Upgrade your manuscript with us.

 

Hire an online book editor to develop or polish your latest draft. Our manuscript editing service results in publication-quality works of writing that meet the highest literary & technical standards.

 
 

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Pricing & Process

Manuscript Editing

 

$140 / hr

 

1

Hour Intake Meeting

 
 

Get to know your online book editor, walk them through your manuscript, and clarify your expectations. During this meeting, they will asses the state of your draft and price their services accordingly. They’ll also decide whether you need developmental editing or you’re ready for line and copy (or if you’re not ready for editing yet, and would benefit more from a manuscript consultation followed by writing coaching). Depending on the level of intervention required, your editor will propose a cost of either 20¢, 30¢, or 40¢ per word for a complete revision of your manuscript (see item #4, “Editing Your Manuscript,” below). Our per-word pricing model for editing applies to documents of all sizes.

 

$140 (flat)

 

2

Sample Edits, 1k words

 
 

Submit a 1,000 word excerpt from your manuscript and your prospective editor will spend an hour on it, focusing on the portions they feel need the most attention. Their revisions and comments should help you decide if they’re the right editor for your book or novel.

 

$75 (flat)

 

3

Editorial Letter

 
 

Review your editor’s comprehensive feedback, conveniently summarized in a 600 to 800-word letter, before they begin full-scale revisions. This give you a chance to decide if they share your vision for the book, so that you can accept or amend their plan for its improvement accordingly.

 

20—40¢ / wd.

 

4

Editing Your Manuscript

 
 

Your editor will mark up your manuscript with detailed edits and comments. Your involvement in this process will vary depending on the condition of your writing, the state of completion of your draft, and whether your editor is providing developmental or line and copy edits. Again, please that GWG’s per-word pricing model for editing applies to documents of all lengths.

 

$140 / hr

 

5

Optional Check-In Meetings

 
 

As they work their way through your manuscript, you can meet with your book editor online to discuss progress, ask questions, and practice implementing their suggestions. These meetings are entirely optional, and their frequency is up to you and your editor. Ideally, we’d recommend a check-in meeting for (roughly) every 10 to 15 pages of editing.

 Types of Editing

  • Developmental editing is a phase in the book writing process wherein editors collaborate with authors to resolve “big picture” issues in their manuscripts, clarifying and improving narrative structure, plot, character development, etc. A developmental editor addresses works in progress that aren’t yet ready for the close-up, detail-oriented scrutiny of a line and copy editor; at this stage, they are focused on the book’s content and how that content is (broadly) organized. They are not concerned with the writing at a line-by-line level (with its sound, cadence, or mechanics).

  • Line editing is an editorial intervention concerned with aesthetics and craft. It focuses on style and language use within a manuscript, identifying and improving patterns in the author's writing. A line editor may also indicate general scenes or sections of the book that can be improved, honing in on stylistic inconsistencies, issues with pacing, and overuse of certain words, phrases, or techniques.

    Line editing generally takes place before copy editing. It addresses how a work is written, how its content is conveyed.

    Copy editing improves the document at an even more technical level. During this final stage of the revision process, the professional editor is reviewing their client’s near-final draft for readability, preparing the manuscript for one last proofread and then for publication. A copy edit corrects grammar and spelling, fixes punctuation, and smooths out syntax already improved during the previous line edit.

Interested in our online editing services?

Submit this form to schedule a free 15-min consultation call with a representative from our company’s leadership team.

You can also book directly on our scheduling page:

Brady Gilliam, Founder

Becca Canny, Principal
 

*If you are seeking employment with the Gilliam Writers Group, please do not use this form — it’s for prospective clients. Instead, feel free to send an introduction & resume to brady@gilliamwritersgroup.com.

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