s realistic for both of us.

I do! I am happy to perform a combo line and copy edit for you. My rates for this service start at 4.5 cents per word.

No, but those are my favorite books to work with. Aside from all speculative and literary fiction, I also love editing cozy mysteries, spiritual stories, horror (with the exception of slasher, Christmas horror, and splatter stories—I don’t work on those subgenres). I’m really into character driven stories and will happily provide a line or copy edit on any character driven story.

Yes! I love working on short fiction, and I think it’s just as important for short stories to go through the editing process as it is for novels. I’m a big fan of how much a short story can accomplish and make the reader feel in a fraction of the time it takes to read a novel. That’s why I started Bone Parade, a literary journal that publishes quality works of magical realism, fabulist, speculative, weird, and genre-bending fiction. Writing short fiction is a great way to put some publication feathers in your hat.

No. I do not offer ghostwriting.

Maybe! I have a form you can fill out to let me know a little more about what kind of writing buddy you want. If someone comes along who matches you, then I’ll connect you both and the writing gods will decide your fate.

I don’t. Sorry! I wish I could. I know that life happens, things change, and it’s easy to overcommit with even the best of intentions, so it’s safer for me to not offer payment plans. But, I love to help authors, and I hate to think that money prevents me from working with someone who’s a perfect match. So, if I’m the right editor for you, please reach out to me. I am always happy to split a project into parts so that we can make it more affordable.

If your memoir incorporates magical realism, then we should definitely connect. Otherwise, I am not the right editor for your memoir, but there are lots of excellent editors who work on memoir. Let me know if you need help finding one. 

OOF. I feel you. I think this any time I need to hire a plumber, electrician, or take my car to the shop. But ultimately, I know the answer. It’s expensive because I am hiring someone with a specific set of skills to do a service for me that I need help with, and I am paying for the many years they put into learning their craft and the time it takes them to complete the service. Editing is no different. Editors spend years honing their craft and continually update their skills by attending conferences, webinars, and reading craft books. Editing is very time consuming—it takes a really long time to edit a book. Editors constantly have to look up words (is this hyphenated or open? One word or two?), confirm what we think we know in our style guide, fact-check, and track all of our choices (along with relevant story information) in a style sheet. There is so much thought and care that goes into an edit.