Editing that makes your book stronger, not smaller.
Good editing does not flatten a writer's voice. It clears everything out of the way so readers hear it properly.
Levels of editing.
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
Before there's a manuscript.
Not every author arrives with a finished draft. Some arrive with a lifetime of stories and no idea how to shape them, and some arrive with a proposal that needs to survive a publisher's desk. Our services meet those writers.
Every manuscript we edit gets the same care, whether it's a first memoir, a novel, a nonfiction proposal or a community anthology. We shape structure and flow through developmental editing, polish every sentence through line and copy editing, and make sure you keep the voice you wrote in.
Which edit do you actually need?
Most authors ask for proofreading when what they need is developmental editing. The two aren't interchangeable, and paying for the wrong one is the most common way writers waste money. Editing happens in a fixed order, and each stage assumes the one before it is finished. Read across, find yourself, then book that level.
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Manuscript Evaluation
You've finished a draft but you're not sure if it works. You want an honest read before you invest in a full edit.
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Developmental
The story, structure, or argument needs work. Chapters may move, shrink, or disappear.
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Line
The structure is settled. Now we work sentence by sentence on rhythm, clarity, and voice.
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Copy
Grammar, punctuation, usage, consistency, and style. Your manuscript becomes publication ready.
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Proofread
The final pass on laid out pages. We catch what slipped through before it reaches a printer.
Not sure where you land? Send us your first 1,000 words. We'll tell you which stage you're at, at no cost and with no obligation to book.
ADULT, MEMOIR & CHAPTER BOOKS
Priced by the word.
Word count is the fairest measure we've found. It reflects the actual work in front of our editors, and it means you know roughly what you're spending before you send a single file.
All prices are in USD and are starting rates. Denser subject matter, heavy fact checking, or a manuscript that needs more intervention than its booked level will change the quote, and we'll tell you that before you pay anything.
A note on quotes. We don't finalize a price until we've read a sample of your manuscript. After you send us your first 1,000 words we'll confirm the level you need, the exact fee, and your place in the schedule. That quote holds for 30 days.
Manuscript Evaluation
FROM $0.03 PER WORD
2 TO 3 WEEKS
An editor reads your complete manuscript and writes you a detailed report on what's working and what isn't. No markings on the text. This is the least expensive way to find out whether your book is ready, and it's the smartest first spend for a writer on a budget.
You Received
An editorial report of 8 to 12 pages covering structure, pacing, voice, and market readiness
A prioritized list of what to fix first
One 30-minute call to discuss your book
Revisions
Report only. You make the changes.
Minimum fee: $350.
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Ghostwriting
FROM $2.00 PER WORD
6 TO 12 MONTHS
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You have the story and the expertise. We have the writer. Through recorded interviews and close collaboration, we write the book in your voice, and your name is the only one on the cover.
How it works
Discovery and outline development
A program of recorded interviews, typically 15 to 30 hours in total
Chapter drafts delivered for your approval as we go
Full manuscript, then a line and copy edit
Ghostwriting is booked as a separate agreement with its own payment schedule.
Picture Book review up to 1,000 words
1 TO 2 WEEKS
Evaluation and feedback report: from $199
Developmental edit: from $250
Copy edit and proofread: from $250
Complete package, all three stages: from $699
What we look at
Page turn structure and the 32-page format
Read-aloud rhythm and rhyme scheme where used
Age-appropriate vocabulary and reading level
Illustration notes, and whether text and image are repeating each other
Character consistency across a series
Revisions
Two rounds included at every level.
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HOW WE WORK
From first email to final file.
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Send your sample
Email us your first 1,000 words and tell us what you think your book needs. There's no charge and no obligation.
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Get your quote
Within five business days we'll send you a sample edit, the level we recommend, a firm fee, and your start date. The quote holds for 30 days.
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Book your place
Sign the agreement and pay 50 percent. That deposit reserves your editor and your slot in the schedule.
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We edit
Your editor works to the agreed timeline. You'll hear from us at the midpoint, so you always know where things stand.
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Review together
We deliver your edited manuscript and supporting documents, then walk you through them on a call before you begin revising.
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Final files
Your included revision rounds are completed and your balance is settled. Final files are released and the book is yours to publish.
GOOD TO KNOW
The details that matter.
Payment
50 percent is due to begin. The balance is due before final files are released. Projects over $5,000 can be split across three payments on request.
Rush work
Need it faster than the published turnaround? A 30 percent surcharge applies, subject to editor availability. We'd rather tell you no than deliver you a rushed edit.
Our schedule
We take on ten manuscripts a month so that every author gets real attention. The current booking window is 3 to 5 weeks out.
Your rights
You own your manuscript, before, during, and after. Editing does not transfer any rights to us. Ghostwriting agreements assign full authorship to you in writing.
Confidentiality
Every editor on our team works under a confidentiality agreement. Your manuscript is never shared, quoted, or used as a sample without your written permission.
If the level changes
If we open your manuscript and find it needs a heavier edit than you booked, we stop and tell you before doing the work. You decide whether to upgrade, and nothing is charged without your approval.
Style
We edit to Chicago style by default, and to Canadian, American, or British spelling depending on your market. Tell us your preference and we'll build your style sheet around it.
Cancellations
Deposits are non refundable once your editor has begun, since your slot has been held. If you cancel before the start date, your deposit transfers to a future booking within twelve months.
Style
We edit to Chicago style by default, and to Canadian, American, or British spelling depending on your market. Tell us your preference and we'll build your style sheet around it.
INTERIOR FORMATTING & TYPESETTING
The part readers never notice, until it's wrong.
Nobody compliments good typesetting. They just keep reading. Bad typesetting, though, gets noticed immediately: cramped margins, orphaned lines, chapter openings that land in different places, page numbers that vanish. Those are the details that make a book feel self published in the way nobody wants.
We build to the specification your printer requires, whether that's Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, or an offset printer here in Ontario, and we send you a proof before anything is finalized.
Formatting comes last. Please don't book this until your proofreading is finished. Every change made after typesetting means re flowing pages, and re flowing pages means new errors. It costs you money and it costs you accuracy.
Print Interior, Text Led
FROM $4.00 PER PAGE
2 TO 3 WEEKS
Novels, memoirs, nonfiction, poetry, and anthologies. Typography selection, margins, running heads, pagination, table of contents, chapter openings, and full front and back matter.
What you get:
Print-ready PDF at your chosen trim size
A design sample of three chapters before we lay out the full book
Two revision rounds
Minimum fee: $500. A 240-page memoir starts at roughly $720. Need images, tables, footnotes, or an ebook version? We'll quote those separately.
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QUESTIONS
Asked and answered.
If yours isn't here, email us. We answer editorial questions whether or not you end up booking with us.
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Send us your first 1,000 words.
We'll read them, edit a sample, and tell you exactly what your manuscript needs and what it will cost. No charge, no pressure, and an honest answer even when the answer is that you're not ready yet.