Manuscripts
Fiction & Nonfiction

 

      We’re aware of how difficult it is to write a book (since we also publish them), let alone proofread and edit one (which, of course, we also do). An author — any author — simply gets too close to the finished product and can no longer recognize basic mistakes. After spending weeks or months on a particular project, usually involving multiple revisions, the writer eventually sees what he or she intended, rather than what’s actually on the page. The human mind is perversely cooperative that way — it will supply a missing word for you, allowing you to continue reading without being bothered to notice the gap. A second set of eyes is needed for that.

      Not to mention all the other details of punctuation, grammar, and syntax, subject/verb agreement, for example. If, in the last sentence of the previous paragraph, you thought the verb should have been are, you’re unfortunately mistaken — and you require a proofreader. (Although the word eyes is indeed plural, it is part of a prepositional phrase acting as an adjective and modifying set. So, the correct usage wouldn’t be “eyes are,” but “set is.”)

      You can rely on us to know those things. Precisely what that bit of sentence structure is called isn’t important, but the fact that it’s a glaring error on the page is. Mistakes of this sort damage otherwise fine writing, and an accumulation of them can relegate a promising manuscript to obscurity. That’s why you ought to hire us.

      We edit both fiction and nonfiction, and we’re aware that different conventions apply, even to their subsets. The straightforward approach of a “how-to” book, which tries to reduce technical issues to their most fundamental terms, isn’t necessarily the same one adopted for a critique of modern politics, meant to persuade; and neither is likely to have quite the same tone as a history of social change during the Jazz Age. A memoir may be told in any manner that suits the narrator, even a style similar to that of a novel — though it’s not one. Meanwhile, fiction can come in all shapes and sizes: first person or omniscient point of view; narrative composed of staccato Hemingway-inspired sentences or long, complex ones like those of Marcel Proust; steam punk with a Victorian flavor or a laconic western; sultry modern romance told in personal flashbacks or science fiction written in stream of consciousness from an alien perspective — all with more or less punctuation, largely at the artist’s discretion. (Even punctuating dialogue is a specialized skill.)

      In any case, each writer’s style is unique. We respect that and attempt to ensure that the writer’s individual choice of style — whatever it might be — is, at least, consistent. We also strive to clean up most of the unintended blunders along the way.

      Unlike some other services, we perform copyediting and proofreading simultaneously (and quite frankly can’t understand why others don’t, since those functions overlap to the extent of being indistinguishable at times). The only disadvantage to this technique is that it doesn’t give an editing service an excuse to charge you twice for essentially the same work — but we can live with that if you can.

See Pricing & Discounts for details.

 

 
      We also offer in-depth editing for longer manuscripts (approx. 2,500 words to book length), which involves structural analysis, developmental criticism, etc. Each of these projects, however, is unique and must be quoted accordingly. We’ll examine the manuscript and then provide a brief analysis (at no charge to a first-time client), along with — if applicable — an estimate for developmental editing. This initial analysis is strictly for the client’s benefit and intended to appraise whether the writing is suitable for such editing. If the manuscript is already fleshed out, well written, and structurally sound, there is no need. By contrast, if it is so intrinsically flawed that no amount of deep editing will significantly improve it, we won’t accept the job. In either case, it would be unscrupulous to take the client’s money (although there are plenty of other services who will). If, however, the manuscript is fundamentally well conceived, has genuine potential, but could be improved by in-depth editing, we’ll quote a price we consider fair for that particular project. Apart from this, and regardless of our opinion of it, any manuscript may be submitted through regular channels for our basic editing service. These two functions are separate, and our basic editing service is not included as part of this structural analysis.

Note: The fact that we edit your manuscript implies no guarantee whatsoever of its eventual publication — and certainly not by us. You must have noticed, at this point in your career, that getting your work into print is a difficult business, and success doesn’t always favor the most talented. What’s worse, there are many “publishers” who prey upon unpublished writers. One of the simplest methods they employ is to string authors along with marginal encouragement, convincing them that their work might be acceptable for publication — at a price, of course — if  it is first “edited” by their affiliate for a rather large fee. Then they’d be willing to charge again for publishing it. To be as blunt as possible, this kind of “editing” is a scam (not to mention that it often costs far more than a reputable service would charge). Do yourself a favor and don’t fall for it. Let’s be perfectly clear up front. Our business does have a publishing branch — but it is totally discrete from our editing service. We will not — as a matter of principle — charge an author to edit work that we later decide to publish; nor will we publish anything we have charged a fee to edit. If your work is already so well polished you wish to submit it as is to our publishing arm, send it there. When it isn’t, send it here, accept the modest charge for our help, and let us assist you. If we run across something genuinely outstanding in the process, we’ll encourage the author to seek publication — just not with us, no matter how much we might regret it. In our organization, this is a strict policy. Integrity matters. That’s why you can trust us.