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Have you ever been reading a novel when you find a mistake—maybe it’s a typo, or maybe a character’s eyes have suddenly changed color, mid-story?

As an author, you want to make sure the work you put out into the world is the best it can be… And when you’ve edited and re-written chapters and paragraphs again and again, its easy to miss a mistake.

An editor corrects grammatical mistakes, typos and inconsistencies, which creates a smoother reading experience—allowing readers to focus on the story line, not the words.

Whether your target “readers” are currently acquisitions editors at major publishing houses or you’ve chosen to self publish, my professional training and knowledge can help make sure the book you send out doesn’t come across as a first draft.

Authors can choose between:

**A Quick Note: I believe firmly in your role as the author, and any and all suggestions are just that—suggestions. I believe in discussing ways to improve your work, but always keep in mind that preserving your artistic voice and expression are paramount.**

Content Editing (aka Structural Editing)

Content editing involves:

Particular attention is paid to the introduction (an area authors often have the most trouble with) to ensure it captures a new reader’s interest and draws them into the story. It may include suggestions to rearrange the order in which information is presented to the reader and/or recommendations on where you expand a plot point.
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Copy Editing

This is what most people think of when they think of editing–it includes:

It involves looking at the piece line by line to ensure each word is essential to each sentence, each sentence important in each paragraph and each paragraph important in the work as a whole. Copy editing includes re-working sentence structure for clarity, and reviewing scenes with an eye for detail—ie. if Jack just turned his back on Josephine, that she doesn’t then knock him to his back with a kick to the balls or that someone with blue eyes in the beginning of a piece doesn’t end up with brown eyes later on. 
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Proofreading

A much less invasive version of editing, proofreading involves:

*For example, ensuring internal dialogue that is initially show in italics, is always in italics or that if an author uses a serial comma—the comma before the word “and,” which is used in some style guides but not in others—that it is consistent throughout the work.
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 Book Proposal Assistance

As part of my Masters in Publishing program, we spent an extended period of time discussing book proposals—what to include, what not to include and how to judge books by their proposals. When I assist an author in putting together a book proposal, all of this knowledge is at his or her disposal.

I am also happy to help authors customize individual proposals to particular houses. However, I am not an agent and book proposal assistance does not include assistance actually pitching the work (although I am happy to offer suggestions for how to find an agent or publishing house to pitch).
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